Monastery of Christ the Word

Monastery of Christ the Word
Religion
AffiliationEnglish Benedictine Congregation
DistrictRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare
StatusActive
Location
LocationMacheke, Zimbabwe
Website
Official website

The Monastery of Christ the Word is a priory of the English Benedictine Congregation (EBC) located in Macheke, Zimbabwe, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare. Founded in 1996, its community comprises some five monks.

History

The monastery is a daughter house of Ampleforth Abbey,[1] whose monks formed the community at the invitation of Archbishop of Harare Patrick Fani Chakaipa and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, who were desirous of a monastic presence in their country.[2][3] Although the idea of a monastery in Zimbabwe had already been conceived in 1992,[3] the Monastery of Christ the Word was established only in 1996. The monastery was initially located in a two-storey building at Monte Cassino near Macheke that belonged to the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood.[2][4]

Main structure

The monastery has an altar made of wood, depicting four moments from the Last Supper, that was designed by the Art Workshop of the Driefontein Mission in Mvuma.[5]

Activities

The current prior is Robert Igo.[6] According to Volume 116 of The Ampleforth Journal dated September 2011 to July 2012,[7] the monastic community is made up of four other Ampleforth monks (Richard Ffield, Bamabas Pham, Joseph Dinala, and Placid Mavura) living according to the Rule of St. Benedict.[3] The community rears its own livestock and their prior provides complimentary medical care to locals. The monastery also organises regular retreats that may last from days to a week.[4]

References

  1. ^ William Charles (2009). Basil Hume: Ten Years On. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 9781441197320.
  2. ^ a b Gordon Beattie (1997). Gregory's Angels: A History of the Abbeys, Priories, Parishes and Schools of the Monks and Nuns Following the Rule of Saint Benedict in Great Britain, Ireland and Their Overseas Foundations: to Commemorate the Arrival of Saint Augustine in Kent in 597 AD. Gracewing Publishing. p. 216. ISBN 9780852443866.
  3. ^ a b c "Ampleforth Abbey: Zimbabwe". Ampleforth Abbey. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Monastery of Christ the Word - Zimbabwe". Ampleforth Abbey. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  5. ^ Geoffrey Wainwright (2006). The Oxford History of Christian Worship. Oxford University Press. p. 836. ISBN 9780195138863.
  6. ^ "Zimbabwe". English Benedictine Congregation. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ^ "The Ampleforth Journal" (PDF). p. 15. Retrieved 6 May 2020.