On the 24th, 25th, and 26th of March, the Claretians in Zimbabwe held their Assembly.
The first day was marked by a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Harare, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Subsequently, the working sessions took place at St Dominic’s Parish, in the community of Ruwa, where various topics were discussed. In addition, the Provincial Superior of the Province of Fátima, Fr. Carlos Candeias CMF, participated virtually. The day concluded with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
The second day began with the celebration of Holy Mass, led by the Claret House community, coinciding with the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Afterwards, several discussion sessions were held on key topics for the congregation:
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Vocation and Youth Ministry: Focused on evaluating and discussing how, as a Congregation, we can respond to the presence of young people in the Church.
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Solidarity in Mission (SOMi): Reflections were made on how to improve our presence among people and how to organise SOMi programmes for the mission in Zimbabwe.
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Ministry of the Word: This group focused on the best ways to evangelise and ensure that the Word of God reaches every corner.
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Communication: The aim of this group was to analyse how information can reach different people and places. Efforts were made to create a communication network that informs about everything happening in our mission, especially important events.
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Fundraising.
The day culminated with the recitation of the rosary, a moment of reflection and communal unity.
On the final day, the groups shared the progress of their discussions and reaffirmed the purpose of the Assembly: to discern the Claretian presence in Zimbabwe’s missionary space. As part of this gathering, the decision was made to bring forward the Jubilee celebration of Fr. Peter Paul CMF, who marked 25 years of priesthood. With gratitude and prayer, attendees asked for strength in his pastoral mission. The Assembly concluded with the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Fr. Peter Paul.
