By Quegas Mutale in Hwange
Since bishop Raphael Ncube announced 2024 as year of the eucharist, parishes and missions in the diocese of Hwange have taken steps towards implementing the activities and actions to fulfil the requirements in line with ‘synod on synodality’ theme of the Church.
Bishop Ncube promulgated the eucharistic year in Hwange on 6 December 2023 at Marian Shrine during the mass following the presbyterian meeting.
During the season of lent, Bishop Ncube ushered that “declaration of 2024 as the year of eucharist in Hwange diocese is in line with the universal theme on prayer which prepares all Catholics for the celebration of the jubilee year 2025.” He said the year of the eucharist is the year of prayer.
“The theme of prayer emphasizes the virtue of peace. We are trying to unite ourselves in a special way with the Lord in the eucharist, to highlight the mystery of the eucharist in our diocese”, bishop Ncube said. He alluded that this comes within the atmosphere of synod on synodality to journey together as one without leaving anyone behind.
Fr. Simelinkosi Masango, Priest in Charge of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish in Victoria falls and Fr. Masimba Nyoni, dean for Binga deanery shared similar view with bishop Ncube that the purpose of eucharistic celebration is to bring the diocese to unity through exposition and adoration.
This year, Fr. Joshua Del Barrio, the judiciary vicar of Hwange diocese consistently encouraged young adults in Binga to receive the sacrament of marriage to enable them to receive the eucharist. This is testified by the matrimonial union of Goliath Munga and Elina Muleya of All Souls Mission in Binga on 4 May 2024.
Fr. Dumisani Ndlovu, priest in charge of St. Martin de Porres (Jotsholo) and St. Cecilia (Tshongokwe) Missions in Lupane deanery said that the two missions officially opened the year of eucharist during Lent.
Similarly, Fr. Nyoni underscored that, “every Sunday missions are supposed to do exposition, exposing the eucharist an hour before or after mass. They also pray the rosary and in silence for the personal prayer which bring people closer to Jesus Christ.”
“Every Friday we have a holy hour. Before Mass we start with adoration for morning mass in Jotsholo and Tshongokwe. We start with adoration and benediction every Sunday”, Fr. Ndlovu echoed.
At St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, every Sunday before dismissal but after receiving the Holy communion, people kneel for an hour to adore the Lord in the blessed sacrament. People also pray the rosary, Fr. Masango shared.
Fr. Masimba Nyoni, expressed that Binga deanery agreed to inaugurate the year of eucharist at mission level. Fr. Ndlovu said Jotsholo and Tshongokwe Missions conducted eucharistic talks to associations.
The year of the Eucharist is also celebrated in the form of music in the Hwange diocese, as learned from Fr. Nyoni’s submission that “during adoration, Christians sing Eucharistic songs.”
Fr. Masango said the Victoria Falls Deanery launched the Eucharistic year on the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita this year.
Fr. Nyoni said that at St. John Mary Vianney’s mission, the year of the Eucharist was inaugurated on Holy Thursday.
“We had an exposition after the mass of Holy Thursday. People took turns worshipping the Lord, and we had different prayers, including the rosary,” he said.
In line with this, Fr. Simelinkosi Masango said, “We do it on Sunday after mass, soon after the distribution of holy communion for an hour, then have a prayer.”
“In Kariangwe, we also hold expositions an hour before Mass on Thursdays. Usually, it’s between 5 and 6 o’clock to bring the diocese, missions, and parishes closer to the Lord,” Fr. Nyoni said.
This aligns with Bishop Ncube’s submission that “the year of the Eucharist is a year we want to remind ourselves that there is strength in the Eucharist, and it unites us with Christ. We want to be Eucharistic people.”
Fr. Masango underscored that the Mass to launch the year of the Eucharist at St. Josephine Bakhita was celebrated with activities in which the people of God used the symbolism of the blessed sacrament, with bread representing the body of Christ and grapes symbolising wine used at the consecration, as was the case in the Old and New Testament and in the modern Church.
Giving details, Fr. Masango addressed, “We had African traditional grains like sorghum and millet to symbolise the universality of the mystery of the Eucharist, which does not remain only within the realms and culture of the Jewish people because the bread and wine that Jesus used are not African but Jewish.”
“Christianity is a novelty of the Jewish culture and religion, which was Judaism. Jesus used the immediately available symbols or food when he consecrated them and used them to institute the sacrament of His body and blood.”
“We had to bring also these that are African to demonstrate the underlying universality of the mystery of the Eucharist that it does not remain only within the confines of the Jewish culture, yet it came from there, and it is symbolised by wine and bread, which we use today.
So, the body of Christ carries all cultures and traditions, the mystery of the Eucharist itself.”
Fr. Masango said that prior to the promulgation of the year of the Eucharist in the Catholic Diocese of Hwange, St. Josephine Bakhita parish was already in the process of constructing a house of prayer.
“We have always appealed to the Lord by adoring Him in the blessed sacrament of the Eucharist,” he said.
“Now that it is a diocesan journey, a synodal journey, we are glad that we are praying together with the whole diocese,” Fr. Masango expressed.
Giving a testimony, Fr. Masango said, “Our goal as we celebrate this year as a parish is to see the Lord taking us through this painful and draining difficult process, but above all, a possible process of building Him a house.”
“It is the Lord who made us reach where we are now because of prayers that we were offering to Him through adoration,” said Fr. Masango.
Bishop Ncube communicated to Parishes and Missions in the Hwange diocese on expectations for the year of the Eucharist. Activities such as the Eucharistic congress planned for 29 June 2024, a holy week pilgrimage previously held where people were taught the sacrament of the Eucharist, and weekly adoration at Marian Shrine are efforts made to fulfil the requirements of the Eucharistic year in Hwange.