Roman Catholic Church Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers (Marist Brothers of the Schools) is an international religious community of more than 4,000 Roman Catholic Brothers dedicated to the education of young people, especially those most neglected. The order was founded in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest as a way of combating…
Roman Catholic Church Kutama Mission Jesuit Jean-Baptiste (John) Loubiere, with his assistant Joseph Dambaza, are credited with the founding of Kutama Mission, located near Norton, approximately 80 km southwest of Salisbury (Harare). Father Loubiere named it Kutama after his first convert the chief. The mission began as an outstation of Chishawasha Mission. Cassiano Ushewokunze, who…
Webb, Low & Barry Bulawayo In 1897 Rhodesia Railways asked one of Cape Town’s top lawyers Mr Webb to come to Bulawayo to open Bulawayo’s first legal firm. Webb quickly established a firm which provided top quality legal services to the fledgling colony. Webb soon invited Henry Low, another lawyer practicing in South Africa, to…
Methodist Episcopal Church Mtoko Mission Mtoko (Mutoko) Mission, located approximately 65 km north of Mrewa (Murewa) in Mashonaland East Province, was founded by Dr. Samuel Gurney of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) in 1911. The Mutoko area had a large population and Dr. Gurney saw it “as a way to move on from there…
Churches of Christ Central Africa Mission Evangelistic Literature Service Begun in 1965, the Central African Mission Evangelistic Literature Service (CAMELS) is Churches in Christ mission publishing house located in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. CAMELS supports the education efforts of both Zimbabwe Christian College and the greater evangelical efforts in southern Africa by publishing songbooks, lesson materials, religious…
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe The Church of Sweden became an independent church in 1963 as the Evangelical Lutheran Church now known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ). As such, it took over administration of all work (including the missions) previously directed by CSM. Jonas Shiri was consecrated as the first African…
Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Hwange The Prefecture of Wankie was cut off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Salisbury and Apostolic Vicariate Bulawayo and was erected on 29 June 1953 and confided to the Fathers of the Spanish Mission Institute (SMI). On 1 March 1963, the Prefecture of Hwange became a Diocese. On 3 July…
Dutch Reformed Church Margaretha Hugo School for the Blind The Margaretha Hugo School for the Blind (commonly known as Copata School for the Blind) had its origins when the parents of a blind boy approached Dutch Reformed Church missionary Reverend Hugo at Chibi Mission for help. Rev. Hugo asked his wife, Margaretha, to look after…
Dutch Reformed Church Zimuto Mission African evangelist from the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) first entered the area of what would become Zimuto Mission in the 1870-80’s, but it was the Berlin Missionary Society (BMS) that opened Zimuto Mission in 1904, 15-20 km north of Fort Victoria (Masvingo). BMS transferred control of Zimuto to the DRC…
Howard Institute Howard Hospital A medical clinic with 15 beds was established at Howard Institute in 1928 by Adjutant Agatha Battersby, who had prior experience running a dispensary in South Africa. By 1930, under the leadership of S.R.N Mary I. Ryan, the clinic was treating nearly 2,000 out-patients. In 1939, Adjutant Isabel Sloman began a…
