Golden Jubilee For Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference Humble Beginnings S tanding in Simon Muzenda Street and looking up at the imposing façade of Africa Synod House, home to the general secretariat of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC) it is all too easy to forget, or to be unaware of the humble beginnings of the Conference. As we celebrate the golden jubilee of ZCBC it is good to remember! When the hierarchy was established in Southern Rhodesia in 1955, it became the fifth Province of the church in Southern Africa and its bishops became members of The Southern African Bishops' Conference. Fourteen years were to pass before the Rhodesia Catholic Bishops' Conference was de jure fully recognized as a separate conference by an official decree of Propaganda Fide, dated 1 October 1969. The Conference is an association of the local Ordinaries (usually bishops) in the country which seeks to provide the Ordinaries with facilities for consultation and united action in all matters of common interest to the Church in the country. The founding members of the Conference were Archbishop Francis Markall SJ (Harare), and Bishops Aloysius Haene SMB (Gweru), Adolph Schmitt CMM (Bulawayo), Donal Lamont O.Carm (Mutare) and Ignatius Prieto SMI (Hwange). Bishop Haene was the first President of the Conference. Over the years the Conference grew with the establishment of the Prefecture of Chinhoyi (1974), the Dioceses of Gokwe (1991) and Masvingo (1999). Chinhoyi became a diocese in 1986. Initially, ten commissions were established: Theology; Seminaries, Formation, Clergy, Religious and Vocations; Missionary Endeavour; Catechesis; Liturgy; Communications; Justice & Peace; Education; Social Welfare; Lay Apostolate; Ecumenism, but several of these existed only in name. Just two, communications and education had any permanent staff. The conference was supported by a small secretariat of just three priests, 14