Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube [email protected]
For most identical twins, life is marked by shared birthdays, matching childhood memories and an unbreakable bond. As adulthood unfolds, however, their paths often diverge – different careers, different families and different dreams.
Not so for Father Franklin Joachim Machirika and Father Francelino Joachim Machirika.
The 28-year-old brothers have rewritten that familiar script by choosing the same lifelong vocation. On July 18, the identical twins were ordained as Catholic priests in a rare and historic ceremony, becoming the first twins to be ordained together in the Archdiocese of Bulawayo.
Their shared journey was not one of convenience or coincidence. It was forged through nine years of demanding spiritual formation, academic study and unwavering conviction in the face of persistent questions about why both of them had chosen the priesthood.
Born on April 4, 1998, to the late Joachim Sacramento Machirika and Maria Ines Dube, the twins are the youngest of six children – four boys and two girls. The family first lived in New Magwegwe before relocating to Cowdray Park.
The brothers attended Mawaba Primary School from 2004 to 2010 before enrolling at St Bernard’s High School, where they completed their Ordinary Level studies between 2011 and 2014 and Advanced Level between 2015 and 2016.
Their vocation, however, began long before seminary. While in Grade Five, the twins witnessed a moment that would shape the rest of their lives. Their mother fell gravely ill, prompting them to seek help from their parish priest. Rather than simply offering prayers, the priest rushed her to hospital, paid her medical bills and stood by the family throughout the difficult period.
For the young brothers, it was a powerful lesson in what it meant to serve God through serving others. Franklin soon began encouraging fellow children to become altar boys, while both brothers’ faith deepened even further after their mother later recovered from another serious illness following prayers at church.
That childhood experience would eventually grow into a lifelong calling. On September 1, 2017, they entered Mazowe Pre-Major Seminary for human and spiritual formation before studying philosophy from 2018 to 2021 and theology from 2021 to 2025.
They were ordained deacons at St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica on December 28, 2025, before finally being ordained priests on July 18 this year.
Their commitment was so profound that they even turned down a Presidential Scholarship to study in China, choosing instead to continue pursuing their vocation.
Speaking after their ordination, the brothers said they first recognised God’s call while they were still in primary school. Their decision has generated widespread discussion on social media, with many questioning why identical twins would both choose the priesthood instead of pursuing separate careers.
For the brothers, however, the criticism has never shaken their faith. “You know, we are used to that because we have chosen a different path. So, people would say, ‘But why both of them? Why not maybe only one and then the other one?’ But to those people, if you check our ordination cards, the verse that we chose, maybe as a response to those people, is Psalm 100 verse 3. It says, ‘Know that He, the Lord, is God. He made us. We belong to Him.’ So, that’s our response to all the critics: that God is the One who created us. After all, we belong to Him. So, everything that is done for God is not in vain.”
For one of the twins, ordination was never about attaining status but about answering years of prayer.
“Personally, I’m not overwhelmed because I think this is something that I have prayed for. I think for the past nine years, if I may say, this is an answered prayer to me. So, I am not overwhelmed. I am actually happy that I will now serve God as a priest and serve God’s people as a priest.”
Ironically, despite sharing virtually every stage of formation, the brothers have never actually served together.
“To tell you something, maybe it may shock people. Ever since we began this journey, we have never worked in one place together. I remember at some point, I was working in Plumtree and Frank was at Regina Mundi in Tsholotsho.
So, very distant. We have never worked in one place together. So, I don’t see that happening,” said Fr Francelino.
Their greatest struggle was not the demanding years of study, but convincing others that two identical twins could genuinely share the same calling.
“The issue is people not believing that both of us can be priests because we are twins. People have tried to discourage us. Maybe one of you is holier than the other. Maybe only one has a vocation and the other one does not have. So, that has been the most difficult challenge that we have faced.”
Seminary formation, they said, helped them understand that although they share the same vocation, their missions remain unique.
“We have friends. Even at the seminary, when they were forming and shaping us, they would encourage us to interact with other people. So, we might be twins, we might be two, but our missions are different. I believe that each and every human being is an answer to a unique question.
“That is why, when you mentioned the issue of our assignments, sometimes we will be assigned to different parishes with different challenges. And you have to be an answer to those different challenges.”
Looking back, they see every obstacle as confirmation that their calling was always part of God’s plan.
“When I look at my life and the life of Francelino, it is actually a confirmation of what God said to Jeremiah, that before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. If at all we had listened to the criticism, I don’t think we would have been where we are now. But if I go back and look at the times when we only had prayer, and look at where we are now, I can say God really stepped in.
“Because challenges are there, difficulties are there, but as long as God is there. I also believe that He will not call you and send you where His grace will not sustain you. So, challenges will be there, but God’s grace will always be there to sustain you,” said Fr Franklin.
The brothers also hope their story will help people appreciate the lengthy and demanding journey required to become a Catholic priest.
“I think most people don’t understand how long it takes and how hard one will have worked for this process. Most people think you wake up one day and become a priest. The first thing that you need is the desire to be a priest. Then you must have at least two A-Level passes. You then go through the minor seminary, the pre-major seminary for human and spiritual formation, three years of philosophy, four years of theology, pastoral work, six months as a deacon and then priestly ordination. In all, it takes nine years.”
To young people discerning a religious vocation, the twins offered simple but heartfelt advice.
“To all who feel that they are called today, I want to say never be afraid of becoming different in the world, because whatever you do in this world for the glory of God is not a loss. At the end of the day, whatever we do here on earth is for the glory of God. That’s why our motto says, ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory.’ Thank you.”
Archbishop Alex Thomas of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo described the ordination as a rare milestone, noting that while the Roman Catholic Church has had other twins become priests, including in Hwange, Franklin and Francelino are the first twins to be ordained together in the Archdiocese.
He also dismissed criticism surrounding their shared vocation.
“The negative comments on social media really show people talk due to a lack of knowledge. People are taking it from a cultural point of view, which is not true at all.
“The twins are not the first priests in the Roman Catholic Church. We also have other twins in Hwange as well. But these twins are the first to be ordained together.”
For the Machirika brothers, the journey has never been about proving critics wrong or making history. It has simply been about answering the same call they both heard as children, and walking, side by side, towards a life of service.
