Communities

Communities

CP Congregation of the Passionists

The Congregation of the Passionist was founded by St. Paul of the Cross (born Paul Francis Danei, son of Luke Danei, on the 3rd of January 1694, in Ovada, Italy).

He founded the Congregation in the year 1720 in the Northern part of Italy. It was during his 40 days retreat that he felt God was calling him to start a Congregation, that’s then he gathered companions. He had a vision of himself wearing a black tunic which was by then regarded for the poor, and that is now the Passionist habit. The original name of the Congregation was initially ‘The Poor of Jesus’. Paul viewed the Passion as the greatest and most overwhelming love of God, it was the revelation of the love of God. This love of God is one of the most central figures to the Passionist because Passionist members vow the fourth vow, which is ‘to keep the memory of the Passion’, called Memoria Passionis, and it is at the heart of the Passionist life, charism as well as the spirituality.  This love of God was manifested in his preaching of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

In the year 1737 he came up with the first community of the Passionist in Monte Argentario in the Northern part of Rome, it was located on an island, because the aim was to be in a very isolated place and where they could find silence and solitude. Because of the need, he had to move to another place called the Maremma, where there were mosquitos and diseases, and because of this, it was seriously avoided by many clergy and religious people, and it was really for the poor. And it was for this reason that Paul went to teach the same people who were abandoned because they were uneducated and disadvantaged, to teach them about God’s love through the Passion of Christ.  He worked tirelessly in teaching the same people, in teaching them the catechism of the Church.

He developed a strong Passionist style of preaching. He faced some challenges to get his rules accepted by the Church. Fortunately after 20 years of persistence, he managed to start the Congregation, that was approved officially by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741. He died in the year 1775, at the age of 81, and by the time he died the Congregation was really flourishing. He was canonized by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1867 and his Feast day is on 19 October.

Today the Passionist have spread all over the world including Africa, and they continue his Mission proclaiming Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles but to those who are called the power of God and the wisdom of God, They do this in various ministries, which include education, retreat centres as well as Formation houses.

The history of the Passionist in Southern Africa began in 1930s when Irish Missionaries arrived in Botswana and then moved to South Africa. In Zambia they established a presence in 2006 in the Central Province, in Chibombo, where we have a Parish and a Postulancy house. Then in 2011, they expanded to Lusaka, setting up a philosophy house in Makeni. They form a Vice Province known as the Mother of Africa (MATAF), which include Botswana, South Africa and Zambia. This Vice province consist of 23 finally professed Passionist members, with Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Patrick Kumbani CP serving as the current Vice Provincial, residing in Botswana, where the Mother house is located. Additionally, we have four Theologians studying in Tanzania and seven philosophy candidates enrolled at St. Bonaventure University.