Marondera, Zimbabwe

Bernard Mizeki, a native Mozambiquan, was an Anglican lay catechist in Rhodesia in the late 19th century. Although he was loved by local villagers and married to the daughter of the chief, he was martyred in 1896 during the First Chimurenga, or popular uprising. Today Mizeki is revered as the most prominent Anglican martyr of Southern Africa, and thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the site of his hut on the anniversary of his martyrdom, June 16.

For the 100th anniversary of his martyrdom, the festival attracted about 15,000 pilgrims, 60 of them from the Diocese of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts group was led and organized by our Rector, Titus Presler, and included Thomas Shaw, bishop of Massachusetts, members of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, youth from St. Augustine Ministries, members of many parishes, and 17 parishioners from St. Peter's. Besides attending the festival itself, the Massachusetts pilgrims stayed with Zimbabweans in both urban and rural settings, partaking of the worship and hospitality of our wonderful hosts.

These are pictures of a very small bit of the trip. Here Adrien and I are finishing the St. Peter's Banner for the festival procession which will start very soon.

This is the shrine.

And a couple of days later we had to pack up the tents to go on to stay with our host families.