As part of the festive celebrations for St Anthony Mary Claret, St Charles Lwanga parish hosted a day of deep communal and vocational significance on Saturday 24th October, marked by the final profession of George Chidyamatondo CMF and the renewal of vows of Brother Chingarande CMF.
The church in Ruwa gathered eleven priests who had travelled from various parts of the country—including the communities of Gokwe, Kwekwe, Claret House in Harare, and the local parishes of St Dominic and St Charles Lwanga—alongside a large congregation of the faithful.
The high point of the liturgy came with the final profession of Brother George Chidyamatondo, who perpetually bound his life to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience within the Congregation. Joining this vocational milestone was the renewal of vows by Brother Joseph Chingarande, ratifying his commitment to prayer, community work, and evangelisation.
The ceremony was presided over by Father Joaquín Béjar CMF, Coordinator of the Claretian Mission in Zimbabwe, who highlighted the value of witnessing to a radical self-giving in today’s ecclesial context. In his homily, the Superior underscored how the memory of the Founder, St Anthony Mary Claret, continues to drive apostolic work on the peripheries.
The gathering not only strengthened the bonds between the various participating Catholic communities, but also provided a visible boost to vocational ministry in the region. The day concluded in a spirit of thanksgiving, with explicit recognition given to the host parish, the concelebrating clergy, and the lay teams who made the celebration possible.
