By Maduduza Zwane
Listening to the Word, participation in sacramental life
and charity services are ways to holiness says Fr Dumisani Vilakati Continue reading “Called to holiness”
Category: Parishes
Sts Peter and Paul Parish Honours the Memory of the Departed Parishioners
By: Sibongile Hlatshwayo (Sts Peter and Paul Parish, Kwaluseni)
The Covid-19 Pandemic took away a number of our beloved family members and during the lockdown the church could not celebrate Mass for any of them because of the strict restrictions by the government. Gatherings of any sort were not allowed and so were the night vigils; the body of the deceased could be collected from the morgue straight to the burial site something that was very unusual to us since the tradition has always been that a Requiem Mass be celebrated for the deceased something that did not happen during lockdown.
It is because of this that Sts Peter and Paul Parish decided to set a day for a joint celebration in honour of all those who died during the lockdown. This was a moment for the families and the church community to come together and honour in a more descent way our departed parishioners. According to the Parish Death Register, a total of twenty two parishioners were recorded to have died between January 2020 to the time when the celebration was conducted on Saturday the 8th of May, 2021. All the families of the deceased were notified of the event and were requested to submit portraits of the deceased. The news was received with great joy by family members even as some mentioned how much they cursed the pandemic for robbing them of the possibility to accord their departed ones a proper and a descent sendoff.
Continue reading “Sts Peter and Paul Parish Honours the Memory of the Departed Parishioners”
St Anne’s Sodality donates to Parish Caritas
by Swabsile Twala
On the second Sunday of August 2020: St Anne’s sodality made a presentation of a donation to Caritas in conjunction with the Daughter’s of St Anne’s.
The short service opened with a word of prayer by Fr F. Onyango who thanked God for the wonderful donation of food parcels and blessing of the participants who contributed.
Nomsa Khumalo who was the MC of the short service also expressed gratitude towards the heartfelt donation for the elderly and needy and appreciated the compassion displayed by the sodalities. Continue reading “St Anne’s Sodality donates to Parish Caritas”
MSMHC sisters reach out to the needy
by The sisters at Malkerns (MSMHC)
The outbreak of COVID 19 disease has posed great challenges to humanity worldwide and has reshaped our entire way of living. At the same time, a crisis is also a great opportunity to explore our creativity and innovative ideas to counteract these negative impacts. If we observe closely the whole world is afraid of Corona Virus. We the MSMHC (Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians), touched by the poverty and suffering people of Malkerns, planned to reach out to the needy, by offering them food, sanitisers, soap & Mask which is the basic need at this time. There are thousands of people who live from hand to mouth, on a daily basis. With the deprivation of jobs, there are many who have lost their livelihood. And COVID-19 has done this to millions.Since the lockdown, we the sisters of Likhaya LaMaria- Srs. Elsa P. Joseph, Mary Clara Topno and Susan Soren, based at St. John Bosco Parish Malkerns ESwatini have been engaged in a wide variety of activities, including: Continue reading “MSMHC sisters reach out to the needy”
Covid-19 Campaign – OLOA
by Fr S. Ndwandwe
On the 15th May 2020, after the Bishop of Manzini’s COVID 19 CAMPAIGN, members of the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral Parish and other Christians attached to FEED MASTERS-MATSAPHA responded to APPEAL NUMBER: Hunger Alleviation by donating food for 10 families (cooking oil, beans, sugar and rice).
Frs Mark James OP, Sakhile Ndwandwe and Dabulamanzi Tshangase recieved the goodies on behalf of the Bishop of Manzini. Caritas ESwatini will distribute the Food. We are most grateful to the Lord who continues to be charitable in our various little ways.
SODV act Workshop at Good Shepherd Parish
by Fr TV Mabuza
On Saturday 29 February 2020, Good Shepherd Parish had a successful workshop on SODVA facilitated by Mr Melusi Matsenjwa a Lawyer by profession and a Parishioner of Mater Dolorosa Parish. This workshop was funded by the Denis Hurley Peace Institute in Pretora.
It was attended by members of the Parish Pastoral Council Executive, representatives from the outstations, CCJP commettee members, representatives from the sodalities at Good Shepherd Parish and a few students from Good Shepherd High School. The number of people who attended the workshop was close to 50 even though the weather conditions were unfriendly as it was cold. Continue reading “SODV act Workshop at Good Shepherd Parish”
Celebration of lives lost through HIV/AIDS
by Hamilton Khoza
CELEBRATION OF THE LIVES OF ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WE LOST THROUGH THE HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC*
On Sunday 1st December 2019, The St. Joseph Sacred Heart Sodality and Parishioners celebrated the beginning of Advent; a period in our Calendar that ushers in observance of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to our world in the form of a human being.
The liturgy was prepared in a way and manner that included celebrating the lives of our brothers and sisters we lost over the years through the dreaded disease caused by acquiring the HIV Virus. This also included a prayer for all those who were affected by the loss of their loved ones.
Continue reading “Celebration of lives lost through HIV/AIDS”
A feast with a difference
by Bishop José Luis IMC
Sunday was the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. In our diocese it is an important feast as two parishes are called: “Mater Dolorosa” (Mbabane) and “Our Lady of Sorrows” (Hluthi). It is also an important feast for our “founding fathers” the Servants of Mary and the Sisters of the Servite family: Mantellate and Swazi Servite Sisters. The invitation came from St Joseph’s parish outside Manzini. They wanted to celebrate this feast bringing together the widows and widowers of the parish.
Arriving at the parish I asked Fr Wandile Dlamini OSM who is the parish administrator how many of them were expected to attend. He said: “we were giving a list with 100 names”. It was completely unexpected to me to hear of such a big number and, as he shared with me, also to him. No one guessed there were so many and, I believe, most of them – if not all – were there. Continue reading “A feast with a difference”