the southern Cross, May 22 to May 28, 2019
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Archbishop honoured by St Augustine College By erIN Carelse
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AINT Augustine College held its annual graduation ceremony at its Victory Park campus in Johannesburg, and was honoured to confer the Bonum Commune Award on the city’s Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI. Equivalent to an honorary doctorate conferred by state universities, the Bonum Commune recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to education, the common good and/or St Augustine. The ceremony was preceded by a Mass concelebrated by Archbishops Jabulani Nxumalo OMI and Tlhagale, Mgr Marc de Muelenaere and eight priests from the archdioceses of Johannesburg and Pretoria. The graduation was presided over by St Augustine grand chancellor Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo OMI of Bloemfontein, and commenced with the presentation of the annual report by college president Professor
Garth Abraham. This highlighted the important academic research being conducted by staff and the ongoing development of degree and certificate programmes. St Augustine head of theology Dr Sr Judith Coyle OMI read the citation for Archbishop Tlhagale, emphasising the key contribution he had made to starting the college. It was while then-Fr Tlhagale was serving as secretary general of the Catholic bishops’ conference, in 1995, that he promoted the establishment of what was to become St Augustine College; further, Archbishop Tlhagale was the first grand chancellor from 1999-2011. Dr Coyle also mentioned his wider service to the Church and society in South Africa. Apart from his role as parish priest, Archbishop Tlhagale has lectured at St Peter’s Seminary and St Joseph’s Scholasticate. After a stint with the South African Council of Churches, working in its justice and peace depart-
archbishop Buti tlhagale oMI of Johannesburg was awarded the Bonum Commune award by st augustine College. With him are (left) lebo Majahe and Judy stockill, both of the archdiocese’s AD News.
ment, he was liaison officer and director of the Educational Opportunities Council, working to provide research and study opportunities for disadvantaged South Africans. Following his role as secretary general of the SACBC, Fr Tlhagale was appointed archbishop of Bloemfontein in 1999, where he served for five years before moving to the diocese of Johannesburg. In 2007, when the diocese was elevated to a metro-
politan see, he became the first archbishop of Johannesburg. He has served as SACBC president (2001-12) and as president of the Interregional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa. The archbishop has been a member of the Roman Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments as well as of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
He has also been co-chair of South Africa’s National Interfaith Council. Currently Archbishop Tlhagale is the SACBC liaison bishop for migrants and refugees, a patron of the Community Agency for Social Enquiry, and a non-executive director of Ubuntu-Botho Investments. He is the author of numerous books and articles, addressing concerns including labour, liberation, inculturation, and education. Archbishop Tlhagale’s most recent publication (2018), Pastoral Letters on Mary and Matters Ancestral, addresses the relationship between Catholic belief and devotion, and African traditional beliefs and practices. Following the conferral of degrees, all were addressed by Elizabeth Maepe, a member of the St Augustine board of directors. She stressed the privileged position of new graduates and encouraged them to make a positive contribution to society.
Gold for St Joseph the Worker parish SA nun on Rome human trafficking By erIN Carelse
conference: start awareness at home
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ARISHIONERS and guests of St Joseph the Worker parish in Bosmont, Johannesburg, celebrated the church’s golden jubilee, and were reminded of its special and rich history. The event was marked by Mass led by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI, concelebrated by current parish priest Fr Uzo Ohanele, ex-parish priests Frs Richard Stonier, Cletus Onwudiwe and Ronnie Houreld, and Deacon Wally Adams. Representatives from the Holy Family Sisters, Dominican Sisters, St Vincent de Paul and Knights of Da Gama— who have all played a role in the development of the community since 1969—were also present to celebrate St Joseph the Worker’s five decades. Archbishop Tlhagale unveiled two granite plaques after Mass. The first marked the 50th anniversary, and the second the original priest Fr Jan Molenaar OMI and architect Donald Turgel. All guest were treated to a digital and picture exhibition of the parish’s history, and a commemorative brochure was launched and sold. A three-course lunch
By erIN Carelse
A Parishioners and guests at the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of st Joseph the Worker church in Bosmont, Johannesburg. followed, plus various activities. The background to St Joseph’s church’s unique octagonal shape includes a Dutch priest’s team comprising a Jewish architect who had never designed a church before, an Italian builder, gifts from Afrikaners, paintings by a Protestant, and sculpture by an African, all in a coloured community at the height of apartheid in 1969. St Joseph’s was the first Christian church in Bosmont. The Bosmont Masjid mosque was completed in 1966 and St Luke’s Anglican church in 1972.
N international conference on human trafficking, convened by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, took place in Rome and was an opportunity to focus on practical implementation of the pastoral guidelines on trafficking. Sr Melanie O’Connor HF, of the counter-trafficking in persons office at the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, who attended the conference, said the power and passion which emanated from the round-table discussions expressed forcibly what the Church at all levels needs to engage in. “This we do, bearing in mind Pope Francis’ exhortations, that only a joint and global effort by all actors will dismantle and eradicate this inhuman activity. It be-
gins with reminding parents and family members about their role as first protectors against traffickers,” explained Sr O’Connor. “No doubt, the pope’s messages on human trafficking and the enormous importance he attaches to the plight of the men, women, and children enslaved by this ‘aberrant plague’, an ‘open wound on the body of contemporary society’, came sharply into focus,” she said. Two hundred participants from Church organisations and representatives of bishops’ conferences reflected on Pope Francis’ booklet Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking, and looked to turn his call into concrete actions. Sr O’Connor said delegates were urged to denounce illegal practices and engage in initiatives to work towards fairness and justice for all. She said this also means working to enhance
legal pathways for migrants and asylum seekers landing on our doorsteps, many of whom easily fall prey to traffickers. “We were reminded that the work of raising awareness on human trafficking must begin at home, so too, the work of growing a healthy respect for one’s own body and that of another,” the South African nun said. “While we may speculate on the shamefulness of slavery or the oppression of another, little do we think that ultimately it is the demand for certain services, such as sexual pleasure, that makes exploitation possible,” Sr O’Connor noted. “If there were no demand, we would not have the terrible problem of young women, especially, landing up on our streets and in brothels and thrown out when they are no longer of use to their ‘slave owners,’” she said.
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