The diocese of Manzini was born out of the service of evangelization done by the Order of the Servants of Mary who arrived in Swaziland in 1914.
Today we are blessed by the presence of a good number of diocesan priests and of eight religious communities:
- Consolata Missionaries
- Mantellate Sisters
- Missionaries of St Francis de Sales
- Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians
- Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Order of the Servants of Mary
- Salesians of Don Bosco
- Servite Sisters of Swaziland
Just a few days' ago Pope Francis said: "Consecrated life is a gift to the Church, it is born in the Church, it grows in the Church and is altogether oriented to the Church (...) It is for the Bishops to receive it with joy and gratitude, showing to it benevolence, paternity and solicitous love"
Last 08 November I invited delegates from each one of these religious communities to a meeting at the bishop's house to thank them for their presence and service in our diocese but also to make a proposal...
Years' ago, during the service of my predecessor - Bishop Louis Ncamiso Ndlovu OSM - religious used to come together regularly as diocesan priests would do (I must confess though that only at this meeting I came to discover that it was only the "female" religious communities who would do so). For some reason it is not happening now but I believe there is a real need to do so.
We need religious sisters, brothers and priests to help us all deepen in their own identity (as consecrated life) which goes "beyond" the specific service each community is offering. They also need to help each other do so as so many times their time and energies are spent in the service to others.
They all welcomed the idea sharing on experiences of the past and others being done in other dioceses around the world.
Two religious were then chosen by them to lead the process: a representative from the female religious and a representative from the male ones.
Two religious were then chosen by them to lead the process: a representative from the female religious and a representative from the male ones.
We pray for their journey ahead:
Guided by the Holy Spirit,
may religious communities
continue to be sacred places
where the mystery of the human
touches the divine mystery.
Mary, Star of the New Evangelisation,
grant all a prophet’s voice
to wake up the world
with the Gospel of life,
reawakening in the hearts of
many the longing for God.
AMEN
(Prepared by the Office for Religious, Archdiocese of Dublin,
Day of Consecrated Life 2015)
