50th Jubilee

The Celebration for our Monastic Members:

We kicked off our 50^th year jubilee celebration on June 1^st in Peramhio. It was here that our first brothers and sisters began their spiritual journey, and it is where we continue to strengthen our own spirituality. Our monastic members attended seminars and listened to speakers on how to further advance our own spirituality and to reflect on how we have been blessed by God over the past 50 years. Throughout the remainder of the year we will continue to host seminars and speakers to help us evaluate our spirituality and goals for the years to come.

The Celebration for our Guests:

As part of our dedication to hospitality we are inviting many people to come help share in our celebrations. We are expecting many of our friends, benefactors, and government officials to come and join us for this special occasion. The official celebration will be on August 20th, 2008, where we will have a mass, followed by a large feast, and hear speeches on Hanga’s history. Alongside these festivities we are arranging to have local villagers come and perform traditional African dances throughout the day. For those that are unable to celebrate with us on August 20th, we invite you to come and join us at anytime throughout the year to join us in this year long celebration.

A brief history on how we became a monastery 50 years ago:

In 1888 the Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien Congregation began their missionary work for the whole Southern part of the present Tanzania. At this time several African young men and women aspired to join this Benedictine way of life. For several years the Benedictine Missionaries were not prepared to admit them and hesitated and “did not know what to do with them,” (Archabbot Chrysostomus, 1948).

During the First World War many of the German Benedictine Missionaries were sent home by the English Government. At this time the men and women who were interested in joining the Benedictines were struggling to find refuge. In 1922, when the non German Benedictine Missionaries came back to Tanzania, six female aspirants were allowed to begin their initial formations. When the German Benedictines came back in 1926, the women were admitted and invested as religious oblates. The male aspirants were also admitted as religious candidates and seminarians.

In 1940 the religious candidates and seminarians who had only been admitted as oblates, began to ask to be able to become full Benedictines. In 1945 the lay aspirants were being admitted as Benedictine oblate brothers and lived at Peramiho. In 1948 the Archabbot of the missionaries, the Right Rev. Chrysostomus, OSB, called together the African Clerics, “to answer their very old aspiration to become full Benedictines.” He praised their aspirations, but argued that these individuals be allowed to create a separate African Benedictine Congregation. From 1948-1954 the Missionary Rector prepared the members to fulfil this vision and in 1954 he announced he had 10 clerical aspirants.

In 1955 the new and young Abbot Bishop Eberhard Spiess, OSB asked for and got permission from the Holy See to start a separate African Benedictine Congregation. On July 15^th 1957, with four Novices, he reported the successful creation to Rome. It has now been 50 years since the foundation and our celebration ahs been ongoing throughout the year. Our climax will be held on August 20^th, 2008, when it will be the 50^th year of monastic profession for our first four members.

For any questions regarding our 50th Jubilee or inquires about visiting Hanga please contact our Guest Manger:

Br. Kizito OSB

Email: kndunguru@yahoo.com

Tel: (+255) 0784-680414