After a time of discernment and identifying team work, Sts Peter and Paul Parish of Bulawayo Archdiocese (Zimbabwe) is experiencing another way of implementing synodality visiting lapsed catholics and empowering small Christian communities.
The Parish Priest, Rev. Victor Dube informed the National Pastoral Team under the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference that as a way implementing the synod on synodality, “the Parish embarked on ecclesial discernment and identified team work as the best way towards reviving their Small Christian Communities”.
As part of experiencing the fruits of the Parish synodal process, Sts. Peter and Paul has started doing pastoral visits to lapsed Catholics in their homes and praying with them every week, they have come up with Small Christian Community registers and identified various strategies of encouraging children youth and young adults. As was testified by one of the Parish Pastoral Council members Mrs Fatima Moyo, “another way of implementing the synod is by way identifying and establishing various lay ministries right from the level of Small Christian Communities. Each of the Small Christians Communities has created a common fund that will support in the Parish as well as in the care for the poor”.
It is hoped that fostering team work right from grass roots level will contribute to the active participation at the Parish level, foster communion and further lead to effective mission.
We thanks Fr. Limukani Ndlovu for this news.
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The Parish of Saints Peter and Paul was officially opened and consecrated on the 3rd of September 2000. It was a brainchild of St. Pius X Parish in Njube location. The Parish celebrated its 25th silver Jubilee anniversary on the 6th of September 2025. According to Mr Christian Ndlovu, the Parish Pastoral Council chairperson the Parish is composed of 16 Small Christian Communities.
The focus is on dialogue and sharing, not debate or formulating immediate conclusions.
The topic that was discussed in the listening circle during the session was: How is this journeying together happening in your local church (parish/archdiocese)?
After this exercise, Father Botha shared common mistakes that facilitators should avoid. These include:
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- Dominance and bias, by talking too much, driving a hidden agenda, reacting instead of adapting and modelling teaching behaviour instead of learning behaviour, denying members the chance to think freely.
- Poor management of group dynamics, by allowing dominators to take more than their share of time, ignoring quiet participants and ignoring conflict by allowing discussions to become personal, emotional or confrontational rather than focusing on the theme.
- Letting sub-groups disrupt by allowing side conversations or cliques to affect the team’s performance, losing focus and not managing time.
The next workshop will be on 18 July, focusing on spirituality, governance and mission, ahead of the closing of the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality, on 18 and 19 September 2026.