“The evangelized has become the Evangelizer.” This is the summary of our missionary activity in N’nango, Mozambique. Southern Tanzania (south of the Rufiji River) received its first Benedictine missionaries around 1894 thanks to the tireless efforts of Fr. Maurus Hartmann OSB. Despite the many difficulties of that time, the Benedictine mission grew and grew. The visible results are the current three Catholic dioceses of Mtwara, Lindi, Tunduru-Masasi and, of course, of Ndanda Abbey.

Today Ndanda is no longer at the receiving end of the missionary chain. We have the personnel and the will to continue what our expatriate missionaries have accomplished in our area. The decision by the community in 2014 to open a Mission foundation in Mozambique marks the beginning of a long-time involvement in in that country. At the top of the “menu” is a small monastery where confreres base themselves. Thankfully, this is ready. The second on the menu are socially oriented projects in the health and education/training areas. These will go hand in hand with active pastoral work in the surrounding areas. Currently our brothers are already involved in two parishes.

While we do all these, the future of the mission/monastery must be given top priority. Its future will surely NOT depend on missionaries from Tanzania–however supportive they may remain to be. The growth and the stability of the mission will depend on the Mozambican people themselves. It is for this reason the recruitment of young people who are interested in monastic/missionary will remain the heart of this mission.