Zimbabwe has been in the news regularly in the last number of years for all the wrong reasons. Since 2000,

- life expectancy rates have fallen,
- infant and under-5 mortality rates have increased,
- the prevalence of of HIV in the population is about 20%,
- 36% of the population live in absolute poverty (less than a US$1 a day),
- national income growth is negative,
- the percentage inflation rate is measured in thousands.

There is serious concern about human rights under the current ZAN-PF regime, and the forthcoming elections in March will be a test of democracy. The Human Rights Watch organisation highlighted these issues in its World Report 2008. Click here for pdf report.

The BBC provides an excellent profile of the country and a timeline of key events. Click here

In light of all this it is difficult for us to imagine how life could have any semblance of normality. Yet Fr Paul Horan, O Carm, who serves in St Killian's Mission, (also in eastern Zimbabwe) wrote in 2006: "Despite such hardship on a daily basis people are generally very joyful and positive about life. Suicide is a rare event, certainly in our area. Our liturgies are truly uplifting with plenty of singing, even at daily masses, dancing, drumming, and processions." (Knocklyon News June 2006.

In late 2007, Fr Paul accepted a donation from St Colmcille's Parish for the St Simon Stock community. The money will go towards essential repair and maintenance work including the roofing of a church. The parish is run by Carmelite friars: Fr Desmond Bvirakare, PP and Fr Robert (Bob) Kelly, CC. Fr Ned Ward moved from the Regina Coeli mission to St Simon Stock but in now home in Ireland.

However, to get a flavour of what life in Rusape is like in the current climate, you can read these notes sent to us by Fr Bob - Rambles in Zimbabwe

Received June 2011

Greetings and best wishes for Easter!

I hope this message finds you and yours well as Spring emerges in the West. Our poor old world is badly in need of Easter hope and joy. Ongoing economic uncertainty in the West plus the popular uprisings in Africa and the Middle East, not to mention nuclear fallout in Japan.  

NATO management of the war in Libya is anything but convincing. It could go on for months.

Here, we are on the cusp of the dry/cold season. There is uncertainty regarding the elections. Armed soldiers roam the streets as the country celebrates Independence on April 18th.The physical presence of the army is a show of strength and a reminder of who is in charge. However, the recent popular uprisings in other places and the strong speech of Hilary Clinton after the removal of the ex leader in Ivory Coast  should send warning signs to all tyrants and dictators, that their reigns could be short lived.

When such events happen, I’m reminded of Poet Laureate, Seamus Heaney’s  lines in The Cure at Troy : “Once in a lifetime / The longed-for tidal wave / Of justice can rise up / And hope and history rhyme.”

Or Kennelly:

Though we live in a world that dreams of ending 

that always seems about to give in 

something that will not acknowledge conclusion 

insists that we forever begin. 

That is also the message of Easter.

Thank God, I’m feeling great, having lost about 3kgs in recent times. My aim is to lose a further 3kgs between now and mid July and face my GP with confidence in a slimmed down condition.

Wishing you and yours the peace and joy of the Risen Lord.

Love and best wishes to all.

17/03/2004

Greetings from Rusape!

Lent got under way with two well attended masses on Wed, the blessing and distribution of ashes. I took the theme from 2Cor “Be reconciled to God” and moved on to the notion of forgiveness with two apposite quotations:

Mandela’s inauguration speech 1994 ”If I did not forgive, I would still be in prison”.

Martin Luther King ” The person who chooses not to forgive is devoid of the power of love”.

Another quotation that I came across runs as follows “Forgiveness is the greatest gift one can give to oneself.” Not many people realize that.

I had Mass at the school on Friday morning. The church was packed and the children were in great voice. We distributed ashes only to the baptised, Christians of different denominations. A large number would have no religion or African customary religion - belief in the spirits. Gentle rain came down at 6.45am as I made my way to the school,. By mid afternoon it had developed into heavy rain. Over an inch of rain fell in Rusape, while three to four inches fell in Mutare on Saturday,  which was a gift to the people who had sown maize late.

Ireland’s defeat by Wales in the Six Nations was disappointing, especially as the referee awarded a try to Wales, which should not have been given.

The following excerpts from last week’s Irish Times once again, point the finger at the various groups responsible for the present state of the country: Few escape criticism in Nyberg’s draft conclusions. The banks, the Government, the Financial Regulator and the media are mentioned as being responsible for the crisis. The commission concluded there was a lack of critical debate across Irish society about the scale and sustainability of the economic growth and the property boom. There was a general view that property values would not fall, which contributed to the growth in property lending and excessive risks taken by the banks, it found. The commission also blames the media for supporting the profit and share growth of the banks during the boom while being dismissive of warnings that suggested the growth was not sustainable.------------------------------

The blessing and distribution of ashes continues for four weeks at the outstations , where we celebrate Eucharist once a month. I had a memorial Mass on Saturday for the teacher, who died a month ago, at the homestead in Tsanzaguru. This time the road was more accessible and the weather more favourable for an outdoor Mass..

I was back at the church in Tsanzaguru on Sunday for their monthly Mass. It was a case of mingling the readings for Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday of Lent, the Temptations of Jesus. I find Pope Benedict’s book, Jesus of Nazareth, (Vol 1), very good on St. Matthew’s gospel. While scholarly, it is very readable. After Mass, I took Canisius, our faithful cook, to his home, not far from the church, and left his two weeks supply of groceries to his family. I dropped him off at the beer hall, off the main road, and gave him a few dollars for a drink. He clapped his hands in gratitude.

Monday golf was enjoyable. In recent weeks, I have spent Mondays shopping for plumbing material for the toilet/shower block at St. Simon’s and the cook’s house, which we are renovating and preparing for the new cook, who will start work on April 1st. Rusape has a number of hardware stores but has limited supplies of plumbing material. Even in Mutare, prices can vary from shop to shop e.g. an iron door frame was $18.00 in one shop and $23.00 in other shops. Africans are not good at planning ahead. The plumber will say ”Baba I need such and such”. The next day or week he will make another request. The old underground metal water pipes were rusting and had to be replaced with PVC piping.  We discovered that the company that installed the 5,000 litre water tank, while I was away in 2008, did not put in a non returnable valve, which meant that our borehole pumped water was returning into the town water supply. The construction teacher, who is on career break from  for the Catholic Secondary School, is supervising the project. Africans know best how to deal with their own.

The scenes in Japan and Libya are frightening. Natural disaster and manmade problems. The safety of nuclear power is now in question

Love and best wishes.

……………..O.Carm.,

24/03/2011

Greetings from Rusape, where the temperature is 28C today!

I had an unusual experience on Tuesday last before returning to Rusape. The daughter of a former garage owner, where we had our trucks serviced, died at the age of 50. Fr. McGrath invited me to participate in the funeral service. A word commonly used here for any form of liturgy. The ceremony took place at the funeral home. I did a reading from Ecclesiasticus “There is a time for everything” and a general prayer. The congregation, mostly white, were from the tobacco industry where Pam had an executive role in the export business of the industry. Fr. McGrath led the service with a few hymns and a homily. The ceremony reminded me of one I did in Fremantle for a drug addict , whose mother came from Mullingar. It was difficult to know if there was a faith community present. A kind of uneasy feeling.

On Wednesday, I drove to Harare hoping the join the Mashona Irish for a game of golf on St. Patrick’s Day. However my friends from NI informed me that the golf would not be played until Friday. My journey was not in vain as I collected altar breads from the Franciscan Sisters in Waterfalls, had afternoon tea with a  Franciscan priest with whom I studied in Rome and exchanged the lap tops, I bought some months ago, for desk tops, which are more robust and better for training courses for youth. I played golf on my own at Windgate on Thursday morning, covering the first nine in just one hour. My second nine was slowed down by the presence of three ladies groups but I enjoyed the outing.  I took three of the brethren to Da Eros for a leisurely nice Italian lunch to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  I returned to Rusape in the late afternoon.

It was a great week for Irish sport. Irish horses winning six of the seven races on the opening day at Cheltenham and finishing the festival with thirteen winners. The best ever performance. News of President Obama’s visit to Ireland was announced at the White House. That with the Queen’s visit will make April/May special.

Ireland put in a brilliant performance against England in the Six Nations Rugby game at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, beating them 24-8. The score could have been higher. There were twenty thousand Brits present, hoping to win the Grand Slam. That is all six games in the championship. Ireland subdued them with full blooded opposition. No rendering of “Swing low sweet chariot”. I stayed up late on Saturday night to watch France beat Wales.

The St. Josephs men’s confraternity(123) met at the weekend for their annual retreat. They come in from all the outstations. I gave some of them a lift on Sunday on my way to St. Bernard’s, where I visited Ambrose, celebrated the sacraments with him and gave him his supply of groceries. He seemed a bit subdued.

North Africa/Middle East is like a cauldron, ready to explode. I fear that Gadaffi will not go easily and that it may be a long haul for the coalition partners. ZANU PF held a large gathering in Mutare last Saturday, opposing the sanctions. No danger of a popular uprising here. Older people have too many memories of the brutality of the Liberation War.

Younger people experienced the beatings during the  2002 and 2008 election campaigns.

I enclose a copy of the talk given by the AB of San Francisco re: the new missal. It is quite good.

Mum’s anniversary is at the weekend.

Love and best wishes.

………………..O.Carm.,

NB an excerpt from cousin Sue’s letter on St. Patrick’s Day in San Franccisco..

We had a nice St. Patrick's day at school.  Our Irish cafeteria cook (the one that grew up in Mt. Argus parish, Dublin) made shepherd's pie, colcannon, and scones for the faculty for lunch.  We usually just bring food in a bag for school, so it was a very nice treat.  The kids got their green jello and were also very happy.  We had Friday off school, a kind of unexpected holiday due to some kind of glitch in the calendar the Archdiocese made for the schools last year.  We all had one too many days so they gave us Friday off.  It was such a treat to have that day.  March is the only month of the year that has no three-day weekend holiday.  Anyway, despite the horrific rain on Friday (there was even a tornado warning for San Francisco!)  I went to see Kit(the last surving first cousin of my late father) and took her to lunch.  She was as usual, bright and cheerful and completely lucid.  She even insisted on driving(95 year old) in the horrible rain!  She ate a good lunch, but told me she didn't want to eat too much since she would be going out to dinner that night with a neighbor.  She told me you sent her a long email and that she had not gotten through it all yet.  She continues to be unbelievable

Archbishop: Mass changes are invitation to deepen encounter with Eucharist

February 23rd, 2011
By Archbishop George Niederauer

This is the full version of Archbishop Niederauer’s Feb. 22 keynote address to the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s summit meeting on the new missal, held at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

In an undertaking as extensive and detailed as the translation of the entire Roman Missal into English you may be sure that there is something for everyone to dislike. However, we bishops, priests, religious, deacons, and lay ministers are called to a broader vision of what is happening and of the task before us, a vision that sees beyond this or that particular phrasing or wording. Such a vision will see the opportunity for a catechesis about Eucharist and worship that will recall all of us to a deeper understanding of what Eucharist is and of what our full, active and conscious Eucharistic participation means for us and for the entire Church. Forty years ago such a catechesis was spotty at best, but now we have a chance to get it right.

As we begin this consideration, I want to share with you a story that is a variation on the theme of not seeing the forest for the trees. In the seventeenth century, when the British architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was directing the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, he walked around the construction site dressed as an ordinary worker. Sir Christopher stopped beside one workman and asked him what he was doing. The man replied, “What does it look like? I am putting one stone on top of another.” The architect walked on and stopped by a second workman. He asked the man what he was doing, and the response was: “I’m earning a shilling a day.” Sir Christopher then walked up to a very industrious third workman, again asking, “What are you doing here?” The man looked up, cheerfully and proudly, and said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren build St. Paul’s Cathedral!”

Having a vision of the project, keeping it in mind, and not centering on himself, no doubt helped motivate that third workman in the use of his skills. Let’s keep him in mind as we consider our priceless call to minister Word and Sacrament alongside our priests. There are ministry-related and liturgy-related versions of merely putting one stone on top of another, or worse, of just earning a shilling a day. We want to avoid such versions as we cooperate with the action of the Holy Spirit in the building up of the Body of Christ, his Church.

As shepherd of Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco I am convinced that I must issue a call to leadership to pastors and parish ministers, to those in Catholic schools and in other Catholic communities in this local Church, to work together conscientiously, cooperatively and responsibly to implement the new translation of the Roman Missal throughout the Archdiocese. I acknowledge that among us are fine Catholic leaders with sincere doubts and critical concerns about the translation.

Nevertheless, I believe that we can work together honestly and with integrity as we implement the new Roman Missal. In order to do that let us first consider the catholicity of our Church. We cannot leave it up to each celebrant or each congregation to fashion their own texts. If it’s every presider for himself and every parish for itself, then each personnel change can mean a change in Mass texts for the congregation. As Msgr. Phil Murnion liked to say, “Ordination is not a license for private practice.” We are called and sent to do what the Church does in the way the Church calls us to do it. That does not make us robots or automatons, but ministers responsive to Christ, who is leading us together in the Spirit.

I admit that we have work to do as we implement the new Missal, but I believe it is largely a work of catechesis. We should not overestimate the changes themselves: there are no changes of gesture, posture, or movement. The textual changes are not wholesale departures from familiar texts, and we will get used to them.

The catechetical opportunity this year is enormous. The changes in the 1970’s were introduced incrementally, even piecemeal, and often enough a priest could be heard to say something like, “You’re not going to like this. I don’t like it myself, but we have to do it!”

We can get it right this time. We can introduce changes in the greater context of teaching that in Eucharist God makes us Catholics who we are, by making us one with Christ and one with one another in Christ. How God does this, and the difference it makes, and how we are called to respond can be front and center in our consciousness this year.

The Catholic Churches of the English-speaking world have arrived at this new text by way of a lengthy consultative process. I know that because I was part of it. During my first eight years as a bishop I did not submit a single amendment to a draft of a document submitted to us members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I am not particularly proud of that “clean” record, but I usually read the documents on the plane, on my way from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C. too late to mail in an amendment.

Then, about seven years ago, I received the preliminary drafts of the Missal text we are now implementing. Before the next meeting I submitted 45 amendments! Accompanying those amendments were my explanation for each, as well as the alternate reading I was suggesting for the passage. Many other American bishops submitted amendments, and quite a few of them submitted more amendments than I did.

In this process of multiple drafts and consultations there was much give and take. Some of the bishops’ amendments were incorporated in subsequent drafts of the Missal text and others were not. The principle that guided the process was this: Be as faithful as possible in English to the meaning of the Latin Missal text that is the model for translations into all languages. Following that principle, the translators sometimes departed from the English translation of the Missal that we have been using since 1970.

One reason the universal Church is giving special care to the English translation of the Missal is that English is the dominant international language at present. The Vatican understands that many of those who translate the new Missal into other languages and dialects are likely to be much more familiar with English than with Latin. Consequently, as they translate they are likely to look to the English translation as a standard and a guide. With popularity and near-universality goes a sense of responsibility to be as accurate and faithful as possible in translating the original Latin.

It is wrong to believe that the universal Church is imposing this translation on the English-speaking Churches in an insensitive and unsympathetic manner, with no concern for our own pastoral situations. On April 28, 2010, Pope Benedict addressed the Vox Clara group on the subject of the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal, in words that sound sensitive and caring to me. Listen to what our Holy Father said:

A new task will then present itself…which in one way or another will involve all of you – the task of preparing for the reception of the new translation by clergy and lay faithful. Many will find it hard to adjust to unfamiliar texts after nearly forty years of continuous use of the previous translation. The change will need to be introduced with due sensitivity, and the opportunity for catechesis that it presents will need to be firmly grasped. I pray that in this way any risk of confusion or bewilderment will be averted, and the change will serve instead as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world.

Certainly there is no infallibility attached to the choices made by the translators in the text of this new Missal. On the other hand, I strongly assert that the translators have not perversely set out to choose obscure, quaint, unfamiliar, or awkward readings, as some critics have contended.

Let us take a look at some of the translations from the Ordinary of the Mass that have drawn forth the most vigorous criticism. With a closer look I believe you will find that, in each instance, there is a rationale for choosing the wording. You may not agree with that rationale. However, in each case there is a longstanding tradition behind the change, not an impulsive switch to something new and unheard of before.

In the present Sacramentary, the priest is called upon to greet the congregation at the beginning of Mass by saying “The Lord be with you.” The people’s response is: “And also with you.” In the new Missal the people’s response will be, “And with your spirit.” This is a literal translation of the Latin text, “Et cum spiritu tuo.” In several of St. Paul’s epistles we hear the Apostle greet his fellow Christians by wishing that the Lord will be with their spirit. In French, German, Italian and Spanish the response all along has been the equivalent of “And with your spirit.” For nearly 2000 years that was the translation in all those language and in English as well. By joining Roman Catholics from throughout the world with this new greeting we will also join the longstanding practice of Eastern Catholics and many within the Anglican communion who have echoed St. Paul’s greeting for generations.

Another change is from “We believe” to “I believe” at the beginning of the Nicene Creed, as we recite it together. “I believe” is the exact translation of “Credo” in the Latin. One objection is that, inasmuch as we are all part of group praying the Creed together, the formula should continue to begin “We believe.” However, even now we are familiar with a singular verb beginning a communal prayer: when we recite the Confiteor together we begin by saying, “I confess.”

Many objections have been raised against the change in the formula for the consecration of the Blood of Christ, moving from saying that his Blood was shed “for all” to saying it was shed “for many.” First of all, this is not an exclusionary formula; the word “many” can indicate “all,” while the word “some” cannot. Also, “many” is the meaning indicated by Jesus in the Gospel’s narrative of the Last Supper. “For many” has been used in the Roman Rite in Latin from the earliest centuries, and it is the meaning in the anaphoras of the various Oriental Rites as well.

Finally in the prayer of the Communion Rite, “O Lord, I am not worthy,” the phrasing is altered so that I say that I am not worthy that the Lord “should enter under my roof.” In the “Domine, non sum dignus,” or “Lord, I am not worthy,” the Church consciously quotes the anonymous Roman officer in the Gospel who asked Jesus to cure his very sick servant. As you will recall, Jesus offered to go to the officer’s home to heal the servant, and then the officer made a beautiful act of faith: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” We are told further that, “When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those following him, ‘Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,…” As we stand around the altar of the banquet of Eucharist, we many who have come from east and west do well to remember and speak this prayer of the faith-filled centurion, even using his very words, “under my roof.”

Early in our process of implementation and catechesis we need to remind ourselves of the meaning and importance of what we are doing. The Catholic Church is constituted as Church by the gift of Eucharist: common belief, shared history, and a code of law would not suffice by themselves. In 1992 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a letter on some aspects of the Church understood as Communion, which stated, “Eucharist is the creative force and source of communion among the members of Christ precisely because it unites each one of them with Christ.”

The fathers of the 1985 Synod of Bishops observed that the most visible fruit of the whole conciliar effort in those first twenty years since 1965 had been the liturgical renewal, which had been received prayerfully and fruitfully by the faithful, even though there had been some difficulties. They went on to say that the active participation that so happily increased after the Council had not consisted only in external activity, but above all in interior and spiritual participation, in living a fruitful participation in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. At its best the liturgical renewal has deepened the people’s appreciation of the meaning of Eucharist and their own participation in it. Herein lies a reliable source of hope and direction for us as we approach a catechesis in preparation for the new edition of the Missal, a catechesis that must move beyond information and training to a more prayerful appreciation of Eucharist in the life of the Church and in the life of the individual Catholic.

Ecclesial communion is rooted in Eucharist because each Eucharistic Sacrifice, while always performed in a particular community, is never a celebration of that community alone. Unity or communion between particular churches and the universal Church, is rooted not only in the same faith and in common Baptism but above all in the Eucharist and in the Episcopate. The local community celebrates a Eucharist that includes all, while the Bishop represents both the oneness of the community and its interconnectedness with all other Eucharistic communities. The Eucharist and the Episcopacy both function as essential structures that bring unity to the local church and forge connections with all the other local churches. In reflecting on this ancient sense of the unity of the Church in Eucharist and Episcopacy, it seems appropriate in our own time to consider one possible expression of that unity to be the efforts of the Catholic bishops of one language group to produce a single translation of the Roman Missal for all their congregations.

In his work, The Splendour of the Church, the theologian, Henri De Lubac beautifully described the Bishop’s Eucharistic role in the unity of the Church:

Though only one cell of the whole body is actually present, the whole body is there virtually. The Church is in many places, yet there are not several Churches; The Church is entire in each one of its parts . . . . Each bishop constitutes the unity of his flock . . . . But each bishop is himself “in peace and in communion” with all his brother bishops who offer the same and unique sacrifice in other places, and make mention of him in their prayers as he makes mention of all of them in his. He and they form one episcopate only, and are all alike “at peace and in communion” with the Bishop of Rome, who is Peter’s successor and the visible bond of unity; and through them all the faithful are united.

The priest’s fundamental relationship, as Bishop John D’Arcy has said, “is to Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd.” Thus the priest is a man for others, collaborating with others. Cardinal Ratzinger in Called to Communion, expressed the point clearly: Ordination is not about the development of one’s own powers and gifts. It is not the appointment of a man as a functionary because he is particularly good at it, or because it suits him, or simply because it strikes him as a good way to earn his bread; it is not a question of a job in which someone secures his own livelihood by his own abilities, perhaps in order to rise later to something better.

We can be hopeful because we know that Jesus Christ the High Priest unites us bishops and priests in himself for the life and the service of the Church. Individualism and isolation in ministry weaken unity while fraternal cooperation and collaboration strengthen it. Because Eucharist is the very source of our presbyteral unity in Christ, this year will present us with a number of opportunities for strengthening that unity. We all will be introducing the new Roman Missal in different contexts to different groups. If we can plan and carry out those introductory moments so that we move beyond providing merely information and training, and beyond wrestling with this particular response or that particular phrasing, we can engage in a catechesis that shows how Eucharist unites everyone at Mass in the church, all the parishes in the diocese, all the dioceses in the country, and all the local churches in the universal Church.

If we approach our task in the spirit described by our Holy Father, it is more likely that a deepened sense of communio in Word and Sacrament will unite not only priests and bishops in ordained ministry but all God’s people in the Body of Christ. Then we will not be limiting ourselves to an ecclesial or liturgical equivalent of “putting one stone on top of another” or of “earning a shilling a day,” but we will be helping the Holy Spirit nourish and build up the People of God, the Body of Christ.

30/03/2011.Greetings from Rusape!

Another month almost passed. The heat at the beginning of last week was oppressive. It was building up for the rains, which came at midday on Wednesday. We had four great afternoons of rain, which will have done the late maize crop a power of good. I did some preparation work on retreat material, Anger and Conflict Resolution, which I have in early May in Harare. I had a head cold at the same time. Phone contact was made with the people in Dzvairo on Friday. The roads were impassable due to the heavy rain. In a sense, I was relieved as I did not feel up to driving in such difficult conditions with a lingering head cold. Saturday was restful. It poured rain in the afternoon. I was so happy not to be out at the outstation. The quadrangle at St. Simon’s was almost overflowing with water. I had an easy Sunday with Eucharist only at Padua. The dirt road  was much improved since my visit to Fatima six weeks ago. The church was packed. The people in great mood even if the rains had not been kind to them. Much withered maize was in evidence.

There was a bad outbreak of malaria in the Nyanga area, Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully, it doesn’t reach here.

The Moriarty Report on the allotting of a phone license to a guy with strong political affiliations has been published. The Tribunal cost millions of Euro. The law fraternity, barristers and lawyers, had a bonanza. While costing the taxpayer a lot of money, the Tribunals have named and shamed politicians and big business people. Some have even gone to prison

I was glad to read in the Irish Times that the Irish bishops are introducing the new Roman Missal at the end of November, 27th, on the first Sunday of Advent. Most of the changes affect the celebrant. There are minimal changes in the responses of the people. It is difficult to imagine that it took nine years to agree on a translation from the original Latin. Cardinal Pell, AB of Sydney, who chaired the committee, is quite a scholar but is a hardliner in theology. He would not be in favour of using inclusive language in the liturgy. However, on recently downloading and reading the post synodal apostolic exhortation on  “The Word of the Lord”, September 2010, I was surprised to see that inclusive language was used e.g. “the unseen God from the fullness of his love, addresses men and women as his friends, and lives among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company”.

The people of Japan live with the uncertainty of nuclear leaks from day to day, while the people in Libya must be looking forward to the end of the evil regime of Gadaffi. It may be slow in coming.

Only the remnants of my head cold remain. After taking it easy last week, I’m back to my daily walk schedule, morning and late afternoon. I played some mixed golf on Monday but felt good after the outing.

Love and best wishes.

Reading into the wealth of theological vocabulary the liturgy has to offer

JOHN McAREAVEY

RITE AND REASON: The new Missal texts are good

IN RECENT weeks I have been involved in explaining changes to the Roman Missal to various groups. I welcome this opportunity to explain the context of some of the changes.

The text of the Mass that is currently in use has served the church well. Many priests and people have used no other translation and, understandably, are attached to the rhythm and content of the Missal and many are unsettled by the prospect of change. However, for the congregation, there will not be many changes in the new text.

The decision of the Vatican Council to use the vernacular in the liturgy ushered in a new era: given that modern languages change, both in meaning or connotation, it is inevitable that liturgical texts will have to change from time to time.

In the past 40 years the limitations of the present text became apparent. During the work on the new translation I was often surprised that significant elements of the Latin text were simply not rendered in English. For example, the invocation of the Holy Spirit (epiclesis) before the words of institution of the Eucharist reads as follows:

Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The original Latin text includes the phrase “ Spiritus tui rore sanctifica ”, literally, “bless by the dew of your Spirit”. “Dew” is a metaphor with strong resonances in the Bible.

Dew was and is important in Palestine because it is at its maximum during the almost rainless four months of summer. Therefore, it is a vital source of water in a land and at a time when water is very scarce indeed.

As a figure of speech, it represents abundant fruitfulness ( Gen 27:28 ), refreshment and renewal ( Ps 110:3; Hos 14:5 ), what is beyond human power (Mic 5:7 ) and a silent coming ( 2 Sam 17:12 ).

But perhaps the most interesting and evocative use of “dew” comes in Isaiah 26:16: “Your dead shall live, their bodies shall arise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is dew of light and the earth will give birth to those long dead.”

“Your” dew here refers to God, not to the dwellers in the dust. The image seems to foreshadow the resurrection of the dead, with the dew of God’s light seeping into the darkness of the underworld.

This is why it is such a deeply biblical image of the Holy Spirit (“who raised Jesus from the dead”). With its combination of gentleness and power, the image fits well with the working of the Spirit involved at the epiclesis.

The proposed translation of this text is: Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall.

The Irish translation currently in use managed to convey the sense of the Latin text both accurately and in beautiful Irish: Naomhaigh, mar sin, na bronntanais seo le drúcht do Spioraid . . .

Restoring the reference to “dew” is not just about accuracy; it releases the Scriptural resonances of a potent image into the imagination and faith of those who will pray this text.

The challenge faced by the translators of the new text was to produce a text that was faithful to the original Latin and, at the same time, was suitable for worship today.

Many issues have been raised in recent weeks about elements of the proposed new text. Since last year the Church in Ireland has undertaken a programme of catechetical preparation to assist priests and parishes to adapt to the changes.

I believe that the new texts are good; they represent a development; they capture more of the wealth of theological vocabulary and, therefore, help us enter more fully into the riches of the liturgy itself.

John McAreavey is Bishop of Dromore and is the Irish bishops’ representative on the International Committee on English in the Liturgy

07/04/2011

Greetings from Rusape!

It is not often that a small village like Mt Temple(four miles from home) appears in the national media. The Irish Times recently did a survey of Irish golf clubs to see how they are faring during the recession. Mt Temple seems to be doing ok while many others are struggling and some may close. The recession bites the leisure industry.

I had a good weekend with Mass for the Sacred Heart Sodality on Friday, followed by exposition of the Bl. Sacrament and Benediction. All schools close on Wed. or Thursday of this week for a month’s holiday. I went to Dzvairo on Saturday, not having been able to go the previous week because of the rains. The road was in good condition except for a few rough places. I had Eucharist at St. Simon’s on Sunday.

After Mass, I left our old cook, Canisius, to his homestead, where he can supervise the harvesting of the maize crop. He will come occasionally to give the new man a break or a weekend off.

Our new cook, Peter, arrived on Thursday to begin work on April 1st. He had worked in Rhodes Hotel, Nyanga, which was sold or taken over by new management. As in all these cases, the staff were let go. He is in his mid 30’s and is a very pleasant man. We had the cook’s cottage renovated: new ceiling, painting, plumbing and electrical  work done before his arrival. It was badly in need of a makeover as it had not been painted for years

We received news early this week that Fr. Heaslip is not returning to Zimbabwe. Most likely for health reasons. He is assigned to Kinsale, having spent fourteen years here at four different mission stations during some very difficult times politically and economically. He still has a lot of energy as he approaches his 80th year.

Golf on Monday was enjoyable. It was very hot for the first nine holes leading to steady rain on Monday night and Tuesday morning. We are approaching the end of the rainy season. Temperatures will decrease as winter sets in for about four to five months. Darkness reigns from 6.00pm to almost 6.00am

ZANU PF suffered a setback in parliament last week when they failed to get one of their own elected as speaker. A further set back was at the SADC meeting when Mugabe was presented with the facts about how the GPA was not working or being implemented and that political violence was still a reality. Local media did not give  priority report to either event.

Air Zim have been on strike for two weeks. The company is almost bankrupt. Workers are owed hundreds of thousands. I will shortly be booking my ticket with BA. After last year’s experience of Air Zim, I will never travel with them again.

I offered Mass  for Dad on April 1st,his anniversary, and remembered Aunt Oliver over the week.

Love and best wishes.

……………..O.Carm.,

Mount Temple Golf Country Club, Co Westmeath 

The Questions

1 – What are the biggest challenges facing golf clubs?

2 – Have you initiated any co-operation (equipment, personnel) with nearby clubs?

3 – Has your club experienced any further fall-off/or stabilisation in membership for 2011 (please indicate percentage)?

4 – What promotions have your club put in place to attract new members/retain existing members?

Answers:

1 – Competing against the Nama golf industry and those in receivership with their unfair trading in green fees and services. Decrease in number of golfers both at home and visitors from Britain and further afield.

2 – We have a group of eight golf courses and 10 hotels called Golf in the Heart of Ireland, which is for promotional purposes.

3 – Due to the conservative style on which our club is run with no large banking debts and reduction in running costs we have been lucky to hold our own with regard to memberships for 2011.

4 – We reduced our membership rates for 2011. The club received approval for the National Quality and Standards framework by Fáilte Ireland which enables large promotional exposure with Fáilte Ireland , and also a substantial website of the golf course with up-to-date promotions displayed to attract numbers.

14/04/2011.

Greetings from Rusape!

I do hope Joe and Annette enjoyed their week in Spain. They went with a group, organised by Age Active Ireland.  Michael was in Singapore on some training experience. He wrote on March 23rd: This Friday night I have to go to Galway(collecting for Lourdes pilgrimage with handicapped) and then I am back to Cork on Saturday night in order to fly out to Singapore on Sunday morning for work. I have to go to Singapore in order to train to enable me to release the product. It is a full weeks work. I am sure I will be hit by jet lag. Luckily, I will be travelling Business class. I have never had that experience before so I am sure it will be a more comfortable trip than in economy class. St Patrick's day was pleasant and the weather held up to ensure all parades were well attended. 

Summer time in Europe means that there is only one hour difference between Zimbabwe and the homeland. It is good for viewing evening sports. The European Cup in Soccer starts at 8.45 rather than 9.45pm.

It was another good weekend for Irish sport with twenty one year old, McIlroy, leading the pack at Augusta and Leinster beating Leicester at Aviva Stadium in Dublin in the Heineken Cup QF’s. A manly and skilful performance. While Aintree enjoyed brilliant weather for the English Grand National on Saturday, we were enduring the first blast of winter. I took old Sr. Thomas to St. Barbara’s Mission on Friday pm for an anniversary Mass for a family member on Saturday. The day was misty and wet. Parts of the dirt road were in poor condition. The 122km journey, 34km on dirt road, was taxing on energy. It rained heavily on Friday night. Rainfall this year is about 800mm/32inches. The temperature dropped from the mid C20’s to low teens on Saturday. I lit the fire in the TV room after breakfast for the first time this year and spent most of the day in the comfort of a timber fire.

The Sacred Heart Sodality had a weekend retreat here, given by one of the diocesan priests

There was no electricity from Friday night. We started the generator for the Grand National at 5.15. I have never seen Aintree looking so well with temperatures in the high teens or low twenties. A magnificent scene. With forty horses starting the four and a half mile race, it was great to be able to watch it live. Sadly , two horses died or had to be put down. The winner was suffering from dehydration and was unable to make it to the winner’s enclosure. He was doused with buckets of water to cool him off. Leinster provided some skilful and robust rugby  for the home fans at 7.00pm, beating Leicester 17-10.

I had Mass at Fatima on Sunday followed by a home visit to a 93 year old woman, where we celebrated the sacraments. I made my way to Mutare in good time to watch the final round of the American Open at Augusta. McIroy, who had led for three days, went into the final round four shots ahead, fell apart at the tenth hole and never regained his composure. At twenty one he has many good years ahead of him.

An Irish Times report ran as follows: McIlroy will have to reflect on, to use an Americanism, a zany 45 minutes of golf which started on the 10th hole – where he hit one tree with his drive and later another with his greenside recovery – en route to a triple bogey and continued on into Amen Corner where he three-putted the 11th and four-putted the 12th before putting his drive on the 13th into Rae’s Creek.

Unbelievable, grotesque and bizarre to watch; but, on this course, far from unprecedented.

The catalyst for it all going wrong was probably that tee-shot on the 10th.

“I don’t think anyone has been over there in those cabins before,” McIlroy acknowledged of a shot which ricocheted off the tree’s trunk and came to rest between two cabins, known as Peek and Berckmans, which hardly any of us on the course knew existed. “It’s going to take a few days, but I’ll get over it.”

This week saw the completion of the work by the plumber, the carpenter and the plasterer.  That brings closure to sanctuary renovations at the outstations and renovations at St. Simon’s. Altar, ambo and chair are now in place at all our outstations.

The report on AIB losses, Euro10.4 billion in 2010, makes for sad reading and the in-debtness of the taxpayer for the mistakes of the Celtic Tiger era. Water charges and rates will be introduced in the coming years.

Love and best wishes.

Received May 2010

Greetings from Rusape/Mutare to all on Knocklyon!
Fr Paul Horan has just attached some photos of the blessing of the Church in Nzvimbe. I'm availing of the opportunity to send a message of thanks to all the people who have supported this project and especially the parishioners in Knocklyon.

The building was well advanced when I had to leave Rusape hurriedly in June 2008 during the violent election campaign. After returning in September 2009, it took some time to settle in and pick up where I had left off. The floor, ramp and toilets were completed in due course. Saturday, May 8th, was blessing day.

Two open trucks and two pick up trucks left Rusape at 9.00 am with about one hundred people from St. Simon's and St Joseph's on board. Conditions were ideal. Clear clue sky with temperature about 20C. The 80km journey took about two hours as we navigated the uneven dirt roads.Parishioners from a local outstation, St. Anthony of Padua, arrived either by foot or the elders on a pickup truck.

The ceremony began at midday with all the people assembled outside, facing the church entrance. Bishop Muchabaiwa led the prayers, followed by the blessing of the outside of the church, then the interior when the entire congregation entered.
The church, 25x15meters, was full with the combined choirs in great voice. A beautiful celebration of the Eucharist. I offered Mass for all who had contributed in any way to the construction and completion of this sturdy building over the past five to six years.

The locals provided food,sadza(ground maize) and mashona chicken, for the entire congregation.
We were on the journey back to Rusape by 3.30pm with grateful hearts for all that has been achieved.
May the Good Shepherd reward all who are good to us.

Love and best wishes.
Bob Kelly O.Carm.

25/03/2010
Greetings from Rusape/Mutare!
Thanks for your message and the news that the farmers are selling off some of the cattle from the sheds. It will ease the pressure on the silage and the grass when the rest are let out.
Not a great St. Patrick's Day or week. A poor performance by the Irish horses at Cheltenham. A rather dismal display by Irish rugby team against Scotland in Croke Park. The Pope's letter to the Irish Church at the weekend. Not much to lift one's spirit.

Weekend ministry was fulfilling. I had planned to visit an old person in the bush on Thursday last but the rain poured down. On Saturday am I went with Sr.Thomas. There were three people in the house. Two in their 80's and a lady in her 60's, who has foot or leg problems. I had visited the latter's mother in June 2008, the Sunday before I had to leave. Her mother died shortly afterwards.They were very grateful for the visit. After lunch I made my way to Clare Farm, 45km on the road to Mutare.The little thatch roofed church is very basic but the small group of people are faithful. It was my first time there since my return in September. They were very welcoming.
There was a choir competition in Chinmanimani about four hour bus drive from Rusape on Saturday. The combined choirs of St. Simon's and St. Joseph's had been practicing for some weeks. They came ninth out of twenty and were disappointed with the results.

I was looking forward to the last rugby game and victory against the Scots in Croke Park on Saturday p.m.. Very disappointing. Too many basic mistakes.Difficult to explain after two good games against Wales and England.
The St. Josephs' men confraternity gathered at St.Joseph's Church for their annual weekend retreat. About one hundred turned up from the outstations. I gave eight men and their luggage a lift to St.Bernard's on Sunday morning. After Mass, I visited Ambrose nearby and celebrated three sacraments with him. He was in grateful mood for everything he had received.
We had a three day seminar on Child Protection in the Pastoral Centre, Mutare from March 23rd to 25th. It was sponsored and organised by Catholic Relief Services.The facilitator was a Methodist. She was very competent with a mixture of input and group work. Sex and sexuality are taboo subjects in Zimbabwe. However, all kinds of abuse: physical, emotional,sexual and neglect, are common in families and by members of the extended families.Orphans, in particular, are highly vulnerable.
The news of Bishop Magee's resignation being accepted by the Vatican came on the evening news of Wed. 24th. Of course, he should have resigned last year when it was clear that he had not cooperated fully with the investigation into two cases of clerical abuse in his diocese.

Tomorrow,March 26th, is Mum's anniversary. I will offer Mass for her at the Priory before returning to Rusape.
Love and best wishes.

30/03/2010.
Greetings!
I hope this message finds you well as we are united in celebrating the Paschal Mystery during this Easter Triduum.
Last week was busy but informative. The three day Seminar ran from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Afterwards, I went to Hillside Golf Club each day for a forty minute brisk walk with one of my Irish confreres. It was good to see the grounds staff cutting the rough, shaving the greens and the tee boxes.The course should be in better condition for our next outing.The Club had borrowed or leased a stronger tractor to cut through the dense rough.While it was doing the job, it was also emitting a wave of black smoke. The Club's own tractor, an old Ferguson 35( about thirty or forty years old )was not up to pulling the power driven cutter. As the rainy season comes to an end, this will be the last major grass cutting exercise at the Club.
The Seminar ended on Thursday at 4.00pm A committee of six was formed to produce a document on Child Protection before the end of May.I reluctantly allowed my name to go forward. It will mean a number of meetings to put shape on what we discussed and agreed.Fortunately, DOMCAP(Diocese of Mutare Catholic Aid Programme )will fund the project and provide secretarial services.

I received an email from the travel agents in Harare informing me of a change in my travel plans. Instead of flying out on the night of June 23rd, I will now fly out in the morning and arrive in Gatwick at 6.00pm, when Aer Lingus flights have gone. I will overnight in Gatwick. No big deal. Anything is better than passing through Johannesburg during the Soccer World Cup.
This is a beautiful time of the year in Zimbabwe as the temperature eases downwards to mid 20C(70F) during the day and about 8 or 10C at night. Limitless blue sky is the order of the day.
Africans love processions etc. Palm Sunday allows them to express themselves in movement and song. I was at Padua outstation 56km(35 miles) from Rusape. The faithful gathered under two huge trees, the school assembly area, where there were rows of small walls for seating. I did the blessing of the palms and a short homily. We processed about 200meters to the church, while the congregation waved their palms, sang and ululated. The passion was read by three young men. I had a story about a young French nobleman, from a background of privilege, Eugene de Mazenod, who entered a church in the south of France about two hundred years ago on Good Friday. He gazed on the crucifix and prayed. He was overcome by a realisation of God's mercy and God's special love for the poor. In the south of France, at that time, the people were poorly educated. They did not understand the language of the Church or the Government. Eugene decided to found an Order:The Oblates of Mary Immaculate to minister to the people in their own language, a hybrid French, a dialect disdained by the educated and upper classes.

I was on the road to Mutare on Sunday p.m. to play golf on Monday and to celebrate the Chrism Mass on Tuesday. For some months, I was driving off the tee far to the left, often into the rough or into the trees. I decided to have a lesson with the professional. He took me for a half hour on Monday at 10.00am. I had developed some bad habits, which may take some time to correct. The lesson was worthwhile.
It is 2.30pm on Tuesday 30th March. I have just returned to the Priory in Mutare from the Chrism mass at Danganbvura, a settlement area about ten km out of town.
The bishop spoke for forty six minutes!
I offered Mass for aunt Oliver Joseph and will offer Mass for Dad on Holy Thursday. Twenty five years have passed since his death.
Love and best wishes for a blessed Easter.

7/04/2010.
Greetings from Harare!
It was good talking to the folks in Ballinlig on Sunday and hearing that all were well and that farming was going according to plan in spite of the cold weather.I hope all goes well for Michael with the handicapped in Lourdes.
After a busy enough Holy Week I took off to Harare on Easter Monday a.m with Fr.O'Regan to play some golf.
The Easter Triduum went off well. We had good congregations each day. I celebrated the Easter Vigil at St. Joseph's, fire outside, procession of lighted candles and of course baptisms.There were twenty ranging from teenagers to babies at the breast. Sunset comes very quickly. It was dusk by 6.00pm. I had to use a torch to read the prayers for blessing of the fire and the candle.As we entered the church it was dark so the procession had a nice atmosphere.
I had Eucharist at St. Simon's on Sunday. The church was packed. The choir and congregation were in great voice. An easy day with no outstation. The Carmelite Sisters invited us to lunch. Four of us, Frs.O'Regan,Horan, a broker from Northern Ireland and myself played golf at Windgate on Tuesday morning.The course is in excellent condition.The African Open will be played in Zimbabwe for the first time in fifteen years, during the latter part of May. Some of the preliminary games will be played at Windgate.Perhaps, the best course in Harare. A most leisurely and enjoyable outing. We had a delicious evening meal with our friends from NI. After working in the Stock Exchange in Hong Kong, he came to Zimbabwe in 1983.He helped us a lot during the currency crisis over the last few years as he was able to get money exchanged at a good rate.

Fr.Horan was on his way to an education conference in Terenure, part of the 150th celebration. The Principal and Senior teacher in Kriste Mambo were going with him.They left on an early flight on Wednesday morning.
Fr O'Regan and I were back on the first tee at 8.30am on Wed. Another enjoyable outing. The advice of the professional in Hillside last week was bearing some fruit. It only costs Seniors $5.00US to play eighteen holes with eight dollars to the caddie, two dollars for his lunch, plus a tip. Unbelievable value. We played eighteen holes in just three hours. Afterwards, we met Dave Hipwell, a brother of the late Frs. Hipwell, both Carmelites who died tragically, one in a motor bicycle accident in Rusape, the younger in a boating/drowning accident on the River Shannon,near Athlone.Afterwards, we took Fr Louis, a young eighty year old Canadian Carmelite, to Mamma Mia's for a nice Italian lunch. He is bursar in Mt. Carmel and does a fantastic job on the gardens, growing vegetables with the help of a good irrigation system.
The political temperature rose a few notches in South Africa at the week end with the murder of a white farmer, an extreme racist.The youth leader of ANC, Julius Mulema, is also an extremist, singing a song with a refrain "Murder the African Boer". He was in Zimbabwe at the weekend, praising Mugabe and Co. for the land reform. He was speaking out of ignorance regarding the present situation..
Hopefully, the explosion does not come before the World Cup, which begins on June 11th. South Africa is a volatile violent place.
Will make our way back to Rusape on Thursday after a very enjoyable break.
Love and best wishes.

15/04/2010
Greetings!
Thanks for message and the prayers.Glad to hear that all went well at Lourdes and that the farmers have spread the fertilizer. The rise in temperature and the rains should boost growth after a late start.

The relaxed and enjoyable days in Harare were followed by a busy weekend. We drove from Harare to Rusape on Thursday am. Friday I was on my way to Nzvmbe. It was good to see the locals had completed the cement floor of the church and built a nice ramp at the entrance. The Blair toilet was half built. It is a dry toilet with a chimney which is closed at the top. Any flies that go into the toilet usually go up the chimney and get trapped. This prevents many infections. There were four toddlers for Baptism. A lot of driving in two days;two hundred kms from Harare to Rusape,160km to Nzvimbe and back. Half of the latter on dirt road. Even though I was tired, I stayed up to view Leinster defeat Claremont in the Heineken Cup Rugby game, 29-28. It was a very physical encounter.
There was no public water supply last week and no electricity from 6.00am until 10.30pm on Friday. I went to the Carmelite Sisters farm to collect twenty containers of spring water on Saturday morning. Ziweya is an outstation about 20km out of town.The locals were slow in coming. The paper work for baptisms, e.g. date of birth, parents' names were not written up. I had to postpone the baptisms until the next visit. When I returned to St.Simon's there were two Marymount sisters waiting for me. The gear box in their truck had collapsed. They needed a lift to Mutare. We had a quick lunch and set out on the 220kms round trip.More driving! 100km=60miles.
More rugby on Saturday pm. Munster played Northhampton at home in Limerick. It was a great game with the home side winning comfortably in the end.

I had a double header on Sunday.I had celebrated group baptisms in St. Joseph's at the Easter Vigil. The homily was on the readings of the Sunday. My second stop was Tsanzaguru about 25km. There were twenty five for baptism, the oldest a 53 year old man down to a baby. The paper work was well done. A homily on baptism on this occasion. It was after 2.00pm when I returned.The rain poured down as I drove to Mutare in mid afternoon.
The golf course was sodden after the heavy rains. I reverted to some of my bad habits of driving into the rough. On reflection, I think I was tired after all the driving of the previous weekend. I had also picked up a bit of a chest cold.The temperature changes rapidly from high twenties to low teens after the heavy rains.I stayed on in Mutare to work with the committee on the document "Child Protection Policy".
Love and best wishes.

21/04/2010
Greetings!
How lucky you are not to be travelling at this time of ash!
Last week went quickly as I spent Tuesday working with the committee on the Child Protection Document. I picked up a chest cold which was reluctant to let go but which lowered the energy level.Class with the prenovices on Wed. was leisurely as two of them were away on a church music course. We finished the morning by collecting a load of fire wood from the Carmelite Sisters Novitiate for the Sisters in Rusape.With the onset of the cold season, a fire will be necessary in the near future.We are at the end of the rainy/hot season. We had an inch of rain today, Tuesday, 20th. The days are shortening, with light from 6.00am until 6.00pm.

The weekend also was leisurely as I had no outstation on Saturday and only Mass at St..Simon's on Sunday, which was Independence Day. I took the opportunity to quote from the Mugabe's speech of thirty years ago" The wrongs of the past must stand forgiven and forgotten. The people of Zimbabwe should strive to adapt themselves intellectually and spiritually to the reality of political change and relate to each other as brothers bound to one another by a bond of national comradeship."The opposite has been the experience of the people. Almost twenty thousand were put to death in Matebeleland during the period after Independence, 1980.The Fifth Brigade, as it was called , were trained by the North Korean Communists.
This time he was back to his usual self of denouncing the US, Europe and of course his old enemy, Britain. Nothing changes. The blaming game is alive and well. Not much to celebrate after thirty years of destructive government policies. Recovery seems even further away than in the developed world.

There was a gathering of Cana/Charismatics groups at the Emmaus Spiritual Centre,Rusape. It is difficult to distinguish one from the other.They had sessions from Friday until Sunday p.m.. Monday was a bank Holiday for Independence.
Love and best wishes.

30/04/2010
Unseasonable weather seems to be the pattern here.
It was good talking to the folks in Ballinlig on Sunday and hearing that some of the lambs were ready for sale and the cattle were being let out to pasture.

On Friday last, there was heavy rain in the late afternoon accompanied by strong winds. The temperature dropped. Saturday was similar with rain without wind. I had a memorial Mass out at a family home in Tsanzaguru. The table was set up on the verandah at the front of the house.However, as the rain increased, we had to move inside.The living room was crowded as well as the adjoining rooms. We got through and left immediately after Mass.As usual, the women were cooking the meal out of doors during Mass.

Sunday was dry but very cold. The temperature in the quadrangle was at 20C but the harsh cold wind was biting. I had Mass at St. Joseph's. The people were slow in coming. Many of the women had gone to Mutare by bus for a confraternity meeting at St.Joseph's Sakuva. About a thousand gathered from the missions and out stations from Friday p.m. until Sunday morning. They love those gatherings as it is one of the few opportunities when they get away for a weekend.I had an easy weekend.

I went to Mutare on Sunday afternoon in time to watch Chelsea demolish the opposition in the English Soccer Premiership.My truck was booked in for a ten thousand km service on Monday morning. The cost $325.00US. Inflation is running high.

Monday was ideal for golf. The first time since last September that I did not use sun block.The ground was easy on the feet after the rain and the fairways and rough had been cut.Tees and greens were also in good condition. My first nine holes were good.

Following the Icelandic ash, Europe is now in crisis with the Greek economy in freefall. One wonders where it will end. We had our last committee meeting on the Child Protection Document on Tuesday. Thank God, our work is done. A meeting of all the clergy in the Diocese will be held on May 11th to finalise the document. It will them be printed and reviewed after a year.

We have reached saturation point on the coverage of the British election on SKY TV. The media are promoting the debates by the three leaders as if they were the best TV in the world.The result may be a hung parliament with no party getting an overall majority.

Love and best wishes to all.

05/05/2010
Greetings!

Glad to hear the farmers are selling off the lambs. The combination of rain and heat should bring good growth to the pastures. Lucky the stone came in the window behind you.
Another month and time moves on swiftly.
A weekend of different experiences. I was booked for a memorial Mass on Saturday at midday, which turned out to be a mass of thanksgiving for a graduation.A young lady from the settlement area, Vengere, had graduated with a B.Sc. in agricultural science.The family arranged Mass at the home. Her twin brother is in fourth year of Medical School. How a family in such humble circumstances could manage to send two of their children to College, while a third is at second level, is amazing. It gives some hope.The young lady,Suzan, is about to start a Master's degree later in the year.
Leinster went down tamely to Toulouse on Saturday p.m. in the Heineken Rugby Cup semi final.The opposition had too much muscle and strength.

Sunday, I had Mass at St.Andrew's. I gave a lift to a six/seven year old orphan girl back to her grandmother's place.It is a very sad scene. Her parents died. She was placed at the orphanage in Rusape. An aunt came and took her to her home. Within a short time the aunt died. She was left in the grandmother's care along with a number of other orphans. She goes back to the orphanage during school holidays and cries her heart out when returned to her grandmother. For legal or beaurocratic reasons, it is not possible for her to return permanently to the orphanage.So sad.
The outstation is well organized with good local leadership.I gave a lift to an old lady who has arthritis. The church was full with great participation by the congregation.After Mass, I gave the old lady a lift back to her home and retraced my journey to give an eighty seven year old and some others a lift to their drop off points. The old gentleman was so grateful. He finds the seven kms walk each way a bit much. As a result of the recent heavy rains, the dirt road to his place was very badly broken with gullies and big stones in some places.Much care needed in driving.
I made my way to Mutare on Sunday mid afternoon, hoping to watch Munster play Biarritz in the Heineken Cup semi final..
Unfortunately, the game was not shown live but was put on at 1.00am on Monday,while the result was announced on the 9.00pm news. Monday's Irish Times brought the news of McIlroy's victory in golf :GOLF: "ON THE eve of his 21st birthday and ahead of this week’s Players Championship, Rory McIlroy produced an imperious final round 62 to claim his first win on the PGA Tour at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But yesterday’s spellbinding final round 62 upped the ante to a completely new level as he closed out his first win in America with a 15 under par 273 winning aggregate. He also lowered the course record by two shots." A great performance by the young man!

I got a tummy chill at the weekend, sat between an open window and a door after perspiring on the journey from Rusape to Mutare. Was unable to play golf on Monday. My energy was very low. I took it easy at the Priory.

Mary Robinson paid a visit to Zimbabwe last week in her role of empowering women.The group was addressed by Mugabe. Robinson was very circumspect in her TV interview, saying "she noticed some tensions in the country."

Love and best wishes.

13/05/2010.
Many thanks for your message and the news that the farmers have the last of the lambs ready for sale.
We got news on Thursday last that the father, of the young lady who had graduated recently, had died suddenly. He had done the translation for me at the Mass of thanksgiving for her graduation on the previous Saturday. He was a primary school teacher in St. Joseph's and had been on sick leave for sometime. The funeral Mass was at his home in Vengere on Thursday evening. The body was then taken to Gurure his home rural area. It is a custom here for people to return to their area of origin to be buried. A big shock for all the family.
Monday this week brought the news of Fr.Mulcahy's death R.I.P.The oldest Carmelite in Ireland and a revered character.We offered Mass for him at the Priory on Tuesday morning.

The week end was busy. At long last we had the blessing of the church at Nzvimbe.
The building was well advanced when I had to leave hurriedly in June 2008 during the violent election campaign. After returning in September 2009, it took some time to settle in and pick up where I had left off. There was building and painting work to be done at St.Simon's for the ordination of two Carmelites and painting at St.Joseph's for the Confirmations in October. The floor, ramp and Blair toilets at Nzvimbe were completed in due course. Transport of cement on the dirt roads during the rainy season is a major problem.Saturday, May 8th, was blessing day.
Two open trucks and two pick up trucks left Rusape at 9.00am with about one hundred people from St.Simon's and St. Joseph's on board. Conditions were ideal. Clear clue sky with temperature about 20C. The 80km journey took about two hours as we navigated the uneven dirt roads.Parishioners from a local outstation, St. Anthony of Padua, arrived either by foot or the elders on a pickup truck.

The ceremony began at midday with all the people assembled outside, facing the church entrance. Bishop Muchabaiwa led the prayers, followed by the blessing of the outside of the church, then the interior when the entire congregation entered.
The church, 25x15meters, was full. The combined choirs were in great voice. A beautiful celebration of the Eucharist. I offered Mass for all who had contributed in any way to the construction and completion of this sturdy building over the past five to six years.

The locals provided food,sadza(ground maize) and mashona chicken, for the entire congregation.Mashona chicken are free range in contrast to broilers.The people who travelled with us from Rusape for the ceremony could not believe that we would go so far,160km round trip, to celebrate Mass on a monthly basis.
We were on the journey back to Rusape by 3.30pm with grateful hearts for all that has been achieved.
I had to cover much of the same journey on Sunday as I went to celebrate Eucharist at Fatima outstation.

The local news on TV is very parochial.Much time is given to what the Zanu politicians have to say. Road accidents are another daily feature. During the close of Holy Week and the end of Easier Week over one hundred people died on the roads. As I returned from Mutare on Tuesday p.m. there was debris near the junction of the Nyanga Road exit at the beginning of Christmas Pass. I learnt later on the news that a speeding bus had run into a parked truck on a wide and straight patch of road. Five people were killed and thirty eight injured.On Wednesday 12th, one of our elderly priests, Fr.Toner, was driving on Seke Road, near Hatfield. Harare when his side of the car was struck by a small commuter bus.He has five broken ribs and is unconscious at the time of writing. It seems that he was attempting a U turn on a major road.
Love and best wishes to all.

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St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church 1994-2010
Nzvimbe,
Ward 31,
Makoni, Rural District Council,
Rusape.
Nzvimbe Church

1. The beginning and location:
Nzvimbe church is about 80km south of Rusape off Dorowa Murabinda Road: The church started in 1994 with only four members:Mr. and Mrs. Mabika, Mr. and Mrs. Mushori.
Fr Michael Leonard (Killaloe Diocese,Ireland) was the first priest to visit this small station.He introduced catechism lessons through Mr. B. Mudziwapasi, who is an ex teacher in the area.The lessons proved good and a after a while, twenty eight people were baptized. Nine couples were married in church. From there the church grew.
Later on, came Fr Simplisio Manyika O.carm., and Fr Michael Cooney(Killaloe Diocese, Ireland). The latter introduced Fr Bob Kelly O.Carm., to our station in September 2001
.

2.Request for a church:
In 2004, after ten years, a new committee with Mr. B.Mudziwapasi as chairperson, Mr. E.Mushori, secretary and Mr. S. Munodawaca,treasurer was formed.
In March 2004, Fr. D.Bvirakare and Sr. Thomas......advised the committee to write an application to Fr Bob Kelly, through the chairperson Mr. H.Ndorwi of St.Simon Stock Parish, Rusape.The application was accepted.


3. Building of the Church:
In 2006, the chairperson Mr.Mudziwapasi was called to Rusape for the good news of building the church.Church members supplied bricks. Fr.. Bob bought the materials required.I am very much pleased with the quality of the building work. It took almost one and a half years to complete this beautiful building. Everyone is now very happy. Thanks to Rusape Town Council and our Councillor, Mr. R. Mushori,who assisted in the pegging of the church site and area. Mr. Mushori and his family are also church members.


4.Comments:
First and foremost, I , the Chairperson,on behalf of the church members would like to Thank God for this great gift to us. Secondly, I would like to thank Fr.Bob Kelly for providing the materials for us. May God bless him. I don't want for forget to thank the following people for their input:Mr.H Ndorwi for forwarding our application to Fr.Bob. The first builder, Mr.Magoto, who did a nice job.Mr. Chirariro who did the roofing.Mr. Gwandingwa who made the church plan. Mr. C.Mutambira, a church member, who did most of the finishing:plastering, floor and sanctuary including altar, ambo and chair. We also added a toilet to the plan with all the cement provided by Fr. Bob.

5. The End:
I am very pleased to let you know that the church was blessed and officially opened on 08th May, 2010 by Bishop Alexio Muchabaiwa of Mutare Diocese.

Compiled by
Mr. B Mudziwapasi(Chairperson).
08/05/2010.

Received 16 March 2010

Greetings from Rusape, where the climate is moving from the warm wet season to the long cold dry spell.While the temperatures were high, it was the driest year since 2001.

A report by the International Red Cross and UNICEF, on SKY TV, March 11th, painted a grim picture of food and other shortages in Zimbabwe. It is estimated that 2.8 million people are hungry and suffering from malnutrition - a high percentage of these are women and children. A third of children are orphans. The year ahead will be difficult as the maize crop has failed due to the drought. It was stated that HIV/AIDS patients need to eat well daily, otherwise the medication has a detrimental effect. The New Zealand cricket team has cancelled their visit to Harare because of an outbreak of cholera. The matches may be played elsewhere.

This message brings my best wishes for St. Patrick's Day and Easter. I hope it finds you and yours well after the long severe winter. I keep up to date with the Irish news courtesy of the Irish Times News Digest. According to the economists, the turn around in the economy may be slow in coming.The turn around of trust in politics, banking and church leadership may be even slower. It is a painful time.
I have been unable to keep up to date with Schools' rugby results as the Irish Times does not seem to have the same coverage as in the past.

The following is an account of my pastoral and other activities since Christmas

With love and best wishes.

Bob Kelly O.Carm.

29/12/'10
Greetings and best wishes for the New Year!

Tuesday, 22nd, was Unity Day. Doctors were off. However, all shops/businesses were open with the exception of the banks. As a result, there were crowds at all the cash outlets, getting some money out for Christmas.I tried without success to get some money changed. Some shops will take Euro or Sterling and give a better rate of exchange than the banks. I bought a fine boneless Horseshoe ham, seven and a half kgs, about 15lbs.

I played golf with the brethren on Monday and Tuesday and enjoyed the outings. Ambrose was discharged on Wed morning. He was not very happy with the care or lack of it in the hospital. I took him and his son back to St. Simon's for lunch before taking them out to their humble home in the bush. We provide him with some basic groceries, thanks to a donor in Dublin.

I celebrated the Vigil Mass and preached in St.Simon's at 6.00pm. Christmas is not a big event in Zimbabwe.The church was about two thirds full. It was the same on Christmas Day in both St. Simon's and St. Joseph's. However, a full church gathered at the outstation, St.Andrew's. A lot of people go to the country for Christmas, bring some gifts and take back some maize and other basics to sustain them in the weeks ahead. I took the theme from this year's Liturgical Calendar: Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. Many Catholics buy a Liturgical Calendar or Guide for the readings at Sunday and weekday masses.They are well acquainted with the Bible. After Eucharist in St.Andrew's, I gave a lift to an old couple. The man is 87 and walks 7km to church. He has about 2km to walk from where I drop him off. It was 2.30pm by the time I got back to St.Simon's.Time to unwind before dinner.Ten of us, eight Carmelite sisters from local convent and farm, plus two of us, enjoyed a delicious meal of turkey, ham, vegetables and a few glasses of wine. Apple tart, custard and ice cream. A local white farmer's wife gives us a nice rich fruit cake. It is almost like a plum pudding. I doused the Ballinlig plum pudding with local whiskey but it failed to light. Bad whiskey! We enjoyed it very much. St. Stephen's Day. I had a memorial Mass in the location/settlement area for a 32 year old woman, a victim of AIDS, whose funeral I officiated at some time ago.

Communication wise, I had a frustrating time from Dec 23rd to 29th. Several good friends sent emails and attachments with pictures, music, reflections etc. They jammed the email access, with some messages coming in as often as nine times. The ordinary email phone access in Rusape was too slow to download the material. Thank God for broadband. They have radio broadband in Mt. Carmel. I was able to clear the back log in a few minutes. Good to be back in contact with you and the outer world ..
We had a good Christmas. Sunday 27th was the Feast of the Holy Family. I garnered a few thoughts from Pope Paul V1's reflection: Holy Family at Nazareth, place of prayer, gentleness and work. I had mass at St. Simon's. The church was packed. The folks who had gone to the rural area had returned.
It was a real struggle for them, as transport was not able to deal with the crowds waiting patiently for hours to travel home.

Next stop Nembaware, 74km each way, with a little over fifty on the dirt road. As it had not rained for over a week , I was able to take the normal route. Once again, the church was packed. The locals had carried out the plan for the sanctuary, with altar, ambo and chair nicely constructed in local stone. A teenage builder had done the work assisted by many locals.The pointing between the stones could be a little sharper. I congratulated them on the fine work. Another sanctuary completed.

Instead of going to Mutare on Monday 28th, three of us went to Claremont Golf Course between five and six thousand feet above sea level. The scenery is spectacular with the course surrounded by the Nyangan Hills. The course manager apologized for the state of the greens. The broken down lawn mower was being repaired in Mutare so the greens had not been cut for the Christmas weekend.Green fees were $5.00, caddie fees $5.00 plus tip. Nyangan fresh trout and French fries with three soft drinks and tea for three, amounted to $19.00. Great value.

We returned to Rusape for evening meal.The smoked Horseshoe boneless Ham tasted terrific. What was left over, we sent up to the novices. There is a lot of carving on a seven and a half kg ham.
Fr Paul Horan and I made the two and a half hour journey to Harare on Tuesday 29th.,with the intention of staying until Saturday, Jan 2nd. Each of us had some business to do. We combined that with some golf.
Mt. Carmel Student House was built in the 50's as an orphanage by the Nazareth Sisters. It was acquired by the Carmelites in the early 90's, renovated and extended. It sits on about four acres of land, some of which is used as a vegetable garden and the rest as lawn with two tarmac tennis courts. Fr. Louis, a French Canadian, keeps the place spick and span. It is a very relaxing environment. Windgate Golf Course is only fifteen minutes drive. We played there on Wed.morning.
With love, best wishes and God's blessings on all of you for 2010.

6/01/'10
Greetings and best wishes as we launch into the New Year!
The difference in climate is immense -minus grades in Ireland while Zimbabwe grades move towards the high 30'sC. It is becoming difficult to sleep at night. On Sunday night, Jan 3rd, I slept with just the mosquito net to cover me. Even with that, I perspired quite a lot.

Christmas week was very relaxing. I had an early start on Monday,28th. Poor old Ambrose had problems with his catheter. I went out at 5.45am to take him to Rusape General Hospital. People were already working in the fields, cultivating and weeding. Sadly, we had no rain since before Christmas. Crops are stagnant and will wither unless rain, and plenty of it, comes soon.
Four games of golf in eight days is very unusual for me. Having played in Clermont on Monday,28th, we played again on Wed.30th and on Friday 1st Jan. in Windgate, Harare. The course is well maintained. The fairways are narrow with pine trees on both sides and a number of dog legs. We played before 9.00am, had the course to ourselves and completed the eighteen holes in three and a half hours.

We went to the travel agent on Tuesday 29th. The lady was not very positive about Air Zimbabwe. However, I still booked my flight for June 23rd, Harare/Gatwick. I have to make my own arrangements for Gatwick/Dublin but that should be no problem. I presume the agent gets a better percentage on higher fares. Collecting liturgical guides and altar breads was more of our business. There were no liturgical calendars, which a lot of people prefer to the liturgical guides. It took over an hour and a half to get some money changed in a bank, where one of the staff is a brother of one of my African confreres. I was standing in the heat of the midday sun, guarding my truck, while Fr Paul Horan waited impatiently in the bank. Imagine having to go to Harare to have foreign currency changed into US dollars!
Business done. It was back to Rusape on Saturday morning in time for lunch. Christmas is a very popular time for weddings. Because of the shortages, both of goods and money last year, many couples postponed their weddings. The reception was held on the church grounds with the local women doing the catering.The loud music was not conducive to a siesta.

I had Mass at St. Joseph's on Sunday morning. A full church in joyful mood with plenty of song and movement. A good start to the day. We celebrated the Mass of Epiphany. All holidays of obligation are celebrated on Sundays.
I went to Mutare on Sunday pm, played golf at Hillside in the midday to mid afternoon heat on Monday. At the third hole there was a massive clap of thunder and a vicious flash of lightening. I dropped my umbrella with fright. We took shelter in a hut until rain, thunder and lightening eased off. Unfortunately, the rain was only sporadic.

I'm finishing off this message in Mutare on Wed.6th, where I came for the Simple Profession of two Carmelite Sisters. Rain came in abundance on Tuesday pm - about an inch fell in two hours. Good for the gardeners and farmers. Not so good for telephone , email or internet, which were not working this am.

12/01/'10
Greetings from hot and dry Mutare/Rusape!
The ongoing heat is a cause of major concern as there has been no significant rain for over two weeks. It is almost at critical point for the maize crop.
You may have noticed in my last message that I had Sunday down as Jan 6th, where in fact it was Jan 3rd. The celebration of the Epiphany on the Sunday confused me as we use the liturgical calendar for the rest of the week both for Mass and Prayer of the Church with our starting point as Jan 6th. A lapse of memory!
You certainly got your share of severe weather. You will be glad to se the end of the cold spell and safer driving conditions.

Having gone to Mutare for the profession of the Carmelite Sisters on Wed.Jan 6th, the week went very quickly. I had an easy weekend as a memorial Mass for Saturday was canceled. I had only one Mass on Sunday at St. Simon's. Fr Andrew is back from his annual holiday. With three of us the week end work load is light. I took the opportunity to do some reading and prepare new material for classes with the prenovices at Kriste Mambo. It is good to do something fresh.
Golf on Monday was less than satisfactory. A good start on the first two holes and then the wheels came off. Bogey followed by bogey. However, It is always good to get out with the brethren. The heat was intense at times. Two of us bring flasks of iced water. Approaching the 17th tee I asked my caddie for the flask. It was almost empty. I thought the cook may not have tightened the cap properly. Then the caddie said "Baba, I used the water to wet the towel for cleaning the balls". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We had a good laugh.

I kept Mary Cleary's Christmas cake to finish off the Christmas season on Sunday, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Like keeping the good wine until last. It was delicious.
When I came to the Priory on Sunday PM, I found that radio broadband had been installed. The technician adjusted my lap top on Monday am. It is a marvelous facility. One can send or receive messages from any part of the house, without having to dial any numbers.

I'm writing this from the Priory, Mutare. Fr Desmond brought Ambrose to Mutare Hospital outpatients early this Tuesday morning for his first check up with the surgeon. He was first in but was not seen by the doctor until 12.30. He had to have the stitches out but the whole process is very slow. I'm waiting to go back to the hospital at 3.00pm. Hopefully, he will be ready for the trip home.
In the introduction to my long Christmas letter, I stated that political violence had decreased.However, take over of farms is ongoing. Three local white farmers, in the Rusape area, were dispossessed in December. One family were forced out by young political thugs on Christmas Eve.
Love and best wishes to all.

20/01/2010.
Greetings!
Ireland and England have had the worst snow and frost in years.
I made three trips to Mutare Hospital before Ambrose was ready to travel home. Fr Desmond had him at the hospital at 7.45am on Tuesday,12th. It was 12.30 before he saw the surgeon. By then the nurses were on lunch break until 2.00pm. I called at 12.30;1.45 and finally at 3.15. Things move slowly in this country. The stitches were out. The good news was that he was feeling much better. The cook at the Priory had made up lunches for Ambrose and his son. On leaving the hospital and reaching the tar road, I asked Ambrose to say a prayer. As I sped along the steep and winding Christmas Pass, he prayed in thanksgiving for all who had helped him.He was very grateful. All that remained was that he would get the results of the biopsy, which had been sent to the lab. on Dec 23rd. The results were on the way from Bulawayo. He was back home by 4.45pm.

I had a funeral service on Wed at the Crematorium. An old European had died at the local nursing home. He had no family here. His former white friends looked after his funeral arrangements.The crematorium is a simple structure. An open shed with a plinth for the coffin. As I did not have a ritual in English, I had to do a little improvisation. About a dozen people gathered. After the service, the coffin is placed on an iron trolley, with three tiers of timber, which is pushed into an enclosed space with a chimney and set on fire. The ashes would be ready for collection on Saturday. I did not wait for the final part, lighting the fire. Instead of having class with the prenovices on Wednesday, I went to Kriste Mambo on Thursday. It was my first class with them after their break of a month at home.

The post brought some belated Christmas mail. Zol staff were on retraining courses on Friday and Saturday. The service was poor.

Five of the six/seven year old children from the local orphanage moved on to Mt. Mellary Mission Station a week ago.It will be a big change for them.They came from the orphanage, a block away, to say thanks. There is a large boarding school at the Mission.They will go into first class in the Primary School.They were either abandoned or their parents and grandparents had died of AIDS. A new group will take their places in the near future.

Still no rain even though the sky has been murky on a few occasions. The temperature increases. The dark clouds roll around. There is the odd clap of thunder and yet no rain.
Haiti earthquake is dominating the world news.What a tragedy for the people! Our shortage of rain is minuscule in comparison. You will be glad to see the end of the snow and frost.
Having confirmed by phone that the results of Ambrose's biopsy had come to the clinic in Mutare, I went there on Monday morning, only to find that they had been sent to Rusape Clinic. I dropped in, on my way to St. Simon's, to collect them.Thank God, he got the all clear. No malignancy.
Love and best wishes.

29/01/2010.
Greetings!
This time last year I was struggling with a heavy head and chest cold, while also adjusting to the cold conditions of Dalgan Park. Now, it is a case of coping with a prolonged hot and dry spell, wishing that there would be a days rain to break the monotony and freshen the air.
The network was malfunctioning last week, Being without communication with the outer world is, to say the least, a bit frustrating. It is so good to be able to receive the Irish Times Digest early in the morning, not to mention emails.

I spent Thursday morning visiting the sick and housebound. One elderly woman had eleven children. Only three are alive. The others were victims of AIDS. A lot of loss in her life.
I had Eucharist at the school on Friday at 7.00am. The children sang "Early in the morning I will rise and praise the Lord". They pass by our house before 6.00am on their way to do homework or study at school. Few of them bring their copies/books home. One English teacher told me she has 50 pupils in class but only ten English text books for comprehension work.

Local TV news informed us last week that there are areas in Mutare which had no running water for the past four years.There are thousands of people living in crowded accommodation in these locations.
I had Mass at Padua on Sunday. It is a very hot place.The maize crop is turning yellow while only about eighteen inches high. It was good to see the new altar, ambo and celebrant's chair in place. A local parishioner had donated the materials. A big improvement on the worn out timber fixtures.The church was packed and the people were in celebratory mood.

Since Christmas we had been hoping to have a game of golf at Leopard Rock, about forty kilometers from Mutare overlooking the Mozambican border. It is a spectacular place. In former times,Royalty, including the Queen,stayed at the hotel One of the tees is named The Queen Elizabeth while others are Kilcullen, St. Andrew's and World's View.How the architects/engineers designed it on this mountainous range is baffling.The course is 6164 meters long with lots of water and other hazards. Situated at between five and six thousand feet above sea level, the air is refreshing.The psalmist would be at home there;"And you mountains and hills, bless the Lord."Or the opening line of Eucharistic Prayer Three: "All creation rightly gives you praise." Four of us teed off at 11.00am on Monday 25th, taking the best placed ball for our next shot.The ninth hole, a 165 meters par three, is surrounded by water on three sides. I had par on it, which made my first nine. A young African man was up to his waist or higher in the water searching for lost balls. We had a hamburger for lunch and were finished the round by 4.00pm. Eighteen holes, plus caddie, a hamburger and soft drinks for lunch, cost each of us $35.00US. A room in the Hotel(sharing) during the World Cup- costs $200.00US per night. A few drinks on the verandah after the game and we were on our way back to the Priory. The mountainous road is very steep and crooked. Sadly, there was a horrific crash about half way down. At least three people were dead on the roadside as a mini bus and car crashed into early other. The car was a wreck and the mini bus had gone over the edge.

I went directly to Kriste Mambo from Mutare to take class with the novices on Tuesday morning. The Novice Director is taking a few days off. Once again, the views are extraordinary, a combination of hills and valleys with the odd stream. On Wed. I took both prenovices and novices for class, discussing Pope Benedict's letter "The Year of the Priest", with special reference to St. John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of all priests, whose one hundred and fiftieth anniversary the Church celebrates.
Hope all goes well with the farmers during the lambing and calving season.
Love and best wishes to all.

14/02/2010
Greetings!

After a week, our phone was reconnected on Thursday 4th. A technical fault according to the phone people. It is just so frustrating to be out of touch, either by email or Internet. At least the TV news from SKY and BBC kept us abreast of the developments in NI. Thank God, justice and policing are now in the hands of the local politicians. Hard to believe that it took almost eleven years to agree on such a basic part of governing.The die hards are slow to let go of their privileged positions.

We expected to have a funeral on Thursday p.m. The woman was from an outstation. Local custom dictates that the body can only be in the house for one night. Otherwise, the family have to pay money to "the head man." Unfortunately, when the body was taken to Rusape Hospital on Wed. p.m. there was no refrigeration in the morgue. The body had to be taken 80km to Marondera. It was late when they arrived on Thursday evening. It was agreed that we would do the funeral Mass on Friday at 10.30am and that someone would meet us on the dirt road. The burial has to take place before noon . Otherwise they have to wait until the mid afternoon. While I celebrated Eucharist under the tarpaulin, nearby,15meters away, four women vigorously stirred the sadza in a forty gallon barrel. There was great activity preparing the meal.
They were waiting when I arrived. We drove deep into the bush on very uneven terrain. I have never been so far away from even a dirt road. There was a gathering of about 200 people. Everything was ready, including a tarpaulin to protect padre from the sun. The cloth covering on the table was a zambyia with quotations in French from St. Luke's Gospel about death and resurrection.A good start for the homily. I forgot to ask where they got the zambyia. A zambyia, a wrap around, is worn by women when they are seated on the ground. Sitting on the ground is the usual posture as they do not have chairs in their houses.

I had a good weekend with a memorial Mass on Saturday in Vengere township or settlement area, and at St.Andrew's outstation on Sunday. We got a lot of mangos in the offertory processions:some for the orphanage, the convent and ourselves. I took the surplus ones to the Priory, Mutare. I was able to watch the play off of the Dubai Open on Sunday p.m., between Westwood and Jiminez, before leaving for Mutare.Ireland deserved their victory over Italy in the Six Nations Rugby in Croke Park, but they will need to step up the pace against the French in Paris on Saturday.

I had a pleasant game of golf on Monday with good scores on the first nine.
After class in Kriste Mambo on Wed. I went to Nyanga, about 60km from Kriste Mambo, to visit a couple in their 80's.Years ago,they farmed extensively in the Sabi Valley. The husband was an accountant while the wife was a nurse.They were evicted from the farm by the War Vets. Later they had a fuel filling station and general store in Juliasdale, which they were forced to sell at a knock down price to a ZANU PF supporter some years ago. Like many other elderly whites, they are supported by their son who lives and works in Mozambique. He had to flee the country some years ago as he was body guard to TSvangarai, the leader of the Opposition.
With love and best wishes.

21/02/2010
Greetings from Rusape!

The heat at the weekend was stifling. I had Mass at an outstation on Friday in a small galvanized roof church built on sheer rock.The people were slow in arriving. GOAL was distributing food a few kms from the church. On the way to the church, there were many people carrying the food in wheel barrows or scotch carts(pulled by cattle) and some on their heads: 50kgs of mealie meal, 5kgs of beans and two litres of cooking oil for each family.GOAL distributes the food on a monthly basis. Hopefully, the Government majority party, ZANU PF, will not interrupt the process as they did some years ago when Concern were involved in a similar project.Frs. Kilmurray and Troy arrived from Dublin via London/Joburg on Friday and made their way directly to Mutare.They had the weekend to relax before two long meetings on Monday and Tuesday with the brethren. I had a memorial Mass for a young woman, late twenties/early thirties, on Saturday morning. That was followed by the blessing of the headstones for her parents' graves, who had predeceased her. She and her parents had separate individual graves, in which no one else will be buried. It has something got to do with ancient custom and the world of the spirits. A very complex world!

The electricity went off shortly after the rugby game between Ireland and France kicked off at 6.30p.m. on Saturday. Fortunately, we have the generator to give us light and power to operate the computer and TV. The game and the result were both disappointing.One comment from a man from the Midlands says it all:“I thought the French defense was just fantastic,” said Larry Flanagan from Moate, Co Westmeath afterwards. “We just weren’t good enough I guess. It was a terrible pity that D’Arcy didn’t get that first try when he kicked ahead. That would have given us momentum. But we weren’t good enough.”

Sunday was an easy day with Mass at St.Simon's. The twentieth anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela, from his twenty seven years imprisonment, gave me an opportunity to speak about peace and reconciliation.I applied to him the words from Eccleiasticus 44:1 - 15 Let us praise illustrious men, our ancestors in their successive generations. Some of them left a name behind them, so their praises are still sung.Their names live on for generations. I offered Mass for Oliver on his anniversary and remembered Michael and Maeve McLoughlin.Their families were celebrating their anniversaries in Dublin. I was with them in spirit and in prayer.

Our meetings were long, from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on Monday and from 8.00a.m. to 2.00p.m. on Tuesday.Suitable personnel for formation work in novitiate and house of studies is a major concern.The visitors brought out some mail, medication and a book recording the history of Terenure College, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.Mass was celebrated and televised on the foundation day, Jan.10th, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. A lecturer in history in UCD, Fergus Darcy, wrote the book. It is a beautiful publication, running to between 550 and 600 pages with photos to record events over the years.

My daily circuit training is going well. Thirty five minutes morning and evening.I hadn't lost any weight since before Christmas.I'm still 91kgs, about 200lbs.The effort to loose ten pounds between now and end of June has begun. I'm hopefull!!
Love and best wishes.

26/02/2010

Greetings!

The media coverage of abuse in Dublin Archdiocese is very painful reading.

My weekend plans and ministry were altered due to the death of a Carmelite, Sister Frances in Mutare I celebrated Eucharist at the school on Friday morning.There was a full church. Of course, only the baptized received the ashes. Africans are very interested in ritual.

There was a funny incident on SKY News on Ash Wednesday. Joe Biden, Vice President of the US, appeared on TV giving an account of his visits to various parts of the country, including a trip to the Winter Olympics in Canada. There was a black mark on his forehead. The anchor lady and the sports reporter on SKY wondered if he had fallen or had an accident at the Olympics. After the commercial break, the anchor lady, Kay Burley explained that it was Ash Wednesday and that it was the mark of the ashes on his forehead. She confessed to being not a good catholic. Mention of confessing. Tiger did a St.Augustine like confession for his infidelities, transgressions and affairs live on TV.The Irish Times report concluded an editorial 'a Tiger doesn't change his stripes'. The prurience of the media was not satisfied because no questions were allowed.

I took four Carmelite Sisters to Mutare on Friday after lunch for the all night vigil of their member.I had hoped to play nine holes or at least have a good walk in Hillside.The rain came down heavily and did so all through the night. After the funeral Mass, I made my way to Triashill via Rusape to collect some confraternity women at base. There were three accidents on the 100km stretch of main road, two involving lorries or heavy trucks and one car which had gone off the road into a dike. Every trip is a reminder of how dangerous the roads are here. I say a prayer to my Guardian Angel on every outing.
Sunday was an easy day with Mass only at St.Bernard's. The outstation, where Ambose lives, is a short distance from his home. He was looking great and in good humour. With tears running down his cheeks he said "I am well again." It was my first time to see him since early January, when he had a check up at Mutare General Hospital. A victim of polio at seven years old, his legs never developed fully . He uses crutches.We celebrated three sacraments in the shade under the eve of the thatched house/round hut and then gave him groceries to do for the month.There were three small steel stools, about the size of the ones we used long ago for milking the cows. We sat, sang and prayed.
We had good rains this week.
Love and best wishes

4/03/2010.
Greetings from Rusape!

At long last the tropical rains have come. I was in Denzva for Mass on Friday,where there is a temporary thatch roof supported by light poles. It is like an umbrella.We had just reached the truck at about 2.30pm when the heavens opened. It rained constantly from then until midday on Monday. The reservoir/dam, which had been very low, is now overflowing but our water supply is sporadic and uncertain. Not enough pressure to fill the tank, which is about fifteen feet high. It is back to the bucket and sponge instead of a shower.

I had a feast of rugby on Friday night and Saturday evening. Ireland left it late to beat England but it was a good victory.Three tries in any game is a good score. Sunday was a busy and long day with mass at St.Joseph's at 8.00am and at Nembaware 12.00 noon.It took one and a quarter hours to drive the 54km(about 35 miles) journey, half of it on a very slippery dirt road. There were small numbers at mass in both places. I got back to Rusape by 2.45, had a quick lunch and set off in the rain to Mutare. My neck and shoulders were very tired from the shaking on the rough terrain.It rained heavily through the night.On Monday morning it seemed unlikely that we would have golf. However, by midday it cleared up. There was surface water on the fairways but we had an enjoyable outing.

Four attempts at getting diesel from Reddan fuel station failed. Their station in Juliasdale, 60km away from Rusape, is closing. However, we are fortunate there is another one 30km from here on the way to Harare.Water supply, electricity and phone services have been very erratic in recent times.
Monday was another dark day for Zimbabwe.The Government, ZANU PF, passed legislation in 2007, under the title Indigenous and Empowerment, that all businesses, valued over five hundred thousand US dollars, should be 51% owned by local people in five years time.On Monday they were trying to reactivate this legislation.The mining industry which is underdeveloped and undercapitalized will remain unproductive for years to come.Having destroyed the farming industry as well as tourism, the third plank of the economy, in the past, is now doomed to failure. There is an element of self-destruct in politics. It will be interesting to see if MDC(formerly in opposition but now in partnership with ZANU in government) can prevent the implementation of this crazy policy. While in Mutare I browsed through the book on Terenure College. It is very well written. A trip down memory lane!

Fr Kilmurray completed his visit and returned to Dublin on Saturday to severe winter weather.He would have got a flavour of tropical rain in Harare before his departure.
My summer schedule is falling into place. I fly home on June 23rd and return to Zimbabwe on September 9th.I have booked the Carmelite Cottage in Wicklow, beside the sea and a golf course, from June 25th to July 2nd. A wedding in Rathfarnham,Dublin, on July 2nd.I will fly to the US on July 8th to do Mission Appeal out of New York from weekend 10th/11th July until August 16th. My Carmelite confrere in New York will arrange the places where I will preach.The details will come later.
Love and best wishes to all.

11/03/2010.
Greetings!
The rains continue. On Thursday, March 4th, I went out at 7.15am to celebrate Eucharist at the Carmelite Sisters Farm a few kms out of town.The river was in spate. About a foot of water was flowing rapidly over the bridge. As there was no parapet or protective walls on the bridge, I could not risk driving through the rushing water. A local man, in a truck, directed me and led me on an alternative route to the farm, going out to the main Rusape/Harare road and crossing the high bridge before taking the longer dirt road to the farm.While I arrived a half hour late, the Sisters were glad I made it.

Sr. Thomas, the parish pastoral sister, celebrated her 75th birthday on Friday. The local women's confraternity organised a Mass for her at 2.00pm followed by an African meal. I ate some goat! I was celebrant and homilist for the occasion.The Africans have a love of talking. Numerous people paid tribute to her work with the local community. Each speech was followed by a song or a verse from a hymn.

Mr. Zuma, President of South Africa, accompanied by wife number three,(he has five), was hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. He had an entourage of two hundred. His efforts to get the sanctions against Zimbabwe lifted got a cold reception.The article below on land distribution is an indication of Government failure. Most of the redistributed land is unproductive. The same is true in Zimbabwe. However, there will be no audit or admission of failure here. The political hacks blame the sanctions for every failure.

The sale of tickets for the World Cup Soccer, June 11th to July 11th, is way below expectation. Prices are drastically reduced.The downturn in the world economy and the fear of violence in South Africa are contributory factors. It is estimated that twenty thousand people are murdered annually.
Love and best wishes

The Irish Times - Thursday, March 4, 2010
ANC admits farm transfers to non-whites have failed
BILL CORCORAN in Cape Town

MORE THAN 90 per cent of the formerly white-owned farms the South African government bought to allocate to victims of apartheid have failed commercially, a government minister has said.

Minister of rural development and land affairs Gugile Nkwinti said the land reform programme’s failure had prompted the government to abandon the initiative, as they would not reach the target of transferring 30 per cent of land to non-whites by 2014.

Following the onset of democracy in 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) government established the flagship programme to redistribute the country’s land, the vast majority of which was in the possession of the white population, in an equitable manner.

However, Mr Nkwinti told reporters in Cape Town: “The reality is that this has not happened. We have not talked about the revenue that the state has lost because farms totalling 5.9 million hectares, which were active and accruing revenue for the state, were handed over to people.

“And more than 90 per cent of those farms are now not functional. They are not productive and the state loses revenue.

“We cannot afford to go on like that.”

The minister also warned beneficiaries of the redistribution programme who were leaving their farms unproductive that their land would be repossessed, in order to ensure agricultural output did not fall further.

According to Mr Nkwinti, the main reason behind the land reform programme’s failure was that those who benefited did not have the skills “to continue producing effectively and optimally on the land”.

He went on to say new proposals to turn around the now defunct initiative had already been drawn up and would be presented to cabinet for approval by the end of this month. They would then be made public by the end of May.

As a stopgap measure, the government had set aside just under €50 million this year to aid the farms currently in trouble.

Included in the policy document, Mr Nkwinti added, would be a proposal to restrict foreign ownership of South African land, as non-nationals were buying it up three times faster than the government was able to acquire it for redistribution.

The restriction of land ownership by non-South Africans was first mooted during the era of former South African president Thabo Mbeki, which ended in September 2008, but the government of the day never followed through on the proposal.

This message arrived from Bob on 16 Nov 2009.

Greetings from the Bush to all in Knocklyon Parish!

I hope this message finds you all well. I have fond memories of my time with you this time last year.
As a result of electricity cuts, phones out of order and multiple problems with Zol email and internet, it has been a struggle to communicate with the outer world.

After two months I'm back in my stride, busy but fulfilled with life and ministry.
Thank God all my family are well and working.

Love and best wishes.
Bob Kelly O.Carm.