150311

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The

S outhern C ross

March 11 to March 17, 2015

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4915

www.scross.co.za

Microlending exploits the poor

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R7,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Five tips on learning to love yourself

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Vocations crisis: Benedictine abbey’s future uncertain BY STUART GRAHAM

LoveMatters, a life-skills programme for teenagers run by the Salesians at Bosco Youth Centre, Johannesburg, has marked its 250th programme since inception in October 2001. This means that more than 20 000 young people have taken part. “The overall goal of LoveMatters, originally developed by Salesian Father Francois Dufour, is to empower youth to make healthy lifestyle decisions as an antidote to HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as to equip the participants with skills which help them deal with the many challenges today’s teenager faces,” said progranmme coordinator Nhlanhla. He added: “LoveMatters also builds self-worth and encourages skills for responsible behaviour in all aspects of the participant’s lives.” For more information see www.boscocentre.co.za or e-mail lovematters@boscocentre.co.za

Priest recovers burglary loot BY DYLAN APPOLIS

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FTER his church was burgled, a Cape Town priest trawled pawn shops and antique shops in a bid to recover stolen items. Scalabrinian Father Gerardo Garcia of Holy Cross parish in District Six, had a fright when he opened the church doors one morning to find two men sleeping in the church. “They were trapped in the church the whole night because the metal doors are old and hard to open,” Fr Garcia said. The priest said he rushed to get help, but on his return the thieves had managed to flee, using the bridge over the adjacent Nelson Mandela Boulevard. One of the main items stolen was the historical crucifix that was displayed in the church. Other items included the collection boxes, bells, the sound systems (including the microphones and speakers), and anything metal the thieves could get their hands on. Police advised Fr Garcia to check pawn shops and antique shops in the area that might buy those types of things. “I went to each and every shop, but I have come up empty handed, because the items were not been sold there,” the priest told The Southern Cross. But when Fr Garcia went to check the backyard of the church he found two bags

Church items recovered after a burglary. filled with items stolen from the parish. Holy Cross parish was relieved to have recovered everything, but the thieves had broken the crucifix and other items in order to get the metal out of it. “I did my best to recover all the stolen items. In the end I am glad that we got everything back—even if it’s in pieces,” Fr Garcia said. “We are still thinking about what type of security system to implement, but I am hoping that we get security on the premises, security cameras or even an alarm system.”

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HE Benedictines at Inkamana Abbey in Vryheid, northern KwaZulu-Natal, are feeling the effects of the vocations drain, to the point that the future of the order in the region is uncertain. At the same time, the Benedictines take satisfaction in having turned the once missionary-led local Church into one run by locals. Recently retired Abbot Godfrey Sieber, who was elected the second abbot of Inkamana in 2003, told The Southern Cross that the Benedictines were extremely proud of their achievements in the area but that a lack of vocations threatens the order’s survival. “The Benedictines started the mission at Inkamana in 1922 and slowly built up other missions in Zululand,” he said. “It is very common in our community that we have more brothers than priests. For many years we had builders, farmers and other specialists who were part of the Benedictines. This is how the diocese of Eshowe and mission of Zululand developed,” Fr Sieber said. “The Benedictines built churches, schools, hospitals and ran farms... We have given that up now. We are only in the monastery. It was a natural development.” After Eshowe became a diocese in 1951, the Church changed gradually from being a missionary-run church to one run by local priests and a bishop. “This is something we always wanted,” said Fr Godfrey, who was born in Bavaria in Germany in 1940. “At the moment out of the 30 parishes in Eshowe, only three are manned by Benedictine priests. This was a natural development and we are happy,” Fr Sieber said. “It is our greatest achievement. The same applies to our abbey. When I came to Inkamana it wasn’t an independent monastery. It became independent only after I arrived.” The great challenge for the order now is to recruit and train local vocations, Fr Sieber said. “We have African vocations, from Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and some elderly gentlemen from Germany—but very few from South Africa,” he noted.

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Inkamana Abbey in northern KwaZulu-Natal Presently about two thirds of the abbey’s monks are from southern Africa. The first group of Benedictines arrived in Natal on August 3, 1922. They had been working as missionaries in East Africa before, until World War I forced them to leave that region. They started the new mission at lnkamana, which was then a farm with some small buildings on it. Within 25 years the Benedictines had erected ten major mission stations in Natal as well as four hospitals and a great number of schools. Inkamana increasingly became the centre of the Benedictines, with the priests serving the growing Christian communities in a vast area. The brothers intensified their gardening and farming activities and began to train locals in the different workshops. Together with the Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing the monks built a high school at lnkamana which soon attracted boys and girls from around southern Africa. Inkamana High School, whose alumni includes former first lady Zanele Mbeki, produces “very good results” each year, Fr Sieber said. A monastery building was erected in 1949 and soon afterwards the brothers built an architecturally impressive church which was consecrated in 1953. When Fr Godfrey arrived at Inkamana, the Benedictines had only two local vocations. The two will celebrate their 50th anniversary on March 21. The reason for the shortage of vocations, which affects all orders in the Church, is Continued on page 2

Rome, Assisi, Florence, Siena, Padua, Milan, Venice and more 6 - 18 September 2015


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