GWERU DIOCESE CELEBRATED THE FEAST OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS AT THE NEW DIOCESAN SHRINE
By Fr. Methuli Lanele Moyo
The night of Saturday 24 May 2024 to Sunday morning was as a grace filled time as the whole Diocese of Gweru gathered at the diocesan shrine in Driefontein to celebrate the Feast of Mary Help of Christians and the consecration of the Shrine in honour of Mary.
His Excellence, the Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe, Archbishop Janusz Stanislaw Urbanczyk presided over the Vigil Mass with Bishop Rudolf Nyandoro the Bishop of Gweru and priests of the Diocese concelebrating. In attendance, were over 3200 congregants.
Gweru Diocese is dedicated to Mary Help of Christians as its Patroness whose Feast the Church commemorates on the 24th of May.
For the Diocese, this year’s commemoration was unique as it marked the consecration of the Diocesan Shrine which saw also the blessing of its Grotto and appreciation of the work done in this great project.
Construction of the Shrine commenced in 2018 with a ground-breaking ceremony led by the then Apostolic administrator of the Diocese, Bishop Emeritus Michael Dickson Bhasera.
The project is still underway, with the Priest’s house and other tasks yet to be completed.
It was double joy this year as the Church in Gweru was warmed with the presence of the New Nuncio to Zimbabwe, Archbishop Urbanczyk and his secretary, Monsignor Felipe Fabiane.
Visibly filled with serene joy and appreciation, sharing in the Homily during Holy Mass, Bishop Nyandoro related the occasion to the wedding at Cana, where Mary interceded for the people.
He said Mother Mary was a Mother concerned about us as her Children. “She wants us satisfied and that our needs are answered”.
Speaking of the magnitude of the congregation, he said, “We have come in large numbers so that we associate with our Mother.”
He went on to invite everyone to echo their prayers and concerns to Mother Mary, stating poverty, disease, joblessness and the scourge of drug and substance abuse among the youth as some of society’s common challenges.
After Mass, Bishop Nyandoro asked the Nuncio to address the congregation.
His Excellence, Archbishop Urbanczyk, began by thanking Bishop Nyandoro for the invitation to attend the celebrations, which gave him an opportunity to be with the people of God.
“If we think of this gathering, we must reach a point where all of us are greatly blessed by our Lord because of our presence, and each one of us is and can be a blessing to another”, he said.
The Nuncio expressed his joy in being part of such a large gathering as he began his Apostolic Mission in Zimbabwe.
He said, “It is my first time of celebrating and being in front of so many people in Zimbabwe. This is a great moment for me.”
He went on to explain what his presence as the representative of the Pope means. “I am here to be his voice. I am here to be his eye. His ear. And to assure you of the concern, of the solicitude of Pope Francis”.
The Nuncio reiterated that everyone must embrace being part of the living experience of the Church as a living Body of Christ and that his words of the care and concern of the Pope over the Church were not empty.
“Your vibrant celebration is not just for you alone, but it is symbolic of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church”, he added.
He concluded by inviting everyone to prepare for the Jubilee year by meditating on its provisions and practising prayer individually, in the community, and in the country so that they can fully experience the Jubilee’s blessings.
Overnight, the congregation was in prayer and celebration, with talks on the importance of Mary in the life of the Church and the role of each individual as a disciple and missionary of Christ.
A vocation campaign to draw the youths to reflect on religious and priestly vocations was conducted by Fr. Tafara Musemwa, the vocations director of Gweru Diocese, who invited representatives of all religious congregations present to speak to the youths and parents.
In the wee of the night, there was rosary, prayer and devotions to Mary with lit candles whose flames ignited hope and faith.
Thousands of candles were lit and spread round the newly blessed Grotto, reminiscing the Easter vigil atmosphere.
The event concluded with Holy Mass at 6 am, presided over again by the Nuncio for the multitudes still present.