The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
HUNDREDS of Catholics gathered at Hwange Colliery Stadium yesterday to welcome the new bishop for Hwange Diocese, Bishop Raphael Macebo Mabuza Ncube who was recently appointed by Pope Francis.
Bishop Ncube (47) had been a formator/lecturer at the national major seminary at Chishawasha in Harare before his appointment.
He takes over from Bishop Emeritus Jose Alberto Serrano Anton (79) who has retired after serving as Hwange Bishop since December 2006 when he took over from Archbishop Robert Ndlovu who had been transferred to the Archdiocese of Harare in June 2004.
A concencration Mass was held to welcome Bishop Ncube with the Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe His Grace Monsignor Paolo Rudelli and all Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference members in attendance.
Speaker after speaker congratulated Bishop Ncube while also encouraging him to take up the challenge with passion.
Speaking during the occasion, Bishop Ncube thanked Pope Francis for trusting him with the church’s Hwange diocese.
“I stand here to greet you. I want to thank Pope Francis for calling out my name in relation to this task and also thank the Apostolic Nuncio for his guidance and support from the day of my appointment up to today. I want to thank all members of the clergy for the support,” he said.
Chishawasha Rector Father Joseph Mugara said Bishop Ncube had left a legacy of commitment at the priestly training institution.
Archbishop Alex Thomas who heads the Archdiocese of Bulawayo described Bishop Ncube as a passionate clergyman.
“I would like to congratulate Bishop Ncube for accepting the challenge to carry this job and its cross. Be courageous.
He is passionate for the church and he will work for you, uzaliphakamisa,” said Archbishop Thomas.
His Archdiocese of Harare counterpart Archbishop Ndlovu who is ZCBC president said: “I hope you are going to add value with the experience you have gained. I would like on behalf of the conference to thank you for your dedication.”
The Apostolic Nuncio said Bishop Ncube was selected to be a minister in Hwange and carry on with the work that Bishop Serrano was doing.
Hwange Diocese was established as an Apostolic Prefecture in 1953 before being promoted to a diocese in 1963 and renamed from Diocese of Wankie to Diocese of Hwange in 1988.
Then it used to incorporate Gokwe which was separated in 1991 when Gokwe Diocese was established.
Hwange Diocese covers Hwange, Victoria Falls, Binga, and parts of Lupane north of Shabula River, with the other part falling under the Archdiocese of Bulawayo.
Bishop Ncube becomes the sixth bishop for the diocese since its formation in 1953 after Francesco Font Garcia, Domingo Ros Arraiza, Ignacio Prieto Vega (all late), Archbishop Ndlovu and Rev Serrano.
The church has significantly grown in Hwange from about 19 000 members in 1970, making 6.7 percent of the 290 000 of the whole administrative area where the diocese covers, to over 41 000, making 9,5 percent of the 433 000 population.
There are 26 parishes excluding outstations, 36 priests and close to 100 Sisters.
There are seven Catholic schools in the diocese.
Bishop Ncube was born in Nkayi on 4 October 1973. He entered the preparatory seminary of Mazowe between 1993 and 1994 and received his philosophical formation between 1994 and 1996.
From 1997 to 2000 he carried out his studies in theology in the National Seminary of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More and was ordained a priest on 3 February 2001.
He served as parish vicar and parish priest at Embakwe Mission in Mangwe District (2001-2003), rector of Saint Bernard’s Minor Seminary in Bulawayo (2003-2007), parish priest of Saint Bernard’s and Saint Adolph Ludigo, also in Bulawayo between 2004-2005.
He studied in Rome at the Pontifical Theological Faculty-Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum between 2008 and 2015 and was awarded a licentiate and doctorate.
He served as spiritual director of Saint Augustine’s Regional Major Seminary in Bulawayo and has been spiritual director of the National Seminary of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More in Chishawasha, Harare since 2015 until his appointment as Hwange Bishop.
He has written and published close to 40 books. — @ncubeleon
