The Man who Walks Like Thunder
Arthur Shearly Cripps was born in 1869 in Tunbridge Wells, which happens to be our local town. He was highly educated, from Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Oxford, where he read history. He was ordained in his early twenties and served a small parish in Essex.
He left England, however, at the end of the century intending to work in Mashonaland, Zimbabwe, after reading about the activities of Cecil John Rhodes. From 1902 he had a parish near Chivhu (previously Enkeldoorn) in what was then Southern Rhodesia.
Fairly quickly, he came into conflict with Rhodes and his British South African Company over land distribution, taking the side of the African population. He was given the Shona name "Mpandi", or "the man who walks like thunder". After more than 20 years he returned to England for a time after a quarrel with the British administration; but went back shortly afterwards for the rest of his life, having in 1927 published Africa for Africans, on the land issue.
Arthur Cripps lived for some time in Manyene Communal Lands, about 120 km South of Harare, 20 km North of Chivhu. An area of Manyene is now known by the name he gave it when he established the mission work there, Maronda Mashanu, which means "The Five Wounds" in the local Shona language.[
Father Cripps was buried in the chancel of the church (now a ruin) at Maronda Mashanu.[1]
Some people from the area believe that Arthur Cripps performed miracles. For example, there are claims that a white man who wanted to assault him for associating with Africans was crippled the moment he raised his hand. They claim that the man was only healed when Father Cripps prayed for him.
We leave today for Zimbabwe, arriving tomorrow in Harare. We will be visiting the school and the area of Maronda Mashanu, where TZABA have provided the borehole and solar pumping system. But our first visit on Tuesday will be to the Shearly Cripps Home for Children, just east of Harare towards Goromanzi.
The Home is on the site of St Johns where the children attend their schooling. It has struggled for many years with poor water supply, which is particularly challenging for the orphanage with young girls and boys. 4 years we attempted to commission the existing old borehole on the site, but it soon proved to be a failed source.
So early last year we completed the new borehole, which has proven to be prolific! However, much work has been needed to ensure that the School, including the Primary School, has sufficient water as well as the Orphanage. Additional pipelines were laid, a booster provided and meters installed from the main tank.
Finally, contributions from the estate of Heather Sinclair through her daughter Julia, and others, including Mazzy Shearly Cripps, his grand daughter, have allowed the internal plumbing and showers and kitchen to be completed. I am looking forward to visiting again and celebrating with the children and the staff the finished work.
The legacy of Arthur Shearly Cripps cannot be overstated in Zimbabwe. He touched, and continues to impact so many lives across the region. He is venerated as a Zimbabwe saint, and annually the members of the Anglican communion and beyond gather at the Shearly Cripps shrine at Maronda Mashanu and give thanks for this remarkable man, whose light still shines brightly.
A saint for our time—someone who walked the same streets, breathed the same air, and showed us that extraordinary love is possible in an ordinary world.
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