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The southern Cross, July 19 to July 25, 2017
COMMUNITY st Joseph’s parish in Uitenhage, Port Elizabeth diocese, celebrated the First Communion of six young people. (Back from left) Monique, Amy and Kay. (Front) parish priest Fr Anthony Padua, Chloe, Jamie and Monrique.
Jameson Junior and High schools in springs, Gauteng, welcomed the travelling statue of Our lady of Fatima to celebrate her centenary. Pupils sang hymns of praise, recited the rosary and let off balloons. They also called upon Our lady of Fatima for her continuous guidance and her intercession for their studies and future careers. The south African National Blood service visited De la salle Holy Cross College in Victory Park, Johannesburg, as part of their Blood Drive. Many of the college’s learners, teachers and management staff donated blood in response to the service’s urgent call. learners challenged other Catholic schools to do the same.
The East london deanery hosted a youth sports day. Mass at st Patrick’s church was led by the young people, in both English and isiXhosa, after which everyone walked to Hamilton’s sports club. Older youngsters played soccer and netball, while young children were entertained with face-painting, a jumping castle and hoola hoops. Food stalls provided boerewors rolls and potjiekos, as well as cooldrinks and ice creams.
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pics@scross.co.za Over 80 young people from different faith denominations gathered at Ha Phororo youth retreat centre at Hartbeespoort Dam, North West province, for an all-night vigil, prayer, sharing of testimonies and guest speakers. (Photo from Fr Thabang Nkadimeng OMI)
The girls’ football team of st Dominic’s Priory in Port Elizabeth finished second in the annual sA schools High soccer Tournament was held in East london, losing in the final to Rand Girls High after penalties, following a 0-0 draw. Along the way they beat selly Park Convent from Rustenburg, Milnerton High from Cape Town and Kimberley Girls High. The Priory’s boys team reached the semi-final. Three of the girls’ team were selected for the tournament’s All-star XI: Ashika Coollen, Aphiwe siyo and captain Alexia Potgieter.
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Mass was celebrated at Emmanuel church in sebokeng, Gauteng, with Franciscan students Andile Mzobe, Thabiso Kapa, Vuyisile Vilakazi and Katleho lebitsa, and Bongane Thunza, a diocesan student, all of whom are doing their pastoral experience with parish priest Fr simphiwe Kheswa OFM.
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After 13-year struggle, church gets ready for its first Mass BY ERIN CARELSE
W
clearing the way for it to take occupation.
ORK is finally underway to prepare a Durban church building for its inaugural Mass after 13 years of struggle and lawsuits. The Catholic community of Ezimangweni, Durban archdiocese, heaved a sigh of relief in May when the Durban High Court granted an interdict against the unlawful occupiers of the Church property dedicated to Our Lady. The story goes back to 1998 when Fr Albert Sithole of Matikwe led the drive to buy a site for a new church to serve the poor who could not afford transport to the parish church. Fr Sithole and his team eventually identified a site with a vacant shop that was central, near Dube Village Mall. A deal to purchase the property was agreed with the rightful owners, and all documentation was signed to confirm the Catholic Archdiocese of Durban as bearer of the site. On arriving at the property to bless it in late 2003, before it could be used as a church, Fr Sithole was met by a group of people, led by Clement Ngcobo, who claimed he represented the Inanda Development Trust and prevented the Catholic community to take possession of the premises. Mr Ngcobo claimed that the property was purchased illegally, and that it was left under the administration of the Inanda Development Trust. The legal process on the matter began in 2011, but was intermittently suspended. In February 2015, Fr Francis Cibane succeeded Fr Sithole as parish priest and took over the matter. Around September 2015, the attorneys were contacted to speed up the process. Following an exchange of affidavits, it was confirmed that Mr Ngcobo was never a member of the Inanda Development Trust. Early this year the Church’s lawyers received a withdrawal notice served by the responding attyorneys, and on April 25 an interdict was granted in the Church’s favour,
Throughout the investigation, special prayer drives were launched, asking for the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, with assisted intentions from Portugal by José Camara, the donor of more than a thousand statues of Our Lady of Fatima to parishes worldwide. Fr Cibane noted that the case came to a close around the 100th anniversary of the first apparition at Fatima. “We had been asking Our Lady of the Rosary to intercede for us, so it is only fitting that I approached Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, as archbishop of Durban, to name this church Our Lady of the Rosary,” he said. The priest has finally moved into the premises and is busy converting it for Catholic liturgy. Cardinal Napier told The Southern Cross that the Catholic Church can learn a number of lessons from this case. “When the Church buys a property, it must take possession of it at once, and be seen to be doing so by fencing it in and beginning to use it as soon as possible, even if on a nominal scale only,” the cardinal said “Parish communities as a whole must stand up to bullies in the community. Otherwise, these people are emboldened to act as if they control everyone in every aspect of community life, including religious. “The Church must not be slow to use the law to assert or claim its rights especially when these rights benefit the poor and needy,” he said. “This site was bought to bring Church services closer to the poor who could not afford transport to the parish every Sunday. In this regard it is good to remember that the poor and needy, more than anyone else, know they need God, and so feel the need to encounter him in church regularly,” Cardinal Napier said. “And what’s more, they want their children to grow up close to God and his Church.”
Four young Catholics who are volunteering their time and skills to work on the Mini World Youth Day in Durban in December. (From left) Safron Dougall of St Francis Xavier parish in the Bluff, Melita Vurden of Holy Trinity parish in Musgrave Road, Tevin Jasson of Holy Family parish in Newlands East, Thandeka Msweli of KwaKrisho Umsindisi parish in KwaMashu. See page 3 for more. (Photo: Conference Company)
Messi was not ‘denied’ a Catholic wedding BY DAVID RAMOS
C
ONTRARY to media reports, the Church did not deny a sacramental Catholic wedding to Argentinian football star Lionel Messi and his girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo. Rather, the local archbishop forbade a Catholic wedding for the couple be celebrated in a casino chapel, as per Church norms. Some reports about the couple’s wedding had claimed: “Archbishop forbids Messi and Antonella to marry in the Church”. Fr Rubén Bellante, spokesman for the Argentinian archdiocese of Rosario, said that “neither the family of Messi nor the bride asked for a place in any parish in the city of Rosario, nor in the cathedral.” He emphasised: “At no time did Archbishop Eduardo Eliseo Martín deny the possibility of the sacrament of marriage,” he said. Messi, star of Barcelona FC and one of the best players in the world, had a civil marriage ceremony at the City Centre Casino Complex, south of Rosario, with 260 guests, including football stars and celebrities.
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Messi met Antonella when he was just fiveyears old, but officially their relationship started in 2008. The couple has two children: Thiago, 4, and Mateo, 1. Archbishop Martín intervened in the Messi wedding only when he was made aware that the couple was planning to construct a chapel in a casino and to have a priest facilitate the ceremony, Fr Bellante said. The archbishop banned the priest from facilitating a marriage at the casino. This is in keeping with Church tradition. Fr Bellante added that Archbishop Martín suggested that a sacramental marriage for Messi may have been possible in a private house, if such a thing had been requested and were necessary for reasons such as security. However, Messi himself never made requests to any parish in the archdiocese for a sacramental marriage, the priest said. Fr Bellante added that Archbishop Martín “would be happy” to provide Messi with the sacrament of marriage if it were requested and held in an approved place. “The doors remain open.”—CNA
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