Host Baking Machines for the Poor Clare Sisters in Zimbabwe

Eight sisters live in the convent of the Poor Clares in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, and another young woman is hoping to join them. They live a strict, enclosed life of prayer, penance, and especially Eucharistic adoration, in which they include the needs and concerns of the entire world, never leaving the enclosure except in cases of necessity, and imitating Christ in their life of profound poverty. “We entrust ourselves totally to divine providence,” the sisters explain. They live from whatever the faithful bring and additionally support themselves by producing altar breads, candles, and liturgical garments. These are tasks entirely suited to their contemplative lifestyle, since they can be done in prayerful silence. And they are performing a valuable service for the local Church, since the hosts in particular are needed in large numbers for the celebration of the Eucharist – the “source and summit” of the life of the Church. 

Baking and stamping the hosts is a precise and time-consuming work, requiring great care and delicacy of touch. The thin Eucharistic wafers must have exactly the right consistency so that they do not break. Nowadays, technical equipment simplifies many stages of the process; however, until now, the sisters in Harare had been using defective equipment, thereby making the work more painstaking and time-consuming, while the demand has increased. Each month, the sisters were producing between 80,000 and 100,000 small hosts for the faithful, and 6,000 larger hosts for the priests. But they were struggling to supply even this number and had to use twice as much material as was needed. Shortages in the parishes meant that hosts often had to be broken in two so all the faithful could receive Communion.  

And so the Poor Clares in Harare turned to ACN for help, given the urgent need for modern equipment to meet growing demand – and yet another diocese needs hosts. 

Thanks as always to the unfailing generosity of our donors, we were able to provide $19,295 for their new equipment. And now, the machinery has arrived safely, bringing great joy to the sisters.  

So now, they have written to thank us: “We don‘t know how to thank you and your benefactors for providing us with these ‘five loaves and two fishes’ (Jn 6), so that we now have everything we need. May God bless you all and reward you many times over for your generosity. As you can see from the photos, we are now using the new machines, even though we are still in the process of fully mastering them. The quality of our products is greatly appreciated by all those who are supporting us by purchasing them. We are praying for you and are immensely grateful to you!” 

Will you join us in helping them?

Code: 144-05-39