A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MONASTERY OF CHRIST THE WORD

FR TERENCE RICHARDSON OSB

2021–2022 was the silver jubilee year of the Monastery of Christ the Word in Zimbabwe. This monastery was founded from Ampleforth Abbey in 1996 and it was the first Benedictine community to be founded in the country. Unfortunately, the jubilee occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, on 25th September 2021 Archbishop Robert Ndlovu of Harare, Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, the Papal Nuncio to Zimbabwe, and Bishop Paul Horan O.Carm., Bishop of the neighbouring diocese of Mutare, came to join the monks for a special Mass to mark the silver jubilee of the first Benedictine monastery in Zimbabwe. Because of the COVID pandemic, the number attending had to be restricted to one hundred, and most of these had to sit in the garden outside the chapel, safely spaced apart. Because of the restriction on numbers it was decided to try to live-stream the Mass. In a rural area of an African country this is asking a lot of the infrastructure, but fortunately both the electrical supply and the internet connection remained live throughout the Mass. Hundreds of people were able to tune in to the Mass on YouTube, or even to watch it later. It was particularly sad that no-one, especially Abbot Robert, could come from Ampleforth Abbey, but the monks there were able to at least watch the live-stream.

Though the Monastery of Christ the Word is the first Benedictine monastery in the country, it is not in fact the first monastic presence. In 1882 a Trappist Abbey had been founded at Mariannhill in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, by the Austrian Abbot Franz Pfanner. Recognising the need for evangelisation, they adapted their Trappist customs and became missionaries. In 1896 they opened a mission at Triashill, 40km south-east of Rusape, only for them to have to close the mission four years later due to the Shona uprising. In 1902 the monks returned to Rhodesia, this time to a farm about 7km south-east of Macheke railway station (the railway line from the Mozambique coast at Beira through Umtali (Mutare) to Fort Salisbury (Harare) having been completed in 1899). The farm had been negotiated for by Abbot Pfanner with Cecil John Rhodes himself. They named this new mission Monte Cassino after St Benedict’s own monastery between Rome and Naples in Italy. Community life began on the site on 4th October 1902. In 1909 the Trappist monks were joined by the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, a congregation also founded by Abbot Pfanner to assist in the work of evangelisation and education.

The Trappists from Mariannhill became a separate congregation (the Mariannhill Missionaries) in 1909. They remained at Monte Cassino until the 1920s when there was an exchange of mission territories with the Jesuits. But the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood stayed on and became responsible for the Mission under the guidance of Jesuits, Franciscan and Carmelite chaplains. The site at Monte Cassino became a leading girls’ boarding school for local girls, and as such has played a key role in educating many prominent women in the country. After the last of the Jesuits retired, the archdiocese of Harare has provided a priest chaplain to the convent and the school.

Meanwhile at Ampleforth Abbey there was considerable interest in helping to establish a more modest monastery. Saint Louis Abbey had been founded in 1955 and became independent in 1973. From that time on there were various schemes for starting a new monastery, simpler in style than at the Abbey, but still pastorally engaged, though probably not through traditional parish or school work. A scheme at Rixton near Warrington was proposed, which eventually morphed into the experimental community at Barn House, Little Crosby in 1977, and subsequently at Ince Benet. St Bede’s Monastery in York opened in 1987, being replaced by the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Grace at Osmotherley in 1994. St Benedict’s Monastery at Brownedge, Bamber Bridge followed in 1998. Though all these foundations have closed, it is clear that the Ampleforth Abbey community was open to support any opportunity to be involved in a simpler style of monastic living.

The foundation of the monastery in Zimbabwe had its origin in a conference organised by AIM (Alliance Inter-Monastères) for English-speaking Benedictine monasteries in Africa which was held at Chishawasha Seminary just outside Harare in January 1991. This location was chosen because it enabled monks and nuns from English-speaking African countries to meet. It so happened that Zimbabwe was one of the few countries that would be able to host this event, due to the continuing presence of apartheid in some other countries and civil unrest elsewhere. One of the key organisers of the conference was Fr Mark Butlin of Ampleforth Abbey. The meeting prompted Archbishop Patrick Chakaipa and subsequently the whole Bishops Conference to issue an invitation to Ampleforth Abbey to make a foundation in the country.

The community at Ampleforth Abbey debated and researched the proposal for five years. Several monks visited the country to give retreats, and to get advice from other religious congregations. Therefore it was not until 21st September 1996 that the monastery was actually established. The Bishops asked that it should be a centre of prayer and hospitality, with the intention of deepening the spiritual life of both the clergy and the people in Zimbabwe.

The first four monks chosen to begin the foundation were Fr Robert Igo, Fr Alexander McCabe, Fr Barnabas Pham and Br Colin Battell. When the first two monks arrived at Harare in 1996 they based themselves at the Dominican Convent on Fourth Street.

Even before leaving England, they had already begun discussing the details of the foundation, and these discussions continued. Should the monastery be located in the city, or in a rural area? What would be the style of life? What sort of Divine Office would they use? Should they employ cooks, cleaners and gardeners? What work would the monks do? What concessions should be made to the climate? One view was that the monastery should be within easy reach of the city, and that this would provide the opportunity for contact and possibly teaching and studying opportunities at the seminary at Chishawasha and elsewhere. But in the end it was decided to accept the kind offer of a house from the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood near Macheke. The monks continue to be very grateful to the sisters who generously offered them a building in the grounds of Monte Cassino Mission, with the option of taking over additional land for gardening or small-scale farming. Though it is in a rural area, there is a good main road from Macheke to Harare, and it is possible to be in Harare by car or bus in two hours. The area is at about 1500m (5000 feet) above sea level. The climate is very pleasant: it is cold at night in the winter, and we do have occasional frosts at night, but tolerable even without central heating; and not too hot in the summer, not much above 30C. Wearing white habits does help. The Monastery is separate from the school and is located next door.

From the very beginning, the monks have lived a structured monastic life of prayer, work and hospitality. The Divine Office follows schema B from the Benedictine Thesaurus, consisting of seven offices each day on a one-week cycle of the psalter, in addition to the daily conventual Mass. The Divine Office and the Mass are sung to simple tones. The cooking, cleaning and routine maintenance is done by the monks. We grow most of our own food, and offer hospitality to all people, both lay and religious. We welcome all to pray with us, to rest and to be spiritually refreshed.

The early years were difficult, forming the monks into a community and drawing up a formation document. It was decided to not take novices for the first ten years, but instead to reach out to all the dioceses through retreats and to deepen the links with other religious congregations, and with people in the vicinity. The Old Amplefordian Fr David Harold-Barry SJ (A57) was always most helpful with advice. Local Catholic farmers were very helpful, especially with guidance about buildings and other practical matters.

Father Robert Igo was the first Prior. He continued in office until 1999. Fr Christopher Gorst took over until 2005, whereupon Fr Robert resumed the role. In January 2021, Fr Robert was elected Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey, and Fr Barnabas Pham (another founder-member of the community) was appointed Prior. In addition to Fr Barnabas, the current other members of the community are Br Placid Mavura, the first Zimbabwean to be solemnly professed, who is the sub-Prior, Fr Cuthbert Madden and Fr Terence Richardson, the most recent arrival.

The timetable of the monastery on weekdays is as follows: 5.00 am Vigils; 6.40 Lauds; 7.00 Mass; 8.00 Lectio Divina; 10.15 Terce; 12.45 pm Sext; 1.00 light lunch; 2.00 None; 5.30; Vespers (5.00 on Saturday); 6.45 Supper (6.15 on Saturday); 7.10 Adoration (Wednesday & Friday); 8.00 Compline (Vigil on Saturday). And on Sundays, 7.30 am Lauds; 8.30 Mass (at the Mission Church with the sisters and the school); 10.00 Terce; 11.45 Sext; 12.00 noon Lunch (at the Convent with the sisters); 1.00 pm None; 5.00 Vespers; 6.00 Supper; 8.00 Compline. The Office and Mass are sung in English, with occasional antiphons in Latin or in Shona. Supper is the main meal and it is accompanied by reading, either pre-recorded on a computer, or sometimes a commercially-produced series of talks.

All the monks share the domestic chores – especially cooking, cleaning and looking after minor repairs. Fr Barnabas and Br Placid are particularly involved in the care of the garden (both the flowers and the vegetables and fruit) and the animals. Additionally, Br Placid makes our habits and looks after the repair of curtains and other sewing tasks. Fr Terence does some repairs and also cares for the library. When Fr Alban Crossley was here he developed the liturgy and produced many of the leaflets which are still in use. Fr Christopher Gorst was here during the height of the economic crisis in the country and so was heavily involved in charitable work with the destitute people in the locality. Fr Richard ffield took on much of the maintenance work at the monastery and also involved himself with local schools and maintained contact with the University in Harare. Every year successive Abbots have visited the community, often accompanied by another monk from the Abbey. Over the years, many monks (mainly from Ampleforth Abbey) have visited and stayed for longer or shorter periods, including Br Sixtus Roslevich from Saint Louis Abbey and now Portsmouth Abbey. All the monks have been involved in giving retreats both at home and away.

The original house is an L-shaped single-storey building, with the bedrooms and calefactory in one wing, and the more public rooms (kitchen, refectory, meeting room and library) in the other wing. It has proved to be very suitable for the monks’ use. A guesthouse with four bedrooms and ancillary facilities was the first extra building to be completed. What is now the library in the main house was first used as the temporary chapel until the present chapel was built in 1999. That same year saw the construction of two double-rondavels for lay guests and monk guests. There was then a plan to construct an entirely new monastery building on a site 2km south of the present monastery. Eventually it was decided that such project should wait until the monastery had more novices. Two temporary buildings were erected instead that would serve as noviciate accommodation, with the intention of relocating these buildings to the new site when eventually the monastery moved. Other improvements have been made, for example to the water supply. And a fibreoptic cable has improved the communication links. Solar cells, with a battery and inverter have been installed to provide a back-up electrical supply for the frequent power cuts. And in 2021 solar hot water heating was installed, so that hot water is available even when the power is off.

The community is economically reasonably stable. The monks have on two occasions since the foundation turned for help from Ampleforth Abbey but have had no financial help since 2005. The major source of help has come through donors for major expenditure and for this we are very grateful. Payments from those on retreat just about cover our running costs - fuel, insurance and those items that must be bought (for example salt, sugar, cooking oil, rice).

The monks do have a charitable outreach but this is not their main purpose. This is supported by groups in the UK, notably the parishes of Ampleforth and Kirbymoorside, and by the Ampleforth Catenian circle. At the time of writing, this enables us to fund the school fees of some 40-50 children, to help 40 poor families with a monthly handout of staple foods, helping 11 people suffering with AIDS pay for their anti-retroviral treatment, and occasionally assisting with other medical needs. Br Placid is in charge of this assistance programme.

The economic crisis in the country began in 2000 with the invasion of white-owned farms. The resulting economic downturn created massive inflation, unemployment, food shortages, and difficulty in finding fuel supplies. Many people fled the country looking for work elsewhere. Because we had access to hard currency, the effect on the monastery was much less serious than on the poorest sections of society, where people were actually starving to death. The monks had to learn about the black market, the parallel economy and the official and non-official exchange rates from the US dollar to the Zimbabwean dollar, and to be prepared to queue for hours to get the simplest supplies. It was an emotionally draining time, as we saw the local people suffering through no fault of their own.

Nevertheless the shortage of fuel meant that the number of retreatants dropped, as people simply could not get to the monastery. The economic downturn contributed to the decline in public health provision which had been struggling for many years to manage the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. The situation meant additionally that more and more people were coming for help in simply getting enough food for themselves and their families. The worst aspects of the crisis continued for the best part of ten years, though in some respects the poorest people in the country are still living with the consequences.

The key events in the early years were the solemn profession of Br Colin Battell in 1997 and his ordination to the priesthood later that same year. Br Placid Mavura’s solemn profession in 2014 was special because he is the first Zimbabwean to reach this point. During the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 the monastery was granted the privilege of having one of the Holy Doors, the only one in the diocese apart from the one at the Cathedral in Harare. Over five thousand people travelled considerable distances to come and pray at the monastery and enter the chapel through the special door. On the day assigned to the local deanery, one thousand and fifty people came through the door. The celebration of the silver jubilee in 2021 would also have attracted a large crowd, but the COVID-19 restrictions in force at the time made this impossible. One regular highlight is the open-house Christmas lunch that the monks provide for up to 100 people every year. Roast home-grown chicken, rice, green vegetables, followed by ginger cake, washed down with fizzy drinks makes a fitting celebration of the birth of Christ for people who live in the local area.

Apart from the regular demands for retreats, especially from priests and religious, some of the monks have had responsibilities outside the monastery: Fr Colin taught at Chishawasha seminary for several years; Fr Robert was active on the Health Desk of the Conference of Religious for Zimbabwe for many years and was a President of this Conference for some years. He was appointed Diocesan exorcist; he also found time to write two books for the World Council of Churches on the pastoral care of those suffering from AIDS. All three monks who have been Prior have taken a leading role in supporting other Benedictine communities (monks and nuns, Catholics and Anglicans) in the region, principally through BECOSA (Benedictine Communities in Southern Africa). They have also taken a full part in the Zimbabwe Conference of Religious. More recently the monks hosted meetings to discuss the synodality process and thereby contribute to the diocesan report.

All our visitors, from the Apostolic Nuncio and the Archbishop down to the simplest local people, tell us how much the monastery is valued. They assure us that it has contributed to the spiritual life of the nation, and that it continues to do so. And it is impressive to see that many of our retreatants return time and time again: they say they find here a source of spiritual encouragement. We now have a group of oblates, mostly married lay people, attached to the monastery who attend regular days of reflection, and who seek to live their lives according to Benedictine values. The effect of the monastery in Zimbabwe on the founding monastery of Ampleforth Abbey has also been considerable.

However, the crucial test of the foundation will be whether it manages to attract and keep novices. For without a steady stream of local recruits the outlook must be uncertain. To help the monks make themselves known we have a Facebook page which carries regular posts to tell our followers what is going on, and we now have a website as well. The past quarter century has given the monastic community much to be grateful to Almighty God for, and we look to the future with hope.

Monastry from the South

Monastery and Grounds