Hwange Diocese launches Jubilee Year 2025, urges reflection and unity

THE Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Hwange has launched the Year of Jubilee 2025, calling congregants and society to reflect on their calling for the good of the community and nation at large.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe, Archbishop Janusz Stanislaw Urbañczyk, who spent a week in the diocese, launched the Jubilee Year at the Marian Shrine outside Hwange town on Friday.

Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Urbañczyk early this year to fill the Apostolic Nuncio’s post that had been vacant since July last year, following the transfer of Archbishop Paolo Rudelli to Colombia, who had served as the Pope’s representative since January 2020.

An Apostolic Nuncio represents the Vatican as the church’s ambassador in a country of deployment.

Archbishop Urbañczyk is on a tour of all the church’s eight dioceses in Zimbabwe. Before Hwange, he visited the Archdiocese of Harare and Gweru Diocese. He arrived in Hwange last Wednesday and visited the Victoria Falls parishes of Our Lady, St Josephine Bakhita, and St Kizito to interact with congregants and priests. On Thursday, Archbishop Urbañczyk was a guest at the Diocesan Pastoral Council mid-year Annual General Meeting and Presbyteral AGM in Hwange.

On Friday, he presided over the mini-Eucharist Congress at the St Mary’s Marian Shrine, where he launched the year with the reading of the Indiction for the Holy Year and Opening the Treasures of the Church. He also blessed Holy Week Pilgrims and Deans of the various deaneries under Hwange Diocese.

On Saturday, Archbishop Urbañczyk opened Kasibo Mission in Makwa Deanery, where he confirmed some Deans as substantive, as the diocese gears up for the Jubilee Year. On Sunday, he presided over Holy Mass at St Ignatius Cathedral in

Hwange, the last of his activities in the diocese before departing to Harare.

On May 9, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Pope Francis, and while at St Francis Basilica, officially proclaimed the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 with the public reading and delivery of the Bull of Indiction for the Holy Year. A jubilee happens every 25 years. The Holy See has themed the year: “Pilgrims of Hope,” offering a 12-month journey to the holiest and most popular places of pilgrimage for Catholics throughout the world.

In Hwange Diocese, the pilgrimage places are St Mary’s Shrine in Lukosi, while in Bulawayo Archdiocese, Catholics go to Our Lady of Fatima in Pumula South, Empandeni in Plumtree, and Mt Inungu in Matobo. The Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica and the Holy Door of St John Lateran Basilica, both in Rome, will be opened in December this year. This will be followed by a series of jubilee activities until the closing of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on January 6, 2026, to mark the end of the year of jubilee.

Hwange Diocese proclaimed the Year of the Eucharist in line with the Holy See announcement. Bishop of Hwange, His Lordship Raphael Ncube, said the Diocese had launched a school of pilgrims, which will see selected individuals undergoing a week-long spiritual journey.

“His presence here gives us the opportunity to be with the Holy Father. He brings to us the message of joy and he says what we see externally has to show in a certain way what happens internally and be an encouragement for us to deepen our spiritual lives.

“We have these Holy Week pilgrims of 2024 who came from all parishes and missions to be with the Bishop throughout the holy week praying. This is the first school of spiritual pilgrims as encouraged by Pope Francis in preparation for the Jubilee year 2025 and we will continue with this tradition. So this becomes the first group, next year we will have another group of different people following the encouragement of our Holy Father,” said Bishop Ncube.

Archbishop Urbañczyk challenged congregants to be united.

“We must be open to Jesus and live according to our faith. It is important to be united, and to grow, you must be open to the presence of Jesus in your life. With the intercession of the Saints and elders, we can succeed in life especially for us now as we are afflicted here in Zimbabwe by drought and everything that comes with it,” he said.

Vicar General for Hwange Diocese, Father Jabulani Nyoni, stressed the importance of unity, noting that Hwange, with its rich tapestry of cultures and languages, exemplifies harmonious living.

“We would like to thank you Your Lordship for calling together the whole diocese to discuss together, share with you views on how to run the diocese and to listen to us. This is the Hwange Diocese we want. Your Excellency, the Nuncio, the fact that you are among us means Rome is with us. We are full of joy. The diocese is rich in many ways from music to language diversity. As we have this Congress of the Eucharist, let this place be a place of prayer, make it a habit that when you pass through on your journeys stop to pray,” he said.

Also in attendance were Bishop Emeritus Albert Serano and Archbishop Emeritus Pius Ncube. — @ncubeleon