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ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN VIKINDU

JESUS TOWN

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, He has anointed me to preach the Good News to the Poor”

(Lk 4/18)

St. Vincent De Paul (1581-1660)

St. Vincent De Paul, born at Pouy in southern France in 1581, succeeded in giving concrete expression to the merciful love of the Lord.  “faith without deeds is useless” (Jas 2/20).  The vision he offers his followers is the vision of Christ not as a teacher, nor as a healer but as the evangelizer of the poor by proclaiming liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, release to the prisoners, and to announce a year of favour from the Lord – to work for the integral development of the human being.  That is why he became an inspiring presence of his time that awakened the conscience of humanity.  St. Vincent De Paul left indelible marks of Christian values in the history of 17^th century France.  He could command respect from even those who rose up in revolution against the Church and the state alike.

St. Vincent De Paul was declared the patron saint of charitable works in the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1833.  Pope John Paul II described him “a man of action and prayer; a man of administration and imagination; a man of leadership and humility; a man of yesterday and today.”

He inspired many generations to be effective witnesses to the merciful love of the Lord and continues to be so.  It was under the influence of this great saint that the Vincentian Congregation was started in Kerala, India in 1904, by Very Rev Fr. Varkey Kattarath of venerable memory.  The Congregation has more than 550 members in three different provinces.  The members focus their energy mainly in preaching the good news to the poor in the mission fields of India and East Africa. 

Vincentian House

Jesus Town, Vikindu is the spiritual fruit of Fr. Bill's preaching ministry.  Vikindu is an underdeveloped village in Mukranga distrist on Kilwa Rd in the cost region of Tanzania. It is about 35 kms from the capital city Dar Es Salaam. Mr. Joseph Mutahangarwa, a retired Captain, donated 8 acres of land at Vikindu to develop a retreat centre.  The name Jesus Town was chosen as Pope John Paul 11 proclaimed the year 1977 as Jesus Year in preparation for the great Jubilee year 2000.   The Vincentian House was canonically established in May 1998 and was formally blessed  on March 18, 1999 by His Eminence, Palycarp Cardinal Pengo, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dar Es Salaam.

                                            Vincentian House

The Late Fr Bill

                                                                 Vincentian Farm

                                         Fathers from St. Vincent De Paul

St.Vincent De Paul Parish, Vikindu,

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Vikindu was one of the outstations of Mukranga Parish.  It was declared a Parish in Jan 200l and entrusted to the Vincentians in the same year.  Daily Mass for the faithful was being conducted in the private chapel of the Vincentian House.  A sudden increase in the number of attendants for mass necessitated the construction of a church.  Again, Fr. Bill’s encouraging words and deeds were quite visible and tangible in the construction of the church. It was consecrated by H.E. Polycarp Cardinal Pengo on Sept 26, 2006.  Institutions of Vincentian Sisters, CMC sisters and the newly constructed imposing new parish church make Jesus Town more attractive.

                      Vikindu Catholic Church

                                                     Vikindu - Sunday Mass



                          Old Vikindu Church at Mrs Josephine Mutahangarwa (Bibi Jeshi)

The plan of starting a Renewal Centre for the spiritual upliftment of the people of Dar Es Salaam had been in his mind for a long time. The year 2008, being the sacerdotal golden jubilee of Fr. Bill, was proposed as the right year to fulfill his dream. After one week of a retreat for the priests and religious at Mbagala Spritual Centre, Dar Es Salaam, he came to Vikindu on 2^nd of March, 2008.  After the solemn mass in the parish church, he blessed the foundation stone for the proposed Renewal Centre at Vikindu in the presence of hundreds of well-wishers and friends.  He was quite verbose about the centre, giving full hope to the faithful that the centre will be ready by the end of the same year…But he left us, giving us the responsibility of fulfilling his dream.

The Late Fr. Bill blessed the foundation stone for the proposed Renewal Centre at Jesus Town, Vikindu

 

Kardinali Pengo na Mji wa Yesu

  

Kardinali Pengo

HIVI karibuni, Askofu Mkuu wa Jimbo Kuu Katoliki la Dar es Salaam, Mwadhama Polycarp Kardinali Pengo aliweka jiwe la msingi  kuruhusu ujenzi wa Kanisa katika Parokia ya Vikindu, Jimbo Kuu Katoliki laDar es Salaam. 

Kanisa hilo linalotarajiwa kuchukua waamini 400, linajengwa katika eneo liitwalo Mji wa Yesu (Jesus Town), baada ya Parokia hiyo kukosa kanisa la kuendeshea ibada zake kwa muda mrefu.

Kwa wakati wote huo, ibada zilikuwa zikifanyika katika banda bovu lililotishia usalama wa maisha ya waamini.

 

 

Kanisa la Zamani

Parokia ya Vikindu ilianzishwa na Mkristo mmoja Bw. Joseph Namiva kutoka Jimbo Katoliki la Zanzibar, mwaka 1960. Wakati huo ikiwa kama jumuiya ndogondogo na imekuwa ikiendelea kupata waamini hadi ilipotajwa kuwa kigango.

Kutokana na ongezeko la waamini aliyekuwa Askofu Mkuu wa Jimbo la Dar es Salaam, Marehemu Mwadhama Laurian Kardnali Rugambwa, mwaka 1969, alilitaja eneo hilo la Vikindu kuwa kigango.

 

Mwadhama Laurian Kardnali Rugambwa

Historia ya Parokia hiyo imechangiwa na watu mbalimbali lakini wanaokumbukwa sana ni Bw. Joseph Mutahagarwa, Captain mstaafu ambae ni mtoto wa Bibi Josephine Mutahangarwa, mwaka 1980 alitoa zaidi ya ekari kumi za eneo lake kwa ajili ya matumizi ya Parokia.

Kisha, mwaka 1996, akatoa nyingine 8 kwa Shirika la Mtakatifu Vincent wa Paulo na Bw. Joseph Namiva aliyeanzisha jumuiya miaka ya nyuma.

Mapadre wa Shirika la Mtakatifu Vincent wa Paulo kutoka Karela nchini India walifika katika eneo hilo la Vikindu mwaka 1997 kuanza mara moja, kazi ya kichungaji na mara moja waliliita eneo hilo kuwa ni Mji wa Yesu (Jesus Town) kutokana na mandhari yake ya kuvutia.,

Ilikuwa ni sehemu ambayo imekwa ikipambwa kwa miti mifupi na majani mafupi na kusudio lao la kulifanya eneo hilo kuwa la miradi mingi ya kutoa huduma kwa jamii kiroho na kimwili.

Kibao kilichowekwa katika eneo hilo lililotulia likiwa na upepo mzuri kilichoandikwa kwa herufi kubwa (Jesus Town) kinakujulisha moja kwa moja eneo hilo. 

Jina hilo sasa si geni miongoni mwa wakazi wa eneo hilo, hata kwa wale wanaosafiri kwa basi kuelekea kusini mwa nchi.

Awali kabla ya kufanywa Parokia, ilikuwa chini ya Parokia Katoliki ya Mbagala Zakhem. Mchango mkubwa uliotolewa na Paroko wa Parokia ya Mkuranga Padre Patric (SDS), umeiwezesha Parokia hiyo kuweka msingi kwa hatua ya awali.

Lakini, Mwadhama Kardinali Polycarp Pengo,akiizindua Januari 21 mwaka 2001, Parokia hiyo haikuwa na kanisa la kudumu. Ilikabidhiwa kwa Mapadre hao wa Shirika la Mtakatifu Vincent wa Paulo ambao walishirikiana vema na Paroko wa Parokia ya Mkuranga.

 Parokia hiyo hadi sasa ina vigango saba (7).

 “ Shida iliyopo hapa ni waamini, wapo wachache sana ni karibu familia 50 za Kikristo, wanaonesha moyo wa ushirikiano tatizo wengi wao wana kipato kidogo,” alisema Paroko.

Kituo hicho kinachotoa huduma kwa wajawazito, watoto na huduma nyingine za afya, kilizinduliwa na Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa na kubarikiwa na Kardinali Pengo Agosti  21, 2002.  Kardinali Pengo aliweka jiwe la msingi kituoni hapo Agosti 21, 2001.

Paroko huyo alisema hata hivyo hali ya utulivu iliyopo nchini inatosha kuleta maendeleo kwa vile ni tofauti na kwao (India) ambapo kuna mapigano ya hapa na pale ya Kanisa Katoliki.

“Utulivu na ushirikiano kati ya madhehebu unatosha kuendeleza kazi ya kichungaji, tunashirikiana vizuri na Serikali na madhebu mengine ya kidini.”alisema.

Mashirika mengine yaliyofika na kuanzisha makazi yao ni pamoja na Shirika la Kitawa la Masista wa Mtakatifu Vincent wa Paulo kutoka Austria waliofika Vikindu mwaka 2000. Watawa hao tayari wamejenga kituo cha afya nashule ya awali.

Paroko Padre Jemes alisema, eneo hilo hata hivyo siyo la Shirika moja tu la bali wanajitahidi kuyahimiza mashirika mengine yafike na kuanzisha makao yao. “ Huku siyo pabaya tunashukuru kuwa Serika imejenga barabara nzuri;… lakini kama ingejenga barabara za kuelekea vijijini ndani zaidi nadhani maendeleo yangekuwa makubwa zaidi”.

Shirika lingine lililoweka makao yake ni lile na Masista wa Mama wa Karmeli kutoka nchini India waliofika Vikindu mwaka 2001 amabao tayari wamejenga makazi yao na nyumba ya malezi ya kwa ajili ya wasichana katika eneo walilopewa na Familia ya Bibi Josephine Mutahangarwa. Eneo hilo ndilo kulikuwepo na Kanisa la zamani la udongo na pia ndio kuna makaburi ya Parokia. Makazi hayo yamezinduliwa hivi karibuni.

 

  

Bibi Josephine Mutahangarwa (Bibi Jeshi)  

 

 

Masista wa Camel mwaka 2010 june

 

   

Masista wa Camel

 

 

Nyumba ya Malezi ya Masista wa Camel

Akiweka jiwe la msingi hivi karibuni, Kardinal Pengo alimtaja Msimamizi wa Parokia hiyo Mtakatifu Vincent wa Paulo kuwa alipenda kuishi maisha ya kimasikini na kuwasaidia fukara, pia alipendelea zaidi kuwalea mapadre katika hali hiyo. “Maana ya ufukara wa Mt. Vincent alikuwa na nia ya kuwahubiria masikini habari njema,” alisema.

Alisema mara nyingi mafukara wamekuwa wakijiona kama kwamba hawana mchango wowote mbele ya jamii na kwa Mwenyezi Mungu ndiyo maana Mtakatifu huyo aliona haja ya kuwa karibu na kundi hilo la mafukara ili watambue mchango na umuhimu wao.

“ Kuwasaidia masikini ni wajibu wetu sisi tulio katika hali nafuu,” alisema Kardinal Pengo.

Alifafanua kuwa, jukumu la kuwasadia wanyonge, maskini na fukara ni la kila mmoja na kwa wakati wake.

 “Mwenye uwezo asiridhike kukaa katika hekalu la Bwana, bali wenye uwezo na mafukara tunapata faraja kwa Mungu,” alisema. Akaongeza, “Mtu asiseme kuwa kama nisingalikuwa mimi Kanisa lisingalikuwapo, bali sote tuna hadhi sawa mbele ya Mungu”

Kardinal Pengo alisisitiza kuwa Kanisa siyo mahali ambapo fukara wanajiona kuwa hawawezi kukaa hivyo kusukumizwa pembeni, bali fukara na tajiri wana uwezo sawa mbele ya Mungu.

Kamati ya harembee ya kuchangia ujenzi wa Kanisa hilo ikiongozwa na Mbunge wa CCM Viti Maalum, Bibi Janeth Kahama ambae ni mtoto wa Bibi Josephine Mutahangarwa, Brigedia Msitaafu Jerali Francis Mbena, Katibu wa Parokia, Luten Mstaaf Mgaya, Bw. Peter Macha, na wajumbe mbalimbali  walipata shilingi milioni nane 8 ambapo michango ya papo kwa papo ilipatikana shilingi laki tano 5.

          

                                            Hon. Janet Bina Kahama

Jengo hilo litakaloweza kuchukua waamini 400 litagharimu kiasi cha shilingi milion 155.

Kardinali Pengo aliwatia moyo waamini wa Parokia hiyo kuwa, “Msione aibu kuitwa ombaomba sisi sote ni ombaomba".