Thread by @Chinamasa_PA

On Saturday 4 November 2021, I was Guest of Honour at belated Jubilee (50years) Celebrations of Sister Anatoria Immaculate Mvere as a Catholic Nun. Belated because the 50 years were reached last year but given the Covid 19 Lockdown Measures the celebrations couldn't be held then

The event kicked off with Mass celebrated by Fr Nyama at St Simon Stock Church Rusape. Food & testimonials were done at Crocodile Motel which is to your left immediately you cross Rusape river as you travel Harare to Mutare.Attendees were mainly from the extended Mvere family..

Vazukuru, Vakoma, Vanin'na, Vanasekuru, Vakwambo/Vakwasha, Varoora, Vawakidzani, Hanzvadzi, the St Simon Stock Catholic Community. Sister Mvere whose totem is Mheta Chikata Sawunyama (i.e. water python) was born Anatoria Mvere on 6 January 1950 in Chiendambuya, Makoni District,

... went to school at Chingozi Primary School @ at 15 years she expressed her desire to answer God’s call to become a Catholic Nun. She passed through the various stages Postulate (1964-1968) & then Novitiate 1969-1970) after which she took vows to become a Catholic nun.

She assumed the name Sister Immaculate. Sr Mvere trained as a Primary School teacher at St Theresa Mission (1971-1972) just outside Rusape & served as teacher at various Catholic Schools in Manicaland including St Barbara’s & St Peter’s.

She took her Final Vows (i.e the 3 vows of Chastity Obedience & Poverty) to remain nun for life in 1979. She became responsible for initiating new entrants into her Catholic Carmelite Order of Nuns of Mt Carmel. Thereafter she was sent to Zambia for further training (1982-1985)

She was elected Mother/Superior General of the Carmelite Nuns in Mutare Catholic Diocese (1989-2001). She went to study for a Diploma & then a Masters degree in Applied Spirituality in Dublin, Ireland (2001-2004).

Since her semi retirement at the Carmelite convent in Rusape she has kept herself busy conducting retreats for nuns, priests & the laity (i.e.vatenderi) to enhance their spiritual relationship with Christ Jesus.

Over the period from 1970 to date Sister Mvere’s paths & mine crossed significantly on 3 occasions:1970-1972 then a law student I helped transport to St Barbra’s Mission School the Tangwena Children just made homeless after the Smith regime ruthlessly burnt down the homes,

... granaries of Tangwena Villagers after they resisted eviction from their ancestral lands. Cattle were confiscated & auctioned to white farmers. The hapless Tangwena Community was made to wonder in the forested mountainous terrain.

The more youthful crossed the border into Mozambique to join Zanla guerrilla liberation fighters.Sister Mvere was at that time resident at St Barbara’s & she remembered the scores of pupils I accompanied to the school.

For the record at the behest of Cde Didymus Mutasa then head of Cold Comfort Society I dispatched the Tangwena Children separated from their parents to various Mission Schools amongst them St Barbara’s, Triashill, St Faith, Toriro, Epworth & St Michael’s Mhondoro.

Infact my first foray into Mhondoro Communal Land was to take some Tangwena boys & girls to this school. From 2013 I interacted with Sister Mvere when she was organiser of the annual Catholic Diocese pilgrimages to the Catholic shrine a few kilometres south of Triashill Mission.

On one or two occasions I collaborated with her to make the annual pilgrimages a success.

Thirdly when she located to St Simon Stock Convent Rusape I had more occasions to interact with her in her work to meet the spiritual needs of the people as well as working on programmes of poverty alleviation.

In her address thanking attendees to her Jubilee Celebration 3 profound points stuck out: in life we must be followers of light not darkness; we must always strive to forge life giving relationships & finally our mission in life should always be bhora mberi, bhora mugedhi.

I say to Sister Mvere thank you for staying faithful to your vows & to Christ .I wish you many more years in the service of the Lord to look after his flock.