SACBC visits the Vicariate
Sibonakaliso Mkhize of the SACBC AIDS Office visited the Vicariate of Ingwavuma and met with various people involved in the oversight of the building of houses in the Ndumo and Hlabisa areas, and with the suppliers of building materials and the builders. With Mr. Donatus Mthembu, the coordinator of Ndumo Schools Orphans Project, he visited the four families whose houses have already been completed, the Mdluli family, Mthembu family, Mlambo family and Mbuyisa family.
"Do whatever He tells you"
The final strains of "Jabulani, Jabulani, makholwa", ("Let all Christians rejoice"), an exuberant Zulu hymn of joy and praise to the Risen Lord, swelled to a crescendo and slowly died away. At an outdoor altar in Mtubatuba, the principal consecrating Bishop, Bishop Louis M. Ndlovu, O.S.M. , took the arm of the newly ordained Bishop of the Vicariate of Zululand, Michael O'Shea, O.S.M., and presented him to the 3,500 crowd of his wildly cheering and ululating people, as the first Bishop. Indeed, a fitting tribute which confirmed the appointment of a popular pastor who had been Prefect Apostolic of the area since 1976. The Papal Mandate was read out by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Ambrose de Paoli, in English, and Bishop Khumalo read the Zulu translation. The two main co-consecrating Bishops, Archbishop Denis Hurley, O.M.I., and Bishop Biyase, delivered the homilies in English and Zulu. Present Also present were 24 Bishops of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, including Bishop Wilfred Napier, president of SACBC; the Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery, Inkamana; the Bishops of Windhoek, Namibia and of Leribe, LeSotho; the two former Prefects of Ingwavuma, Fr. Edwin Kinch, O.S.M., and Fr. Anselm Dennehy, O.S.M., who represented the Provincials of the American Provinces of Servites; Fr. Venanzio Ramasso, General Consultor, representing the Prior General of the Servite Order, Rome; Fr. Colum McDonnel, O.S.M., Vicar Provincial of Ireland, and Fr. Patrick Boyle, O.S.M., of the Australian Servite Vicariate. The new Bishop's immediate family, Sr. Andrew, M.S.H.R., Sierra Leone, Bro. Brendan, F.M.S., Johannesburg, Mrs. Brid Marken, her husband Seamus, their son, Joseph, and daughter, Mrs. Marie White, from Ireland, joined him for the celebration.
A particular catechetical training
Click HERE for photos of the day
As planned, we celebrated another session of training of catechists. This time it was done at the Pastoral Centre in Hlabisa. The catechists serve the communities of Hlabisa and Mtubatuba.
This session of training continues the plan started last year. It is a "three year journey" following the training being done at Metropolitan level at Pax Christi Pastoral Centre (Newcastle, Diocese of Dundee). We basically worked on the RCIA (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults).
Even though training of catechists are becoming a natural part of our journey, it is true that this session was a bit different. First because of some "last minute problems" and second because of the weekend chosen for the training.
Dates had been chosen well in advance. While last year the first session was done at Hlabisa and the second at Ngwanase, this year we chose to start at Ngwanase. The idea was to delay the training in Hlabisa so that we could finish fixing the pastoral centre. It did not happen. Part of the work was done just a few days before the training and it was not possible to buy bunk beds and mattresses in time. To make it more complicated, we were not even able to borrow them for the training. Still, everyone accepted the situation (blankets replaced the mattresses) and the training was done as planned.
Pope John Paul visits Swaziland (1988)
In mid September, 1988, Pope John Paul visited the tiny kingdom of Swaziland, in Southern Africa. It was a red-letter day, not only for the Swazi nationals, but for their neighbours from the surrounding countries. KwaZulu residents were well represented in witnessing the historic occasion. Fr. Mooney records some details of his people's experience of the Papal visit.
PREPARATIONS Months of preparations, bureaucracy, thumb-printing, applications for passports, identity cards and birth certificates, numerous visits to Home Affairs Office, Mtubatuba, fund-raising, transport hunting, headaches, frustrations, and disappointments, all came to an end as all obstacles were overcome and parishioners were almost set to leave for the historic visit of the Pope to Swaziland. |
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(from our archives)
(from our archives)
