Vicariate Apostolic of Ingwavuma

The Vicariate Apostolic of Ingwavuma is particularly blessed with vocations to the priesthood. Half of our priests are diocesans and half religious but two thirds of them all were born in the Vicariate.

God keeps on calling our young people to become priests. We have six seminarians. Four of them stuying at St John Vianney (Pretoria) and two who are joining us this year and will have a "warm up" year in a parish of the Archdiocese of Durban.

During their holidays our seminarians spend some time at home with their families and some time in a parish so that they become more familiar with the daily life of our diocesan and religious priests.

There is also a day when they all come together to meet with the Bishop. This is what we did during January. They all gathered at St Lucia together with the Vocation - Formation Team of the Vicariate: Fr Daniel Nkosi, Fr Vusi Mthembu, Fr Vukani Phoseka.

Excerpt from Bishop Jose Luis's words to Sr Lidia and her family  on the occasion of her 25th anniversary of religious profession,    15 January 2013

 

Yesterday morning I was reflecting on yesterday's gospel. "As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake - for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.' And at once they left their nets and followed him."
Not sure who said it but I found my own handwriting next to the text. I wrote: "it was not because of who they were but who they would become".
This is what we are celebrating today. Not what you were but what you have become by God's grace: I think you are a particular expression of God's personal love for all the people.
Probably last Sunday's second reading expresses it well. "Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘The truth I have now come to realise' he said ‘is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him."

From the Memoirs of Fr John LeMay
of the time when he was Brother Jack,
in the early days of the Servite mission in Zululand.

3. Star of the Sea Mission - Early-Nineteen-Sixties
Trucks..., Cornmeal for Firewood

To the history of Star of the Sea Mission we must add the important word ‘Transport'. Just about all of the building material had to be trucked from the railway depot at Mkuzi, a hundred miles from Star. As the mission expanded in scope there was the need to buy food in bulk for the boarders and staff. Items such as corn meal, rice, beans, samp and sugar were bought in hemp sacks filled to 200 pounds. A large electric generator was now in use, and required a lot of dieseline, bought in big drums. The diesel engine water pumps, too, were worked almost throughout the night.
This illustrates the amount of hauling work the G.M.C. truck had to do, so it was no surprise that one day it gave up the ghost. I'm reminded of the scriptural saying; ‘Unless the seed die it cannot produce new fruit'.
Just at this time a new type of truck came on the market, the Magirus Deutz. It was made in Germany and had proved itself in the western desert during World War II. It was a four-wheel-drive vehicle, with a four-cylinder diesel motor. An unusual feature was the air-cooled engine, designed for desert warfare where there would be a lack of water for water-cooled engines. (The Germans could never have used these vehicles for a sneak attack, since the cooling fans made so much noise you could hear them a mile away.)

From the Memoirs of Fr John LeMay
of the time when he was Brother Jack,
in the early days of the Servite mission in Zululand.

2. Hlabisa c. 1960
Hospital, bees, confirmations, fire!

Hlabisa township; what was and what is...
Hlabisa is the Zulu word for slaughter. What took place there to give it that name I don't know. At one time Hlabisa was the headquarters of the magisterial district. Once the railway reached the town of Mtubatuba the town of Hlabisa lost its important position. The American Lutheran Mission, however, took it over for service and built a hospital. While I was stationed at Hlabisa I had a chance to need their service. While building our mission house I seriously cut my left hand index finger. Doctor Hall did a good job of suturing and saved my finger.

Now a more dramatic story. I was driving on the straight uphill road to the mission when I was surprised to see quite a few children from the mission running down the road frantically waving their hands. Well, I thought, That is a surprise welcome! As they got closer to the truck I could see the reason for the excitement. -They were covered with bees. I stopped the truck and went immediately and tried to kill the bees, only to be attacked myself. I don't really know what happened since I went into a confused state. Somehow Fr Hayden was able to get the children and me to the hospital. We were given injections to prevent further swelling. What a mess we were! Thankfully none of us was allergic to bee stings, which can be fatal.