Having sent another priest for further studies I am now officially acting as the parish priest of the Cathedral (which is now being served by two part-time people!). This means among other things that my Sundays are - as far as possible - at the service of the Cathedral and the outstations.
One of them is St Gabriel (Moneni). We still remember the very first visit. It was in March 2014. I decided to visit the outstations in the diocese starting from the Cathedral.
On a Saturday afternoon Fr Ndwandwe took me to two outstations to learn the way for Sunday and added: "there is another one but we do not have time today". I replied it was not a problem because sooner or later I would visit them all.
That was my reasoning. It was not theirs.
Once they knew I would be doing those two outstations they phoned me on Sunday at 7 am to let me know I should celebrate Mass with them too on that very day.
I tried my best to use every possible "logical" reason ... "Do not worry, I will visit you" ... "I could not see yesterday where you are" ... "I do not know the place".
That final one was the least useful. The answer was: "Do not worry Bishop, someone is on the way. She will lead you here. We are all waiting for you".
So it was. Few minutes' later I was starting Mass at St Gabriel. We never forgot the story and we still laugh about it.
Now it is different. I will be there every month. They know that and they are reminding me about the need to build a proper church. "It should be a mini-Cathedral being the bishop the one in charge". I am afraid to say anything. Knowing them, anything is possible!
