Monastery of Christ the Word
In 1996 Archbishop Chakaipa and the Zimbabwean bishops invited the Ampleforth commmunity to establish a monastery in Zimbabwe so that they could bring a monastic, religious presence to the country. Thus the Monastery of Christ the Word was founded at Macheke in the Archdiocese of Harare.
The work of the monks was not to run schools or parishes but through regular monastic life to be a centre of prayer and renewal in Zimbabwe. The monastic community was to be a living witness in a culture far removed from North Yorkshire.
Today, there are four Ampleforth monks and one Zimbabwean novice living in the monastery, visited annually by the Abbot of Ampleforth.