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The Southern Cross, November 30 to December 6, 2016

LOCAL

Ex-SACBC leader dies at 86 STAFF REPORTER

A The annual Nativity play of Brescia House School in Johannesburg was performed by the Grades R to 3 girls. This year the performance had a South African theme: What if Jesus was born in Jozi? Music, costumes and the storyline all took on a distinctly African flavour.

Bishop Giuseppe Sandri of Witbank (centre) ordained ten permanent deacons for the diocese at the pastoral centre of Maria Trost in Lydenburg/Mashishing. Seen with Bishop Sandri are (from left) Deacons David Rapudi Phala (Mashabela), Lucky Petros (Phola-Ogies), Leonard Kope Malatsi (Luckau), Bongani Thwala (Elukwatini), Nthunzi Sehlabela (Bongani-Hazyview), Joseph Kuba Nkosi (Ackerville—Witbank/ eMalahleni), Boshoff Mahole, Frank Mokoena (both Burgersfort), Nicklaas Roderick (Schoongezicht), Jim Paulus Sekwane (Belfast).

FORMER secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) and rector of St Peter’s Seminary in Pretoria has died at the age of 86. Dominican Father Dominic Scholten died in the Berchmanianum, a Jesuit retirement home in Nijmegen, Netherlands, on November 18. Born as Arnold Scholten in the Netherlands on September 13, 1930, he joined the Dominican Order in 1949 in Huissen and, after studying philosophy and theology in Zwolle and Nijmegen respectively, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1957. He was subsequently sent to the Dutch vicariate of South Africa. In 1962 he became the director of the Katolieke Afrikanersentrum (KAS), a Dominican centre of Afrikaans apostolate and of the Department of Afrikaans Affairs at the SACBC in Pretoria. In 1971 he replaced his fellow Dominican, the popular Fr Oswin Magrath, as rector of St Peter Seminary, which trained black candidates for the priesthood. This was a difficult time, with a fair amount of student unrest under the influence of the Black Consciousness Movement, and accusation of heavy-handedness against Fr Scholten. His term ended in 1975. In 1977 he became the secretarygeneral of the SACBC. In April that year, shortly after taking up his office, he was briefly detained by the Security Police, allegedly for having possessed banned documents, and

Fr Dominic Scholten in 1977 his passport was confiscated. When in 1977 the Catholic education system was under pressure from the apartheid government to reverse their admission of black pupils into schools that had been declared for whites only, Fr Scholten pledged that the Church would continue with integration regardless of the government’s actions. “We are no longer free to tolerate a situation that fosters discrimination,” he said, adding: “The present situation in South Africa will not permit a move against the Church.” “Fr Dominic will be forever remembered by those who were at the receiving end of his passion for education,” his confrere, Fr Emil Blaser, told The Southern Cross. “He raised much money to help people develop themselves. In this, he expected responsibility, account-

ability and hard work,” said Fr Blaser. “There are people today who came from poverty to becoming doctors and professors and who look back with gratefulness for what Fr Dominic did for them.” Fr Blaser described Fr Scholten as a workaholic and a strict man. “It was not comfortable to get on the wrong side of Fr Dominic! He was sharp and never afraid of speaking his mind succinctly.” Fr Scholten remained at the SACBC until the early 1980s. In subsequent years he served as parish priest in Payneville in Springs, and Groblersdal in Limpopo. “There was something about Fr Dominic that endeared him to his people who gave him the name, Thabo—a name which indicates happiness,” Fr Blaser said. Fr Scholten influenced many leading South African Catholics. Businessman Vincent Maphai once told Mining Weekly that, next to his mother, the priest played the biggest influence in his life. “Fr Scholten taught me that the human spirit is indomitable,” Dr Maphai said. Fr Scholten was part of a team of regular confessors at the community at Santa Maria Maggiore during the Jubilee Year in Rome. He continued the same ministry in Oosterhout, Northern Brabant, until 2011, when he retired for reasons of health to Nijmegen. Fr Scholten “will be remembered by many for his fearless leadership and for what he did to help people develop their potential”, said Fr Blaser.

PE cathedral holds floral art show to celebrate 150 years

ORT Elizabeth’s St Augustine’s cathedral marks its 150-year anniversary this year, and as part of the year-long celebrations, the cathedral held a floral art show, arranged by Gail Taverner. The foundation stone of the cathedral was laid in 1861 and the building was completed in record time by 1866. But the construction was not without problems. When the building was almost at roof level, the walls were blown down by a violent gale. The walls were rebuilt through the generosity of the local community, both Catholic and non-Catholic. The foundations were strengthened and supporting pillars included. As part of the flower show, these pillars were adorned with modern swags, made from fenced reeds, a few bright and cheerful gerbera. Ms Taverner and her assistant created their own “stained glass window”; a little more abstract than the real ones. A variety of plant material is used and included, such as strips of wood representing the lead framework, panels of pinned eucalyptus leaves, reeds which have been fenced together, panels of

Parts of the floral art show at St Augustine’s cathedral in Port Elizabeth, in honour of the cathedral celebrating its 150-year anniversary.

colourful bougainvillea, panels of status flowers, a few gerbera, and green gladioli. The “organ” was constructed from bamboo to depict the pipes of the organ, placed vertically to give praise to the Creator for the gift of music. The circles and red balls of red

carnations represented the never- ending love of God—the branches are moving into the future, carrying his love with it, depicting a symbol of hope, God’s love including all people. Other themes include the sacraments of marriage, baptism and ordination.