We dare to dream of a peaceful Southern Africa

Memorial lecture: Fr Dumisani Vilakati’s address 

On Saturday 22 May 2021
our diocese held the third “Bishop Zwane Memorial Lecture”
under the topic

We dare to dream of a peaceful Southern Africa:
Reflections on Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti

Below is Fr D. Vilakati’s address

Memory does not mean a matter that has come and gone. On the contrary, memory, following the best of the Jewish and our liturgical traditions, means presence. Therefore, the memory of Bishop Mandlenkhosi Zwane is an act of making him present and participating in the life of the Church in the here and now. He is inviting us to continue engaging in a culture of encounter so as to foster peace and harmony in the Southern African Region.

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We dare to dream…

Bp José Luis IMC (Bishop of Manzini)

Bishop Zwane Memorial Lecture
Bishop’s remarks

This is the third “Bishop Zwane Memorial Lecture” we celebrate in our diocese and, I believe, we can now officially call it a diocesan tradition. One or two lectures might not make it so, but three probably put the foundation. I thank the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace working under Caritas Eswatini for making it possible. I am very much aware of the amount of work it entailed.

After the first lecture – in which we particularly remembered the impact of Bishop Zwane in our diocese, in our country and in Southern Africa – having consulted our priests, I decided that the following ones would address topics he had at heart or that we believe he would have had at heart today.

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The annual Bishop Zwane Memorial Lecture

By: Bp José Luis IMC (Bishop of Manzini)

“The Catholic Diocese of Manzini, through the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Eswatini (CCJP), celebrates the life and work of Bishop Aloysius Zwane who was one of the most progressive priests of his time. In fact, ahead of his time, we remember him as a uniquely fearless opponent of social and economic injustices and a man of great honor and principle”

With these words, the CCJP announces the coming lecture to be held on Saturday 22 May 2021 at the Cathedral.

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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.

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Launch of the Year of St. Joseph

By: Hamilton Khoza 

Click here for the photo album of the launch

The day began in earnest very early in the morning with Parishioners and Guests from other Parishes streaming in towards St. Joseph from all directions as early as 0600hrs.
The working teams were busy tying the loose ends and pitching up additional tents, ensuring that since the weather was threatening with an early morning cold front, all guests would be comfortable as much as possible.

The tempo changed at about 09:15hrs when the Fathers began to arrive in their vehicles; some in pairs and others in three some in the vehicles. One could tell that a big event was about to take place at St. Joseph. Joseph the Father of Jesus Christ, St. Joseph the Worker… St. Joseph the Patron of our Faith was at work already! It was his Feast!
Holy Mass began at 10:20hrs and all the expected guests in attendance; social distancing was fully observed under the watchful eyes of the Catholic Nurses Guild.

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Reflection on Palm Sunday – Year B

By: Fr Christopher Maseko

Palm Sunday Homily (Year B) 28 March 2021 - YouTubeClick here for Sunday’s readings

The Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion marks the start and the holiest time of the liturgical year of the Catholic Church; the Holy Week. Today’s liturgy combines two contrasting moments, one of glory, the other of suffering – the welcome of Jesus and His entry into Jerusalem through the Last Supper to his crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

We are told that Christ came into this world to announce the Good News. What was the good news he came to announce? It was the proclamation of the kingdom. You have often heard the expressions ‘Kingdom of God’ and ‘Kingdom of Heaven.’ The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven mean one and the same thing. If someone we to ask you as to what it was that you understood by the expression ‘Kingdom of God’ I wonder what you would have to say. The Kingdom of God is not a territory like the kingdom of Eswatini. The Kingdom of God means the reign of God in our lives. It is the central petition of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ – Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. In fact, God’s Kingdom comes when His will is done in our lives. To belong to the Kingdom one must make a clear-cut decision. “no one,” said Jesus, “ who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” There must be total commitment.

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Reflection on the Fifth Sunday of Lent – Year B

By: Fr Christopher Maseko

HOMILY FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B (4) - Catholic For LifeClick here for Sunday’s reading

Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord; and where I am, there also will my servant be. The message we hear in today’s Gospel, this Sunday, will again help us to prepare ourselves for Easter. It will help us to understand more clearly what Christ did for us at Easter.

In the Gospel we hear of some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. This was extraordinary. Greeks were not of the race as the Jews; they were regarded as strangers and heathens. Surprisingly, Jesus rejoiced that they wanted to see him. In his spirit, he saw himself dying on the cross, all races and nations assembled around the cross. Therefore he said: when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. Jesus wanted to die for all races and nations and bind them to himself with bonds of love. For he once mentioned that there is no grater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

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Reflection on the Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B

By: Fr Christopher Maseko

HOMILY/REFLECTION FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B (1) - Catholic For  LifeClick here for Sunday’s reflection

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” In the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan, God declared that he was well pleased with him because he intended to use him to play a significant role in winning back the whole of humanity that had strayed away from him. This aspect of being well pleased with his son demonstrates the undying love God has for those who would be followers of Jesus. The same is true of our parents when we are brought in this world, they are, of course, well pleased more so, if we are obedient to them. Our obedience will, inevitably have a positive impact on our parents and family at large. Many would even wish to have been members of this family.

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