We want to put you in touch with the Church, whether you are a Catholic or just an enquirer. You may know your own parish or the Catholic school your child is attending. You may get fragmented bits of information about the Church from secular media. What you need is a full picture, an inside view, an authentic voice. This we wish to give you.
Communication through the media is much hampered in Zimbabwe. There are few church publications. This website tries to put you in touch with the Church electronically. Print interesting material out, put it on your parish notice board, share it with your friends.
This website is an initiative of JESUIT COMMUNICATIONS. It is not an initiative of the Church as such. It does not speak for the Bishops. But Jesuits are part of the Church and loyal to it. Within the Church there are different gifts and charism, contributing to the life of the Church in their various ways. This website is our Jesuit contribution.
The Church is the Body of Christ. If you want to
know the Church you look at Christ. The priest represents Christ and acts on
his behalf. There is a very close relationship between Christ and the priest,
between the Church and the priest. If you want to know what a priest is you
have to know Christ first.
Jesus has called himself the Good Shepherd. This image of the shepherd is very
old. We find it in the Old Testament (Prophets, eg. Ezechiel) and in all the
four Gospels. The shepherd cares, takes on responsibility, leads and guides,
heals and binds up wounds. He is always there for his sheep, always ready to
come to the aid of the sheep, he gives himself to them, he knows them and they
know him; they can absolutely trust him. Which means that a priest is no longer
a private person with his own time, his own interests, his own space nobody may
enter. He belongs to his people, to the Church, he is always on call.
The English word “priest” is
used as a translation of two quite different terms. TheHebrew ‘cohen’( Greek:
‘hiereus’, Latin: ‘sacerdos’) is rendered as “priest” in English. This word
refers to persons set apart as mediators between God and the people. The word ‘priest’
is also a derivation of the Greek ‘presbyter’ (elder), a word used to describe
a member of the council of worthy men who were the leaders of the early
Christian communities. It should be noted that the word ‘hiereus’ ( from which’hierarchy’
is derived) is not applied in the Gospels either to Jesus or the apostles.
START
THE BALL ROLLING The people of Africa are looking forward to the
first Soccer World Championship to take place on their continent.
The Church in South Africa is getting ready to receive players,
managers and spectators from all over the world. She is
inviting them to meet the local church wherever they happen
to be, and is offering spiritual and physical first aid
where required.
The mountains of rubbish are growing. Pazarangu Street
which runs past Stoddart Hall, a national monument, is at
one point half covered with stinking refuse making it difficult
for cars and people to pass; now the other lane is beginning
to be covered as well. Our young people were organized into
a cleaning brigade and began, dressed in new T-shirts and
equipped with new shovels, to move the stinking mass, for
some days with the help of City Council trucks.
