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Carmeletter 2003, Number 2
Contents:
Bishop Lamont
The
news of the death of our former Bishop of Mutare, Donal Lamont, made most
people recall that for over 30 years he was one of greatest champions of the
cause of justice and independence for Africans in Zimbabwe. He also
spear-headed the establishment of many new Missions in uncharted areas from
Avila in the north to St. Peter’s in the south. He was able to do this
thanks to the generous response of Irish Carmelite authorities to give him a
constant supply of their personnel from Ireland from the forties to the
seventies. Carmelites of St. Elias Province, U.S.A., and of Australia also
responded positively to his requests for friars and finance. He also made
important contributions to debates at the Vatican Council on the missionary
role of the Church.
Born
92 years ago at Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, Ireland, a past pupil of Terenure
College, Dublin, he was professed in the Order of Carmelites in 1930 and
ordained priest in 1937. In 1946 he was the first superior of the Carmelite
Mission in Zimbabwe. In 1977 he was sentenced to ten years in prison for his
sympathies with the liberation movement. On appeal he was deported. He was
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 and figured on a postage stamp
in Kenya. He returned to his diocese of Mutare in 1980. After retirement in
1982 he resided at Terenure College.
During the Mass on September 2nd for the late Bishop Lamont, the Bishop of
Mutare, Alexio Muchabaiwa, was assisted in his cathedral by Bishop Bhasera
of Masvingo and Mgr. Mhembere of Harare. Also present before the large
congregation were Bishop Mutume, Vicar General of’ Chinhoyi; Carmelite,
Diocesan, Kiltegan and Spiritan priests; Carmelite Deacons, Carmelite,
Presentation, Marymount, Dominican, Franciscan and LCM Sisters.
After
Mass speeches were delivered by Conal Collier, Bishop Mutume. Bishop Bhasera
as President of ZCBC, and Carmelite Mother General, Sr. Theresa Nyadombo,
who happened providentially to be in Ireland during the last illness of
Bishop Lamont who was founder of her Congregation. She said she felt
privileged to be able to converse with him and to be present later at his
funeral Masses and burial.
Homily by Fr. Frederick Chiromba, Cathedral administrator:
We
have used the same readings that were used at the funeral of Bishop Lamont
in Ireland. The readings reflect diverse aspects of Bishop Lamont’s
ministry: His prophetic role at the second Vatican Council and within the
Church in Zimbabwe; his episcopal ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit:
his commitment to the evangelization and the spread of God’s Kingdom.
It is
not easy to give a summary of Bishop Lamont’s life and the roles he played:
and this is somehow reflected in some people’s reactions to the news of his
death. Some expressed sorrow while others seemed to rejoice. One person
started commenting saying, ‘He was very difficult’ and I thought ‘here it
comes’, but in the very next breath she went on to say ‘he was also very
kind’. His way of addressing us when we were seminarians would vary from,
‘My dear Seminarians’, to ‘boys’ and then ‘You rascals!’ There are various
roles that priests and pastors play in the service of others. These roles
are found in Scripture: the roles of priest, prophet, shepherd or pastor,
and teacher. While bishop Lamont at one stage or another fulfilled all these
roles, that of prophet became the most dominant as Bishop of Mutare.
A
prophet, on the positive side, is one who expresses issues and puts them on
the table; he gets straight to the point: is courageous: accepts risks and
consequences for his reactions; and does not depend on the support of
others. On the negative side a prophet faces opposition; may be targeted and
persecuted by powerful people; can be misunderstood; is vulnerable to
victimisation and alienation; and may have to cope with fear.
Bishop Lamont discharged his prophetic role effectively, indeed so
effectively that sometimes when we say the Catholic Church said this or
that, we actually mean Bishop Lamont. But then that is the role of a
prophet. When a prophet speaks the Church speaks, the voice of God is heard,
and that is the pattern of Divine interaction with humanity from the
beginning, from the Old Testament to the present. God sends individuals for
the salvation of others.
Waking up Late
Sadly, after Bishop Lamont went into retirement, the Church in Zimbabwe
seemed to go into a slumber. He had done his job so well, we thought he had
fixed everything once and for all. Only in recent weeks has the Zimbabwe
Council of Churches acknowledged such slumber and apologised to the people
of Zimbabwe for watching passively and not playing its role effectively. God
did not send Moses alone to liberate the Israelites, but also Joshua and
many other messengers to enhance that liberation. So too God did not send
Bishop Lamont alone, but expects those after him to fulfil their priestly
roles so that all may be saved; lest we merit the same condemnation Our Lord
directed to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 22:23 –
‘You have neglected the weightier matters of justice, mercy
and good faith.’
Occasionally one meets individuals who claim to be Catholics but have
stopped going to church. When you ask them why, they simply say it’s because
they disagreed with Bishop Lamont. To stop going to Church because of
differences with a priest, Bishop or the Pope is sadly never to have known
Jesus Christ. We should all endeavour to have a personal relationship with
Jesus in our lives and he will raise us up on the last day.
To
understand Bishop Lamont we need to ask bishop Lamont himself. He gives a
clue of what he might say about his ministry in his letter written in 1947
and published last year in a book by Fr. Hender entitled, ‘Celts Among
the Shona.’ I quote, “The modern missionary should be all things to
all men not only in the spiritual sense as St. Paul says, but in a more
worldly one too. He should he tinker, tailor, butcher and baker and
candlestick-maker; in fact he should be everything. Lucky man, if he knows
what goes on inside a motor engine (my addition: and if he knows how to keep
the car from rolling off the road as well!); if he knows what makes a clock
tick; if he knows how to do first aid, sink a well, build a house, use a saw
fell a tree. milk a cow, know a field of wheat from a field of barley, ride
a horse, work in a smithy, harness a river, sew, darn, cook, say his
prayers, keep his hair on, and put his pride in his pocket! luckier still,
if he can remember that he must not expect to see the fruits of his labours;
if in the course of his multifarious and absorbing duties he can keep his
mind fixed on eternity and remember that his life should he ‘hid with Christ
in God!’ Luckiest of all, if he can look with miraculous eyes into every
ebony face and see there the soul of one of whom Jesus thought when he said:
‘Going therefore teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you and behold I am with yon all days even to
the consummation of the world’” (Mt. 28).
This
was bishop Lamont’s vision of his own apostolate, his way of pleasing and
doing the will of’ God, ‘Ut placeam Deo’ was his motto and if he had
any failings in fulfilling that vision, we pray today that God may be a
merciful judge. May he rest in peace.
A
memorial service for bishop Lamont was held at St. John’s Anglican
Cathedral, Mutare, on August 31st. The service, organized by the
Churches in Manicaland was presided over by Rt. Rev. S. Bakare, bishop of
the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland Fr. Martin O’Regan, O.Carm., gave the
homily.
Kriste Mambo Mission
As we
approached the feast of’ Kriste Mambo Christ the King in late November it
was good to look back a little at what had been happening here at our
mission, to thank the Good Lord for His protection and for the many
blessings he continues to bestow upon all of us. Early in the year Fr. Leo
was taken ill. It was decided that he would have to return to Ireland for
medical attention. We thank God for the great recovery which he has made
there and we look forward to his return to Zimbabwe in the near future.
Our
pre-Novices having done trojan work harvesting the maize crop in May and
June, were received into the novitiate on the 3rd of July.
Major
renovations began on the community house in June. Much good work was done
including the installation of a solar heating system, a complete overhaul
of’ the plumbing system with hot water returning to many of the upstairs
rooms, extensive painting inside and out, plus the creation of a new
beautiful oratory twic the size of the previous one.
Welcome Back
Following the completion of his studies in Ireland, Fr. Manyika was
appointed to our community as novice director. He arrived in September and
is already contributing tremendously to the life of the mission. We
congratulate him on being elected first Commissary Councillor. He has added
strength to our football squad resulting in a win recently over a tough
local team from Dombo.
Mount Carmel, Harare
Congratulations to the community of Mount Carmel in Harare on the production
of their newsletter entitled, ‘In Carmel.’ Its second issue contains
seven interesting articles by our students on topics including prayer, love,
integration, development and African Christology.
Triashill Mission
I his
is my new abode. It is great to savour the old-style Triashill atmosphere
once more — the Angelus rung three times daily and the special Sabbath
effect when on Saturday evening all three bells are rung in unison to tell
the locals that the following day is Sunday. Formerly when the bells were
rung the mission dogs howled in protest at sounds that seemed to militate
against their canine sensitivities.
St. Kilian’s Mission
One
of the highlights of the year was celebrating the Diaconate ordination of
Br. Innocent Mazano of our parish of St. Elizabeth, Mukuwapasi. He was one
of the three who were ordained deacons in the cathedral on March 22nd.
He officiated on the following day at the mission’s Sunday Mass.
Although the rainy season was generally poor in this area and the harvest
not great, people contributed generously and with a joyful spirit at harvest
festivals. The most amazing item to report is that we were able to survive
the various problems of what has been euphemistically called ‘the harsh
economic climate.’ I have learned that the Lord always provides. Our
benefactors, one of which is our twin community of Moate Priory, Ireland,
kept us going, especially for the boarding school expenses. Bread in January
cost $65 (Zim.) a loaf – by November the price was $3000. The price of meat
also escalated. Fuel shortages curtailed some activities but in general we
were able to continue with our pastoral work and administration of the two
schools, secondary and primary. Although Concern food relief was
discontinued, the poor were protected from the worst effects of famine. A
feeding scheme for the primary school children and help given to needy
families, often through our Sisters, as well as outreach from Goal and our
diocesan Home Based Care warded off a potential disaster.
Avila Mission
Golden Jubilee
Big
celebrations were held on May 30th, 2003, to mark the Golden
Jubilee of the existence of St. Teresa of Avila Mission, Katerere. It was
organized by Fr. Kevin, OFM, Br. Stephen, OFM, Carmelite Sisters, Schools’
Staff and parishioners. They began with Mass in the rondavel-designed church
which was built in 1972 by Fr. Senan Egan, O.Carm., who had been appointed
to the Mission in 1964. The donor’s name, Con Smith, is engraved on a plaque
at the entrance.
At
present the Mission facilitates the local people with its busy hospital,
primary school for over 1000 pupils and secondary school for over 400
students including ‘A’ Level which began in 2003.
Electricity connecting Avila with the national grid began in 2001 replacing
a diesel-powered generator. The considerable talents of Fr. Kevin have also
enabled him to improve the role of the Mission in recent years with the
initiation of other people-friendly projects such as the production of
cooking oil, peanut butter and maize flour.
Regina Coeli Mission
The
latest very good news is that Fr. Andrew Thokozane, O.Carm., one of our
three recently ordained Priests, has come to stay with Fr. Ward and myself.
He strikes me as a wise young man and if he is as wise as he is tall, then
his wisdom will be truly exceptional. We congratulated him after his
graduation on 27th November, 2003 at the University of Zimbabwe
with a B.A. (Hons).
St. Ignatius
A
red-letter day for the parishioners of our out-parish of Sanyamaropa was
.July 13th when their new church of St. Ignatius was blessed by
Bishop Alexio Muchabaiwa who was accompanied by Sr. Xavier,
HLMC and Sr. Hilda, LCBL. Good preparations rehearsals and great
organisation by parish leaders, assisted by Carmelite students, made it a
memorably successful day.
The
ceremony before a congregation overflowing into the sunshine outside was
preceded by traditional welcomes by parish chairperson Augustine Sadindi and
by two women who approached the Bishop with a calabash of water as a sign of
respect and concern after his 160km journey to reach us. Many prayers of
gratitude were expressed during the Mass. Before his departure, parish
leaders presented gifts to the Bishop: a live goat, clusters of bananas,
sugar cane, pumpkins and cash.
Before dawn on Friday 13th of June 2003, thieves stole precious
cooking oil and beans from our School kitchen. They then entered the
bedrooms of our junior female Nurses who remained in deep slumber while they
made off with their clothes and spare blankets. They also stole a bicycle.
All this loot was hidden in bushes by the nearby roadside ready to be loaded
on to the early-morning bus. But instead of the bus, a military truck
arrived and stopped too close for comfort for the thieves who took off to
the hills at high speed leaving the property to be recovered – to the great
relief of the owners. If they try thieving again I wonder will they remember
never to do it on a Friday 13th!
Extra Special Makorokoto – Amphlope – Congratulations
The
Ordination to the Priesthood of three Carmelites, Andrew Thokozane, James
Nyangadi and Ennocent Mazano, took place on October 25th, 2003, at the
open-air Shrine beside the Church of St. Joseph’s, Mutare. The Ordaining
Bishop, Alexio Muchabaiwa, was assisted at the altar by Bishop P. Mutume,
Fr. J. McGrath and Fr. M. O’Regan who is Pastor of St. Joseph’s. In his
homily, Fr. C. Masarira articulated well what is expected of a Priest, with
emphasis on the importance of witness and leadership. Words enunciated by
our student Theophil to accommodate relatives of Andrew who came from
Bulawayo sounded beautiful even to those who didn’t understand the
Chindebele language. The music was excellent with choir, drumming, hoshos,
dancing and batons all very well co-ordinated. Fr. McGrath thanked profusely
the families of the newly-Ordained and all who were involved in preparations
for this truly wonderful occasion. He and other speakers wished God’s many
blessings on Andrew, Innocent and Jimmy and a long life of joyful service in
His kingdom.
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