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The Southern Cross, November 23 to November 29, 2016
LOCAL
Call to ‘dine’ with the homeless STAFF REPORTER
Photographer Jono Nienaber discusses the pictures he is taking with August lusis. “lui” is one of eight homeless people being photographed for the Social Meal Project at the Denis Hurley Centre.
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Members of the Holy Trinity Conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul arranged a tea and celebration at Nazareth House in Durban for Roy Jaques on the receipt of his apostolic blessing from Pope Francis for his 36 years of service to the society. Members of the congregation, and Fr Sean Mullins, joined the celebration after Mass. Mr Jaques’ wife Fritz, though in a wheelchair, also attended.
Retirement Home, Rivonia, Johannesburg Tel:011 803 1451 www.lourdeshouse.org
LANNING an innovative festive season campaign to create awareness about the plight of the homeless in Durban and generating funds to feed them, has resulted in The Social Meal Project—a joint initiative between the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) in the inner city, and advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather Durban. As part of the project, diners at some of the city’s top restaurants are invited to symbolically “share a meal” with a member of the city’s homeless community over this season of giving. When sitting down in one of the participating restaurants or cafes, customers will receive an insert in the menu inviting them to join in the Social Meal Project. The insert profiles a named homeless person and invites the customers to share a meal with them by making a donation while paying their bill. “There are 1,4 million holidaymakers who come to Durban in the summer to have fun—we want to give them a chance to share the fun with the less fortunate homeless
people of Durban,” said DHC director Raymond Perrier. “Revellers are estimated to spend over R3,1 billion during the holiday season—it costs the Denis Hurley Centre a 1 000th of that amount to provide its services to the homeless, refugees and poor of inner-city Durban for one whole year,” he said. The DHC, which welcomes up to 300 homeless people each day, estimates that it costs about R15 to provide breakfast, lunch, a hot shower and clean clothes to one person. “We are asking people to pledge R15, or multiples thereof, so they can ‘share’ a social meal with a homeless person,” Mr Perrier said.
Frail/assisted care in shared or single rooms. Independent care in single/double rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Rates include meals, laundry and 24-hour nursing. Day Care and short stay facilities also available.
“At this festive time, we want to put a face and a name to some of the homeless community who are typically considered invisible and nameless; initiate conversations around issues of homelessness; and invite Durbanites and visitors to donate sufficient money to provide a meal and essential services to one homeless person as they enjoy a restaurant meal of their own,” said Lwazi Mthabela, account manager of Ogilvy Durban Members of the homeless community have come forward to tell their stories and add their names and faces to the project to give the plight of homelessness a more inti-
mate, human persona. “The photographs will help diners to see the homeless person as someone with dignity; they will be able to read more about the person’s history and share photos of the meal that they are eating alongside the meals being served at the Denis Hurley Centre,” Mr Perrier said. “We want to show that the city’s homeless are ordinary people. Our wish is that this campaign will encourage us to look them in the eye and in so doing to engage with mutual respect and humanity. Isn’t that what this season is intrinsically supposed to be about?” Top photographer Jono Nienaber volunteered his time to take a series of photographs of the homeless volunteer ambassadors to be used in the media rollout and on the “table talkers”, as the menu inserts are called. Restaurants that are interested in participating should contact socialmeal@denishurleycentre.org n For more information, contact Raymond Perrier on 031 301 2240/076 570 2497 or raymond@denishurley centre.org, or visit www.denishur leycentre.org
New youth movement launched By Sr NkheNSaNi ShiBaMBU
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EADERS in Action (LIA) has been officially launched as an organisation formed by the youth, for the youth, with the youth. The vision of LIA is to inspire young Catholics to renew personal encounters with Christ and to help develop them into future leaders. The dream started three years ago when young Catholics saw a need to reach out to other young Catholics by organising various camps and conferences under the banner of Radio Veritas. The group launched in Soweto at St Angela’s Catholic church, with the Mass celebrated by Fr Patrick Dladla, the Soweto Deanery youth chaplain, followed by a colourful African- themed gala. Young people who previously attended the camps and leadership conferences gave testimonies of their experiences. Young people as the Church of
young people attended the launch of leaders in Action, a new Catholic organisation for the youth. tomorrow have become a primary concern for the Church, epitomised by the theme for the next synod of bishops in 2018, which will focus on young people. LIA operates under the auspices of the Congregation of the Companions of St Angela, whose
mission is to respond to the needs of the youth like their patroness St Angela. n For more information on LIA and future events visit their Facebook page LeadersinAction YouthConference or Twitter handle @LiAConference.
Cabra Dominicans hold 800th year international meeting in SA
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N the year of the 800th jubilee of the founding of the Dominican Order, Cape Town was chosen as the venue for the full international Congregational Council meeting of the Dominican sisters of Cabra. The sisters attending the meeting at the Kolping guesthouse in Durbanville were led by their congregational prioress, Sr Elizabeth Healy. The other members of the council came from Ireland, Argentina and South Africa. Over the years the Cabra Dominican sisters have left their mark in several countries of Latin America—Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia—in New Orleans in the US as well as in Portugal. After almost 350 years of ministry in Portugal, the congregation has just withdrawn from that country as it did a few years ago from Brazil. The Cabra sisters were the first Dominican sisters to set up a foundation in South Africa over 100 years ago. They still have a presence in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. It was the Dominican sisters of Springfield Convent in Wynberg who first challenged the apartheid education system by admitting pupils of colour to
(Front from left) Cabra Dominican Sisters Elizabeth Healy OP, congregational prioress (ireland) and Frances Krige (South Africa). (Back from left) Srs Caitriona Gorman (ireland), Noemi Zambrano (Argentina), Martina Pbelar (ireland), liz Smyth (ireland) and Elsabe O’leary, the meeting’s facilitator. their school in the 1970s. This prophetic act had a ripple effect throughout South Africa. The full congregational council gathered to reflect on its important ministries, strengths and weaknesses and to find a way forward in these challenging times.
The meeting was facilitated by Elsabe O’Leary of Cape Town. On arrival at the Kolping guesthouse, the sisters were happy to find one of their Dominican brothers, Fr Emil Blaser, on holiday. He celebrated Mass with them each day.