Celebrating, Living and Sharing God’s Word in Zimbabwe in their local language has been the thrust of the Claretian Mission in this country. Claretian Missionaries, from the beginning of the Mission in Zimbabwe have shown their identity as Servants of the Word. The Claretian communities, Mission and Parishes seriously make efforts to become schools of the Word as prompted by the General Chapters of the Congregation and inspired by Ephesians 6:17: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Celebrating God’s Word:
- Lectio Divina has been a vital part of community prayer which resonates in the life and mission of the communities.
- Meditation on the Word of God with people in the Church occasionally and in the Small Christian Communities once a week in all the Claretian Missions and Parishes.
- Liturgical celebrations based on the Word of God, in particular Sunday liturgies.
- Celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God every January (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time).
- Reading the Word of God at the beginning of all the meetings and events have become customary in our Parishes and Mission.
- Eucharistic adoration based on the Word of God
Sharing God’s Word:
- Distribution of Bibles and making them available in the local language for cheaper price.
- In 2014 a great milestone was achieved in the Biblical Apostolate through bringing out ‘Shona Bible Diary’. Through Shona Bible Diary year after year the fire of bringing the Word to Shona people has been alive with serious and careful exercise of inculturation of the Gospel using the cultural structures, customs and literary inheritance of the Shona people. The Bible Diary is a simple but efficient instrument for helping the people of God to familiarise with the daily readings of the Mass, to pray with the Word of God and to enrich the knowledge about the richness of the Scriptures. We have succeeded to publish around 2000 copies in Shona in spite of difficulties and challenges due to economic struggles prevailing in the country and people failing to afford to purchase. In the past commentaries for the diaries were written by those well-known for their Biblical knowledge and Pastoral Ministry from Zimbabwean geography, however, as an option for deeply owning this project by the whole Claretian team, the commentaries are written by the Claretians.
- Formation of Lay people through Biblical Seminars, liturgical and Catechetical courses.
- Courses for those reading the Word of God so that they communicate the word effectively and attractively.
- Teaching the people to use Lumko (Institute from South Africa) Methods of Sharing the Bible in Small Christian Communities. Five different methods such as: Seven Steps Method, Group Response Method, Look-Listen-Love Method, Amos Program Method and Life-Bible-Notes Method. First two methods begin from Bible to Life and the other three begin from Life to Bible.
Living God’s Word:
- The Word has taken life through nurturing and caring for the poor and marginalised by social action taken through SSVP and JPIC projects (CCJP in Zimbabwe).
- Through the Karikoga Project, Primary and Secondary education is provided for the poor children, through Scholorship Program poor children get the opportunity to study in Universities and get knowledge.
- Lay people are motivated for social projects inspired by the Word of God celebrated and shared.
Though frail we be at times to live and proclaim the Word of God, we keep burning with the fire of Jesus who strengthened the disciples of Emmaus.
Fr. Nyasha Choga, CMF
