In response to the heartfelt invitation of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, the Catholic faithful across the country united in a nationwide day of prayer and fasting on the 23rd of August, 2025. This solemn initiative was aimed at seeking divine guidance and intervention in matters of justice and peace as the nation prepares for the upcoming general elections scheduled for October 2025.
By Paulino Madeje *
The call was for every parish, institution, and community to take up this spiritual responsibility in their own way, organizing local activities that would best nurture prayer, reflection, and unity.
At Our Lady Consolata, The Morning Star, in Gezaulole, one of the Consolata parishes within the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, the faithful gathered with reverence and devotion for the culmination of the Novena for Justice and Peace in the country. The Novena began on August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady Mary, the Patroness of the nation. The Novena provided a spiritual buildup, invoking the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, as the nation embarks on a critical moment in its democratic journey.
The day began with the solemn celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, setting a sacred tone for the spiritual observances that followed. In a spirit of deep faith and unity, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for adoration throughout the day. Various groups of the faithful took turns in prayerful vigil before the Holy Eucharist, offering heartfelt petitions and reflections. Their adoration was marked by the prayer of the Holy Rosary and periods of silent meditation, each group dedicating a full hour to this sacred encounter with the Lord. Moreover, confessions were made available throughout the day, encouraging personal conversion and reconciliation as a step toward national healing and moral integrity.
Throughout the Novena for Justice and Peace in Tanzania, the faithful embarked on a profound spiritual journey, each day guided by a distinct and meaningful theme. These themes were not merely words, but calls to reflection, prayer, and action; deeply rooted in the Gospel and relevant to the social fabric of the nation.
The novena began with Justice, inviting the faithful to contemplate fairness, dignity, and the defense of the vulnerable. This was followed by Truth, a call to integrity in thought, word, and deed. On the third day, hearts turned toward Love, the foundation of Christian life, inspiring acts of charity and self-giving.
Friendship was honored next, fostering unity, reconciliation, and respect among communities. Equality followed, affirming the equal worth of every person, regardless of background or status. The sixth day centered on Wisdom, seeking divine guidance in navigating the complexities of life and the Tanzanian society.
Honesty then called for transparency and moral courage, particularly in both personal and public life. On the eighth day, Equal Prosperity highlighted the longing for a society where resources and opportunities are shared justly. The novena then approached its climax with a day dedicated to Peace, praying for harmony and healing across the nation.
Finally, the faithful reflected on Compassion, the crowning theme; calling all to embrace mercy, kindness, and solidarity with those who suffer.
During the solemn hours of adoration, a profound stillness settled over the faithful gathered at the Parish. Hearts were lifted in silence, eyes fixed on the Blessed Sacrament, and voices united in a powerful prayer for justice and peace.
As the day of devotion unfolded at the Parish, the faithful offered their heartfelt prayers to God; prayers for justice, peace, and healing in Tanzania. Each intention, carefully written on paper, was a reflection of the people’s hopes, struggles, and deep longing for a better world.
At the appropriate moment, these written prayers were gathered and reverently burned, the rising smoke symbolizing the faithful’s petitions ascending to heaven, offered in trust and surrender to the Divine.
Surrounding the Blessed Sacrament, the altar was gently adorned with messages; thoughtful expressions of faith, hope, and commitment. These messages, placed in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, gave silent yet powerful witness to the community’s unity in prayer and their desire to live out the values of the Novena’s themes.
As the candlelight flickered, the faithful recited and meditated on the words of a deeply moving prayer; words that echoed the pain, the hope, and the longing of a nation standing at a crossroads. Among the verses recited were:
“We ask that our country be peaceful,
that the lost be found and the captives be freed,
that the injured be healed, that the killed be given eternal life,
and that evil cease in our country.
We ask that you change the hearts of evildoers and their partners in evil,
so that they turn to you, for we, the weak, do not have the power to change evil hearts.”
This prayer is not only timely for a nation preparing for the general elections; it is timeless, a model of Christian hope in the face of darkness. It does not only curse the darkness but turns to the Light. It is a prayer of a people who believe not only in justice, but in mercy. Not only in peace, but in conversion. May God help heal our nation, and all nations in the world where violence and affliction reign.
* Fr. Paulino Madeje, IMC, Tanzania. Africa Continent communication coordinator.