Spiritual healing in the Roman Catholic Church in Zimbabwe is practised in Super Roma by a Catholic priest, Father Augustine Urayai of Chinyuni Mission in Chirumanzu District. The significance of this new style of African initiative in healing in terms of the relationship between Christianity and African traditional religion in the African context is comprehended in the priest-healer's personal history and vocation, his healing ministry, theology, problems and social responsibilities.

Father Augustine Urayai

Fr Augustine Urayai Madyauta was born in 1931 in the then Chilimanzi District in Homera. He attended school at Makanya Primary School and then Holy Cross and Hama Mission for secondary education. He is one of the first three Roman Catholic priests in the Gweru diocese. The other two are Fr Francis Mungadzi and Fr Xavier Marimazhira. The three were educated at Gokomere Mission and trained as teachers in 1949 before studying theology and philosophy at Chishawasha Regional Seminary in Harare in 1964. By virtue of their outstanding education and administrative potential, the three were engaged as managers of schools and parishes. Fr Urayai was then posted at Mutero Mission in Gutu. Currently he is stationed at Chinyuni Parish, which is under St Joseph's Hama Mission in Chirumanzu.

Fr Urayai served for many years as a Catholic priest and for 26 of them he dealt with evil spirits. Because of his success in driving away evil spirits and enabling some spirits to repent, exorcism is now part of his pastoral ministry. ‘He finds joy in it … despite opposition and challenges from some lay people, the religious and even from fellow priests as is common with all priests involved in exorcisms in the Catholic Church.

Fr Urayai's source of inspiration and interest in exorcism goes back to those years when he was at the Regional Seminary in Chishawasha as a student. He read books and magazines, which he came across in the library, that dealt with the subject of spirits and exorcism of self-confessing spirits. He was also interested in watching videos and films of exorcism.