Faith and Encounter Centre Zambia (shortened as FENZA) is a pastoral centre devoted to faiths and cultures in Zambia. It is based in Lusaka. FENZA is a project of the Missionaries of Africa or White Fathers. It was established in 2007 with the backing of the catholic Bishops of Zambia. It was created in the wake of the first African Synod to help the Church in Zambia to respond to the new evangelisation with regards to culture and to foster the Church’s mission to others. Inspired by the first African Synod call for an in-depth evangelization through inculturation and dialogue, FENZA engages in research and promotes reflection on matters of pastoral interests particularly in the fields of encounter with culture, ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue.
The mission of FENZA is to empower Christians to face the challenges of contemporary and traditional cultures with openness, and to encounter people of different Christian denominations, contemporary religious movements and religions.
We dream of a more visible FENZA with a greater contribution and impact in the Zambian missionary thinking and praxis. FENZA aims also at becoming a reference centre for interfaith encounters and activities.
FENZA engages in activities that are ordered as follows:
FENZA collaborates and exchanges expertise with other like-minded institutions at local level. We also share resources through our interconnected websites. Although working mainly in Lusaka, FENZA reaches out to other dioceses upon request. In addition, as a centre that works under the trusteeship of the Missionaries of Africa in Southern Africa, FENZA collaborates with the other centres under the same administration i.e. the Centre for Social Concern, Ku Ngoni Centre of Culture and Arts (both in Malawi), and the Centro de Formação Nazaré (Mozambique).
For FENZA, the Network Pastoral Africa (NPA) provides a valuable ongoing formation opportunity and a way for pastoral institutes in Africa to learn from each other and share expertise. We look forward to an increase in sharing resources through various means within the NPA.
Fr. Romaric Bationo (Director)