Ordination of the new bishop of Gweru
The main consecrant was Bishop Michael Bhasera, assisted by Archbishop Robert C Ndlovu of Harare and Bishop Martin Munyanyi, retired bishop of Gweru, now almost blind. Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha was representing the South African Catholic Bishops Conference.
Many priests were attending, mostly locally born, reflecting the composition of the prepsbyterate of this young church: the number of foreign-born priests is dwindling, and they are mostly elderly.
Msgr Xavier Munyongani is 62 years old. He said that he was born in the Diocese of Gweru, ordained a priest in Gweru where he served his early years as a priest. Later he became a priest of Masvingo Diocese when it was split from Gweru. He was a lecturer of liturgy at Chishawasha Regional Seminary and vice-rector for many years. More recently he served as a “roving parish priest” for the Zimbabwean Catholics in the United Kingdom, based in London. A number of his UK ‘parishioners’ were present.
He is renowned as a powerful preacher. After Bishops ALois Haene SMB, Tobias Chiginya, Francis Mugadzi, Martin Munyanyi, he is now the fifth bishop of Gweru.