Rutendo Chirume
MASVINGO – Preparations are at an advanced stage for the priestly silver jubilee celebrations of Bishop Raymond Tapiwa Mupandasekwa of the Masvingo Diocese, scheduled for August 8 at St Patrick’s Mission, Gokomere.
The celebrations will mark 25 years since Bishop Mupa was ordained to the Catholic priesthood and are expected to draw clergy, religious leaders, government officials and hundreds of congregants from across the country.
A source familiar with the preparations told Mid-Week Watch that Vice President Rtd General Chiwenga is expected to attend the event. The source also said His Excellency Archbishop Janusz Stanisław Urbańczyk, the Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe and the Holy Sea’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, is also expected to grace the celebrations.
The silver jubilee is expected to celebrate Bishop Mupa’s 25 years of priestly ministry, during which he has served the Catholic Church in various pastoral and leadership roles before his appointment as Bishop of the Masvingo Diocese.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Mupa said this marks an important stage in his life which is evidence of how far he came.
“When I initially told my parents that I wanted to become a Catholic priest, there was no joy in the family, my parents went into a fight. My mother was happy but my father did not want to hear of it. I just had to do it as something I felt was a calling to serve God. The first year was not easy I missed my parents and would be homesick,” explained Mupa mentioning that it took faith and God’s grace that he has reached time to celebrate this important milestone.
The event is expected to include a thanksgiving Mass, prayers and speeches reflecting on Bishop Mupa’s contribution to the growth of the Catholic Church and community development in the diocese.
Organisers are expected to release the official programme and confirm the list of invited dignitaries ahead of the celebrations.
