ST. ARNOLD JANSSEN STUDENT CENTRE

The Catholic Holy Mass is the greatest prayer and sacrifice we can experience. Jesus Christ speaks to us in his word and gives us his Body and Blood in the Eucharist. At most of our places we celebrate the Holy Mass weekly.

As students we keep some nice traditions within our Holy Mass. At the beginning of our celebration, we welcome visitors and those who come to our Mass for the first time. Before the biblical readings, we read the commentaries that explain their historical background and foreign words. When we have some religious items to be blessed (like rosary, medal, cross, picture, prayer book…), we put them on the altar while the Eucharist is being distributed and the priest blesses them afterwards. At the end of the Mass we congratulate to those whose birthday takes place that week and we bless them. We also pray for those who are sick or troubled in any way amongst us.
At every place we try to improve our liturgy step by step, so that it is celebrated in all its beauty and spiritual richness.

It is a tradition of the Catholic Church at colleges and universities to open each academic year with the special Holy Mass, to seek God’s guidance and blessing.

We call it Veni Sancte which means “Come, Holy One!” because during the Mass we ask the Holy Spirit to come and help us in the new academic year.
There is always a welcoming ritual for the newcomers and also for those who come back from their attachment. After the solemn Mass, we have a programme that helps us to socialize and enjoy together after long holidays.

If you want to understand the Holy Mass better, the Catechetical Mass is for you. All the Mass symbols, prayers, and procedures are explained step by step as the Mass proceeds.

Simple but rich commentaries reveal the history, reason, and spirituality of everything happening during each Roman Catholic Mass.

Usually we have the Catechetical Mass once or twice a year for each school.

We created an alternative to the popular all-night prayers. However, our Vigil is based on the Catholic experience and tradition, focused on deep prayer, and it is also human-friendly.

Misericordia means "mercy" in Latin and we organize the Misericordia Vigil before every exam period because we need God’s mercy, you know :-) It begins with Sacrament of Reconciliation and continues with a long solemn Holy Mass with commentaries, many biblical readings, testimonies, reading from the Sacred Tradition, intensive intercessions by every student, symbolical offertory, connection with all our patrons, relatives, and friends, including deceased ones, and blessing of the academic tools we use during exams.
After the midnight, we adore our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist, while we listen to a meditative reading of a whole book from the Bible. The Nocturno, as we call this special adoration, is concluded by an individual Eucharistic blessing given to everybody. And the exams can come...

The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise used as thanksgiving to God for a special blessings. We sing this hymn during the Mass marking the end of every academic year at a university or college.

We thank God for all that we learnt and we thank all those who served us during the year. With a bit of sorrow but also with hope we say goodbye to those who are leaving us for their attachments and those finishing the school. A small Te Deum afterparty gives us an opportunity to spend some more time together.

Usually the evening before their graduation ceremony, students come to thank the Lord together with their families and friends.

We celebrate the Holy Mass and then enjoy some time with the old friends and their family members, asking them a lot of questions about the academic afterlife.

The celebration includes blessing of their graduation gown and special prayers for them.

Those, who want to join the Catholic Church or start receiving the Holy Communion or get Confirmed, go through an initiation process.

Our Catechism Course provides the knowledge, our student community provides the place for skill practising, our liturgy provides the blessing needed during the process.

We follow the official Catholic Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and use the catechism book for young people Youcat. During the academic year, our Catechumens are publicly introduced, anointed, and spiritually supported.

Our catechism lessons are completed via whatsapp or by studying together once a week. All participants communicate in a whatsapp group and have their personal sponsors to help them.

If you wish to be baptised, confirmed, or received in the Catholic Church, if you wish to receive the First Holy Communion or just refresh and improve your spiritual life, join our course.

Our newcomers are our great treasure. And with their fresh sight, they can see what we overlook in our routine.

A month after joining us, we gather our part-one students to tell us their opinion on our activities and our behaviour. Their precious feedback helps us to improve our Student Centre and adjust our pastoral approach.

The second appraisal is organized after another three months.

Since the Sacrament of Reconciliation is recommended as a monthly practice, once a month we reconcile with our merciful God.

Our Penitential Service includes Bible reading, short talk, prayers for forgiveness of our collective sins, reconciliation sign, common examination of conscience, and individual confessions.

It takes place in all our student communities the last week of every month instead of their usual weekday Mass.

Once a year we offer a spiritual retreat to every student community and also to every spiritual group.

Retreat is a time to slow and quieten down for increasing of the sensitivity to the voice of the Lord and for reevaluating our daily life. A retreat theme and a spirituality of the organizing group affects the content of the retreat.

Often it includes talk, meditation, sharing, confession, Holy Mass, and adoration.

A committee or a team of students at particular school organizes regular sessions for Catholics on campus.

Sessions are facilitated by students or invited guests, weekly or daily. Usual content of a session consists of prayers, talks, socializing activities, and discussions.

At schools with more intakes per year or with students coming from their attachment in the middle of the year, there is this special celebration for welcoming those who join us.

Our priest is available for confession and counselling on every campus usually once a week.

Our priests offer confidential chat, spiritual and psychological counselling, Sacrament of Reconciliation.

A priest is ready to serve you a half an hour before every Holy Mass at all our places, and also during every Penitential Service, Misericordia Vigil, and Spiritual Retreat. If you need a special or longer time for your confession or counselling, call or app Kamilo 0778 940 351.

You can say your confession in any language you want. Don't be afraid, the priest is there to help and encourage you.

To adore Jesus in his humblest form heals our eyes and hearts and relationships. Gazing at the Eucharist, we experience how great is the love of our Lord.

At all our places we enjoy the Adoration 1-4 times per month. The Eucharistic Adoration is also included in every Penitential Service, Misericordia Vigil, and Spiritual Retreat.

We learn to share with one another our experience with God and our understanding of his word, while we share some time and food together.

Our sharing sessions are not yet regular but we are trying to establish them at monthly and weekly basis at most of our places. Sharing is also a part of the spiritual retreats and our pilgrimage.

A blessing is a proclamation that invokes the loving presence of God upon a place for flourishing according to God’s purpose. So we bless the rooms where we stay.

At the beginning of every academic year, the Room Blessing is done by our priests. It contains baptismal promises renewal, intercessions, blessing of entrance to the room, blessing of the cross, blessing of the place of prayer, sign of peace, and final blessing.

When our brother or sister gets sick, we don't let them down. Taking care of their spiritual and bodily needs is our honourable duty.

There are many issues to be discussed in a life of students. Topics related to our faith and future jobs, family and relationship problems, academic challenges...

Social media, namely Whatsapp and Facebook, make a useful communication platform for our student communities.

The student communities have their WhatsApp groups that serve for sharing and discussing relevant information.

Our WhatsApp broadcast service sends to every subscriber the weekly announcements and all the reminders and invitations to our events and activities.

And there is also our Facebook page that keeps the world informed on everything we do and plan with plenty of our photos, videos, and links.

  Visit our Facebook Page

A good opportunity to meet and mingle with the students from other institutions in the city. Socializing, games, sharing, and fun twice a year in the Central Park.

Every Saturday, we pray the Holy Rosary and so meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life together with his loving mother Mary.

During the Lenten season, usually on Fridays, we pray the Stations of the Cross to remind us the high price that was paid for our salvation.

The word of God is a great gift of the Church and we love it!
So, we come together to read and study the Holy Bible and the Holy Tradition.

We learn a dance or two and then just have fun together.

Latin and standard dances but also cultural, street, and disco we practise step by step.

Our Dance Night is introvert-friendly. The music is not too loud, you are not expected to be a professional dancer, nobody forces you to do anything, you can join only what you want or just watch.

Improvisation Games are based on improvisation which is a performance that has not been practised or planned.

They require high intelligence, great knowledge of the culture, very good language skills, and excellent people. And they bring those excellent people closer to each other, they bring improvement of those skills, and they bring a lot of high quality fun.

At the end we do the Impro Skit competition of small teams of friends.

Our Impro Night is introvert-friendly, nobody forces you to do anything. Come and play if you feel like playing or just sit and watch the show.

Our heavenly patron saint Arnold Janssen intercedes for us and gives us a great example and inspiration. Once a year we celebrate his feast.

After the solemn Eucharistic celebration, we enjoy some more time together, while we present prayers and poems of saint Arnold. The student communities from all the schools introduce themselves in a creative way. New projects are launched and some small competitions take place. A bit of socializing and fun is also a part of the day.

Pilgrimages make an interesting part of the Catholic spirituality. They help us to understand and live our life as a journey to the eternal Kingdom of Love, while we remember and follow those who walked there before us.

Old Bulawayo is that blessed place where the first Catholic mission in Matabeleland was established, to spread the Truth and Love amongst Ndebele people.

Once a year, during Lenten season, we walk to the Old Bulawayo pilgrimage site, praying for our conversion, forgiveness of sins, and strength to spread the Gospel.

The pilgrimage takes all day and consists of 19 km long walk with prayers, songs, meditations, and sharing.

Patron saints are chosen as special protectors and examples over areas of life or groups of people. Students have their patrons in heaven too.

Nine day before our patrons' feasts we pray novenas and on the day we celebrate the Holy Mass or at least gather together for a prayer.

Saints Tatiana of Rome, Thomas Aquinas, Gemma Galgani, Jerome, Ursula and others are the great support to us.

Show Complete List

Studying and celebrating the Word of God and enjoying some good Biblical workshops, competitions, and prayers once a year.

We love rich, joyful, and well prepared liturgy. So, we prepare our songs, dances, and readings in advance.

Occasionally we organize our own small singing course.

We collect shoes, clothes, and food for the poor. However, our most precious donation is our faith and our time that we share with orphans, old people, homeless, and the sick.

Playing card, board, or communication games and simple sport games helps us to know each other.

Usually we learn a new game and then just have fun together.

Our Games Night is introvert-friendly. The background music is not too loud, you are not expected to be a professional player, nobody forces you to do anything, you can join only what you want or just watch.

There are many nice films that can inspire us. We watch some Christian films but also cartoons, documentaries, comedies...

Twice a year we spend a whole day just dancing, singing, playing games and simple sports, having fun at the Mission House.

It is a nice time for those who cannot afford to go home during their semester break.

There is an adventure time to explore a new territory, get to know the nature, play some crazy outdoor games, roast some meat, dance around campfire, share stories, get new friends.

Once a year, in walkable distance from our places, introvert-friendly event for those who love fresh air.

While serving within a team, the members learn many new things, get some experience, enjoy quality time together, make friends. Team-Buildings are an essential part of that.

There is work to do and there are students who need a bit of cash. Some tiny jobs help them to earn few coins and improve their skills. A list of available jobs is regularly updated and students can arrange the best working time with their chaplain. The payment is 1 USD or its equivalent in Zimbabwean currency for 1 hour of work.

The money for this project comes from donations. If there are more students interested than finances available, this priority list applies:

Priorities of money use:

• Spiritual needs (Bible, Youcat, a prayer book, cross, rosary)
• Basic needs (food, medicine, rent, schools fees, traveling to school)
• Communication (phone, airtime)
• Professional (project, business, books)
• Cultural (funeral, holiday, birthday)
• Other purpose (that must be sinless)

The students come from all over Zimbabwe, so with every new intake we explore and visit some important and interesting places in the city.

We admire the diversity of the Church and support various spiritual groups that are active in Zimbabwe, for example Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Guild, Simon Peter the Apostle’s Guild, Guild of the Children of St. Mary, Sts. Alois and Agnes Guild, Catholic Youth Association, National Movement of Catholic Students, Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, Christian Life Community, Divine Word Disciples...

All the groups have their own activities and the members are encouraged to meet together every week. Everybody is free to join any of these groups.