A Lenten Appeal 2026...Chiweshe, Zimbabwe...

Our Br Phillip CSsR took his final vows with 5 other confreres last November. He is now devoting all his time to a ministry that is vital but not readily supported. In a recent letter to the Provincial Superior, Fr Richard CSsR, he shared,

"I want to share something close to my heart. I carry a deep dream to support vulnerable children and youth in Chiweshe. Seeing their situation has convinced me this is a calling to be part of restoring hope, dignity, and a future for them through education and support.  

As RDO, we are still struggling to gain recognition and trust from international donors mainly because we have not yet implemented visible projects on the ground. This has really challenged me to start from what we have and where we are. To respond to this, I have identified 25 vulnerable children in Chiweshe, and with the help of a local well-wisher, I have managed to secure school fees and other basic needs for the whole of 2026. I am still writing proposals and meeting individuals who are willing to support this mission, step by step.

I humbly ask for your help in sharing my appeal letter and this dream with colleagues, friends, and others who may be willing to support this noble cause. I remain committed to transparency and accountability, and I will gladly share updates and reports as the work progresses if needed.  I am doing this so that RDO can gain recognition and eventually partner with other organisations worldwide to expand this impact.

Thank you Father for your continued guidance and support. I truly believe this work can change lives, and with your help in spreading this dream, we can give these children a future filled with hope and dignity.  Please keep me in your prayers."

Br Phillip CSsR has written a formal letter which can be found below. If you are able to help in any well, money, prayers, then find the details below. If you have any questions Fr Provincial will happily answer them, his email is

God bless you!

To read in full click here 

A Papal reflection for this Holy Season of Lent...

Dear brothers and sisters,

Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.

Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about. For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled.

Listening

This year, I would first like to consider the importance of making room for the word through listening. The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone.

In revealing himself to Moses in the burning bush, God himself teaches us that listening is one of his defining characteristics: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). Hearing the cry of the oppressed is the beginning of a story of liberation in which the Lord calls Moses, sending him to open a path of salvation for his children who have been reduced to slavery.

Our God is one who seeks to involve us. Even today he shares with us what is in his heart. Because of this, listening to the word in the liturgy teaches us to listen to the truth of reality. In the midst of the many voices present in our personal lives and in society, Sacred Scripture helps us to recognize and respond to the cry of those who are anguished and suffering. In order to foster this inner openness to listening, we must allow God to teach us how to listen as he does. We must recognize that “the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.”

Fasting

If Lent is a time for listening, fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor.

Read more: A Papal reflection for this Holy Season of Lent...

Ash Wednesday 2026... and so Lent begins...

What are you doing for Lent...?

Congratulations to our Confrere Bishop Mupa CSsR...

The Bishops of the Zimbabwean Bishops' Conference (ZCBC) has just announced that they now has a new Executive with the service of Leadership.

The President of the ZCBC is our confrere, the

Rt Rev'd Bishop Raymond Mupa CSsR.

We offer him our ongoing prayers and strong fraternal affection.

MAKOROKOTO - CONGRATULATIONS.

His home Diocese of Masvingo offer their congratulations to Bishop Raymond CSsR.

A Trilogy on Alphonsian Spirituality...

 

Scala News joyfully presents the publications of Fr. Denis Billy’s recent trilogy on the spirituality of St. Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)

Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R. recently completed a brief trilogy on Alphonsian spirituality. Three years in the making, it is addressed to the entire Redemptorist family but dedicated to the Redemptorist Partners in Mission (PIM). Fr. Billy did this because PIM is an integral part of the Redemptorist identity, purpose, and mission and, in many ways, represents much of the future of the Redemptorist apostolate. Ever since the Vatican Council, the laity have been encouraged to assume a more active role in the Church’s mission of spreading the Gospel message. The rapid rise of the various Lay Ecclesial Movements represents one lay response to this invitation. PIM is another such response, one that shares in Alphonsus’s vision of preaching the Gospel to the poor and most abandoned.

The books are relatively brief, about 100 pages each, and seek to convey in a popular, easily accessible style some of the main currents of the animating spirit behind Alphonsus’s evangelizing mission. They were inspired by that moment in Alphonsus’s life when, after losing an important legal battle, he went into seclusion and, after days of serious reflection and soul searching, went to the Church of Our Lady of Ransom in Naples, knelt before the altar of Our Lady of Mercy, drew his nobleman’s sword, laid it Our Lady’s feet, and dedicated himself to serving her for the rest of his life as a priest.

Read more: A Trilogy on Alphonsian Spirituality...