The Diocese of Mutare & The Carmelites in Zimbabwe - the Irish ...

Saint Kilian’s Mission: Founded 1925 – 1926.
The site for St. Kilian’s Mission, entailing 100 acres, was granted by the District Commissioner of Makoni to the
Mariannhill Fathers around 1926. Saint Kilian was an Irish priest who founded the church in Wurzburg in
Germany and it was the German Mariannhill Missionaries who choose the name of the Mission.
Brother Theophilus (Mariannhill) resided at St. Kilian’s Mission for some time and was replaced by Father
Hector, S.J during 1939. Father Hector did not have any transport and went about the area on horseback. Many
interesting and amusing stories are told about Father Hector, he called his horse ‘Bob’, constructed lots of ‘not so
good buildings’ with grass roofs which had cow-dung floors. He could not tolerate any form of frolicking by young
girls, many of them ended up at the mission doing penance!! He roamed the wide open spaces of Makoni on ‘Bob’
and spent very little time on the mission, he preferred the wide open spaces!! Father Francis Markall took over
from Father Hector for a short time but due to the shortage of personnel, the Jesuits handed St. Kilian’s over to
the Carmelites during 1948.
Father Ambrose Roche was assigned together with Father Luke Flynn to St. Kilian’s by the then Regular
Superior, Father D. Lamont. Again there are many interesting and amusing stories about Father Roche. He
insisted on the ‘regular life’ at St. Kilian’s with the reading of the ‘Imitation of Christ’ at meals. Barty McGivern
replaced Luke Flynn and again experienced the ‘regular life’ and chapter after chapter of the ‘Imitation’ until he
had enough of it!!!
Father Roche did have success at St. Kilian’s when he was successful in sinking a bore hole on the Mission,
something the Mariannhill and Jesuits did not succeed in doing. He had a great interest in everything African
and even wrote a grammar on the Shone language which was never published. Father Roche often neglected his
personal health in his zeal as a missionary.
St Benedict’s Mission: Founded 1913.
When the Prefecture of Umtali was established, Saint Benedict’s Mission belonged to the Diocese of Salisbury.
The Jesuits were reluctant to let it go because with Monte Cassino Mission only a mere twenty miles distance by
road and both Missions were regarded as forming the boundaries of the Salisbury Diocese. However after much
debating and soul searching it was decided to hand the mission over to the Prefecture of Umtali and retain Monte
Cassino for Salisbury.
Saint Benedict’s Mission was a well kept and well developed Mission. The Church was a magnificent structure,
German in design with a long slanting roof. The presbytery was well build and spacious with an excellent
verandah.
Father Otto, S.J. was the priest in charge at the time of the handing over of the mission. There were two
communities of Sisters at the Mission, the Precious Blood Sisters and the LCBL Sisters. The Mission was built on
a farm which in turn was on the boundary of the Weya-Chindambuya Communal Land.
Matthew Aherne, Cormac Kennedy and Elias O’Connell formed the first Carmelite Community at St.
Benedict’s. M. Aherne was the Priest in charge, C. Kennedy looked after the out-schools and Elias looked after
the farm and milling and became an expert in the Shona language. The people at St. Benedict’s became aware
that Matthew had a phobia about germs!! They would often imitate him shaking hands with people and then
wiping his hand with his scapular!!
Mount Melleray Mission: Founded 1945.
Having taken over Saint Kilian’s Mission and Saint Benedict’s Mission, Father Lamont now directed his
attention to Mount Melleray. Father Swift, S.J. was the Priest in charge at that time together with two or three
Dominican Sisters. Mount Melleray was a poor and impoverished place with very poor buildings and was a wind-
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