“Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” John 21: 6

It was like a gathering of the clans on Saturday, 15 February. From across the whole of the Archdiocese of Cape Town PPC members came to the third annual Summit of Parish Alive. Nearly 500 people from 73 churches/parishes represented their parishes in a morning of praise and worship, keynote talks, group discussions and sharing. People came from far and wide, representing the beautiful and rich diversity of our archdiocese but with unbreakable bonds of unity, understanding and love for one another. The Holy Spirit was certainly moving in this space, and words cannot describe that feeling of joy which is not of this world.

Parish Alive was launched in November 2022, soon after Covid. It has been a programme of hope and renewal embraced by parishes across the Archdiocese. Each parish has adopted Parish Alive at its own pace to bring renewed vigour and vitality into parish life. As witnessed at the 2025 Summit this year, the Catholic church and the parishes in the Archdiocese of Cape Town are alive with the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis has said on countless occasions that the parish is at the heart of the Church and where the Church lives – the home of the Church. Parishes are communities within communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent out to renew the earth.

The Summit agenda was full. It started with a beautiful opening liturgy with readings and praise, and we thank Alison Dunn for preparing it with such care.

Fr Zane Godwin, Episcopal Vicar of Pastoral Development opened and welcomed all to the Summit which was then followed by our first Keynote Talk by Fr Nkululeko Qokolo, Director of the isiXhosa and Sesotho Apostolate. Fr Nkululeko gave an impassioned talk entitled “Vision for creativity, renewal and restoration”. His stories impressed upon us that the church community is a home where people should feel a sense of belonging. People are there because they want to be there – we are, after all, brothers and sisters. He spoke about creativity, and gave the example given in John 21:3-18, where after a night of catching no fish, Jesus advised the apostles to cast their nets on the other side of the boat – and their nets filled to bursting. Creativity is exactly that – to fish in a different direction. He suggested we do that by going out to tell people where we are, by evangelizing and going out from our comfort zones.
He spoke about renewal that starts with a personal journey and then develops into relational renewal with others. He also made some challenging and inspiring comments about what indeed community is, or could be. He then went on to talk about restoration. People are seeking connections and people who are hurt or wounded need healing – we all do at some stage in our lives. In our parishes we are called to be beacons of hope and renewal in the modern secular world. St Paul said we are all made new in Christ. It is in Christ that we are restored. In him we find the truth and in him tranquility and peace that cannot be found elsewhere. The world cannot give us this.

Following Fr Nkululeko, there was the opportunity for everyone to meet up in groups and discuss two questions: 1. Identify other creative ways of building your parish community, and 2. How can we embrace diversity in our parish communities. The buzz in the hall was a testimony to great discussions, sharing, learning, commitment and engagement.

Dominque Yon’s topic was “Engaging youth and young adults in parishes as a strategy for parish renewal and transformation” and she spoke powerfully as she always does, campaigning for the youth. Pope Francis has said “Young people are the window through which the future enters the world” and if we believe this, we will recognize that the youth does not only represent the present but also the future of our church. If we do not involve and empower the youth in the church today, what will become of our church in the future? This question should haunt every PPC member. The responsibility lies heavily with us all today to think beyond ourselves and our time. We need to do today whatever we can to ensure the future of our church. It may not be an easy task – indeed often in life the important and noble things are not easy.

But let us not falter with this vital task. Let us embrace the youth and listen to them in a truly synodal way. We may be surprised and delighted and charmed at what they have to say and tell us! We may be invigorated by their ideas. And if we stumble and make mistakes, then rather we would have done that and learnt, than never have tried. Change is never comfortable – but when the future of our church is at stake, then surely, we can bravely cast our nets on the other side of the boat. Jesus was radical. God loves us extravagantly. We were forgiven all our sins. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Our faith is not a bland, faded watercolour – it is a vibrant colourful textured and dynamic faith with an infinite store of treasures. It is alive.

In his closing remarks, Fr Zane thanked everyone – the speakers, the organizing team, Our Lady Help of Christians, our unfailing host venue, and all who were there. He challenged everyone returning to parishes to think beyond themselves. Today we are leaders of the local church. In this moment of time, we are charged with an important responsibility to lead as servant leaders. We would not be doing our job if we did not look to the future and look beyond ourselves – and if we need to fish from the other side of the boat we should listen to, and trust, the Holy Spirit, because in those waters we will surely find an abundance and a bright way to the future. We are today’s stewards, let us do our part today to assure a better future. This is LEADING IN THE SPIRIT OF THE JUBILEE.
You can watch the videos from the Parish Alive Summit on the Parish Alive YouTube channel at this link https://www.youtube.com/@ParishAlive
Karen Parkin
Parish Alive Team

For further images of the Parish Alive Summit 2025 and other interesting articles in the Archdiocesan News, visit: https://adct.org.za/wp-content/uploads/ad-news-1-of-2025.pdf

CARDINAL BRISLIN INSTALLED AS ARCHBISHOP OF JOHANNESBURG: Cardinal Stephen Brislin was installed as Archbishop of Johannesburg at St Benedict’s College, Bedfordview on 25 January 2025. ABOVE LEFT: Papal Nuncio to South Africa, Archbishop Henryk Jagodzinski, presents the papal bull to the people.
TAKING POSSESSION OF CATHEDRAL: ABOVE RIGHT: Cardinal Brislin kneels in prayer at the entrance to Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg at the beginning of the Mass in which he takes possession of his Cathedral.
Further pictures of his installation can be found HERE and of the taking possession of his Cathedral HERE and HERE.
Images by Sheldon Reddiar of Sacred Photos, Johannesburg.

For further interesting articles and pics about our archdiocese, please see Archdiocesan News 1 of 2025

HOT OFF THE DIGITAL PRESS: Our first edition of 2025 features the following: Jubilee Inauguration Mass for the Archdiocese of Cape Town; Cardinal Brislin’s installation as Archbishop of Johannesburg and the Taking Possession of his Cathedral of Christ the King; Youth Leaders’ Empower Conference; Parish Alive Summit 2025; Farewell Mass for Cardinal Stephen Brislin; A reflection on Lent by Bishop Sylvester David OMI; Merely a Servant – a focus on Vocations; Rite of Election; The Role of Psycho-Social Support at Salesian Institute Youth Projects; Buckets of Love 2024; Musings on Unity in Marriage on St Valentine’s Day; Cathedral Tours; The Little Carpenter – a story by Fr Ralph de Hahn; How the CPLO influences Legislation (and other interesting articles).

ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS 1 OF 2025 DOWNLOAD

IN THIS BUMPER EDITION: All about celebrating Jubilee 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope; Youth XLT and Hike & Retreat; More visitors to the Red Carpet; Benemerenti Medal for 60 years loyal service; Cardinal Brislin’s last ‘From the Heart’; Christmas wishes from Kolping SA; Farewell Cardinal Stephen Brislin; How Youth Ministry shaped my Vocation; AIDS Day Thanksgiving Celebration; Catechetical Thanksgiving; Salesian Youth Projects opens doors to the Maritime Industry; Daswa Shrine Pilgrimage; Dear Married Couples…; World Day for the Elderly – in Action; Cardinal’s presentation at the Eco-Bishops’ Conference; How to make a child’s Christmas wish come true; Babe in a Cave; The Township Economy: More than meets the eye and other interesting articles from the CPLO; CPD Training Dates for 2025.

Download the Archdiocesan News here: https://adct.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ad-news-4-of-2024.pdf

IN THIS BUMPER EDITION: Feedback on the Parish Culture Survey 2024; Diaconate Ordination; Together for Creation Youth Night & Youth Hike; Latest visitors to ‘the Red Carpet’; Little Sisters say fond farewell to Cape Town; Consecration of Fransalian Associates; The Vocational River and noises of discernment; Catering for Youth and Confirmation Groups at CBC Stellenbosch; 2024 Catechetical Festival; Mandela Day; Parish Jubilees; Season of Creation – how you can get involved; Kolping News; Extending the spirit of giving at St Josephs Home; Retrouvaille – healing hurting marriages; Preparing for Jubilee 2025 with Bishop Sylvester; Preparing for Marriage – a fulfilling and vital ministry; Choir Festivals, Sports Tournament and more with the Catholic Schools Office; The Two Pot System, and a feast of interesting reading with CPLO publications; Making a difference at Caritas; Brush Strokes and Blessings at St Kizito; Cultivating Sustainability with the Salesian Hydroponics Eco Ubuntu Project.

DOWNLOAD HERE: https://adct.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ad-news-3-of-2024.pdf

HOT OFF THE ‘DIGITAL PRESS’ – Archdiocesan News 2 of 2024: In this edition: Cardinal takes possession of titular church; Joy as Cape Town welcomes newly ordained priest; Youth Day 17 June; On the Red Carpet; From the Heart; Spiritual Accompaniment Course; Bishop Eddie Adams turns 90; Youth Mission in Oudtshoorn; Easter Retreat for Ministries; Pentecost Revival ignites Spiritual Renewal in Kraaifontein; Walking the Talk at Queen of Peace; New NOAH centre for Social Seniors; Salesian Sewing Programme micro-factory; Vocations – a Family Affair; All about Marriage Encounter; Of Such is the Kingdom; CBC hosts Beyond Borders Symposium; Cancer – the Quite Pandemic; Advocating for the Rights of Children webinar; The Best of Bellville; Justice and Peace and Laudato Si’.

Download this edition here: ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS 2 OF 2024

In the most recent edition of the ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS, our quarterly Archdiocesan tabloid, Engaged Encounter and Marriage Encounter feature quite prominently. Be sure to read more on this on page 12, as well as a variety of interesting articles and reflections on other pages.

In 1968, Marriage Encounter (ME) couples began developing a programme for the preparation of couples to the vocation of matrimony, and by 1974 ME grew into its own autonomous movement. It has since spread to numerous countries, including South Africa in March 1981. In 2024 the Engaged Encounter communities, who present 20 or so weekends per year reaching up to 400 couples, will be marking the golden jubilee of this church-recognised marriage preparation programme. On the weekend of 23-25 February three weekends took place, run by the Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town communities.

The first weekend in Cape Town took place in 1992, and Deacon Phillip Prince and his wife Patsy were among the stalwarts who kept the programme going for many of the 30 plus years in the Archdiocese. For weekends to be run, it depends on the efforts of a handful of committed and self-sacrificing couples, who bravely share their personal stories. At present only three couples and one priest are available locally to present the four Cape Town weekends a year. We are looking for volunteers to assist, as we would love to double the number of weekends per year. For that to happen we need to double the number of presenting couples. On our previous weekend, engaged couples came from as far as Nababeep and PE (Qheberha) just for the weekend.
The evaluation of the programme by the participants is always overwhelmingly positive, and it is a pity that more engaged couples don’t have the opportunity of attending this very intense and comprehensive retreat-like experience.

Some comments from the latest weekends:
“This is the most amazing personal development session I have ever encountered in my entire life. ‘…’ it is a great way to start conversations that engaged couples should be having. All the topics discussed provided lots of real-life experiences that were very helpful.”
“It’s a tremendous amount of wisdom that dispels a lot of myths of marriage. It takes marriage back to its roots and removes all the marketing and Hollywood that is dominating the viewpoint of marriage. It gives you a grounding and a realistic view of what marriage is and what it takes to make it work.”
“The real-life examples from couples and the stresses they went though and how they pushed through them. It made me realize that difficulties in marriages are not signs to exit the marriage. They are just growing pains.”
And to the question ‘Did anything on the weekend affect your relationship with God and/or the Church?’: “The weekend actually brought me much closer to God, and we intend to make him the foundation of our relationship. The weekend also boosted my confidence in the church that has always guided us through good morals and values.”
“Yes, we realize that we need to be more involved and do more for the church and community.”
“This reinforced our desire to get back onto our spiritual journey.”

Watch this space for a notice about a general get together of past participants later this year to celebrate the Golden Jubilee.

Fr Francois Dufour SDB

This month we focus on Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. To this end, our vocations team have prepared various inputs which have, and will be, posted on our Facebook page throughout the month of April.

The following article, from the most recent edition of the Archdiocesan News, speaks about vocational discernment. It is worth a read!

The term Vocation has its roots in Latin, from the word vocare which means to call or to invoke. This call begins with baptism in the Catholic faith. As Catholics, we have two vocations, firstly a common vocation that we are all called to. Secondly, we have a unique vocation which is specific to each one of us. Firstly this shared vocation, which all of the followers of Christ share, is a call to holiness and to spread the Gospel through evangelisation.

Secondly, each individual is called uniquely and each person responds to that call differently. Some are called to serve in the ministerial priesthood, others embrace religious life while the laity are called to encounter God in their everyday lives, whether married or celibate.

Another important word not to be overlooked when talking about a vocation is discernment. Discernment, similar to vocation, originates from the Latin word Discernere which means to perceive or to distinguish. The discernment of a vocation is a process of perceiving and distinguishing one’s calling. It is like exploring one’s deepest desires implanted in one’s heart by God. Our strengths and interests can be viewed as gifts from God which constitute the deepest desire planted in one’s heart. Discernment looks at how God has called and shaped one and eliminates worldly distractions which derail one’s journey to discovering one’s vocation while focusing on one’s God-given gifts.

An important thing to bear in mind is that there is no such thing as a good or bad vocation. At the beginning of my journey to the priesthood, a journey which I am still currently on, I had to go to discernment classes. The priest who was conducting the workshop was the vocations director. He mentioned something that to this day I cannot forget. He said, “That all vocations are good on their own.” So it is not the case of choosing which vocation is good and which one is bad, but rather of discovering among the various good vocations which vocation is better for you.

In my personal experience, the journey of discovering one’s vocation is never wasted even if one discovers later that the vocation one has chosen is not the vocation one is called to. In a situation like that, although one has followed a particular path not in alignment with that seed planted deep inside one’s heart, one discovers what truly lies dormant and comes out with a better understanding and a clear picture of what God is calling one to do.
Another thing I should not neglect to mention is that my journey began out of curiosity. I just wanted to see what was happening in the seminary, as I heard many of the elders in my parish community speak about the need for priests and encouraged me to give it a go. I decided to give in after a while and began my journey.

Fast forward a few years and I am still here. I know many of my classmates who did the same, some are here while others discovered that their calling was slightly different than what they initially thought. Although I had the desire at a young age to be like my first parish priest, I did not fully realise this desire at the time I entered the seminary. When I realised it, I discovered that regardless of what my vocation was, going to the seminary was the correct decision. I felt that regardless of what my vocation was I would discover it by the end of the year. It is only then that one can decide on whether to continue or to leave if one’s vocation is elsewhere.

I grew exponentially in the space of a year which was a result of prayer, meditation and reflection. It felt like I lived 10 years in one year because the way I thought and my view on life changed drastically. By following the seminary programme, one not only learns about various prayer methods and mediation styles, but one discovers the deepest desire planted in one’s heart by God. In my experience, it is the only place where one can slow down, be silent without distractions, and be with God.

Brett Young
4th Year Theology

On 17 February 2024, Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) leaders came from the four corners of the Archdiocese of Cape Town to attend the Parish Alive Summit held at Our Lady Help of Christians in Lansdowne. What a gathering and what a sense of unity and joy with almost 500 people from 73 parishes/churches present!

On 19 November 2022, Parish Alive was launched, so this was a celebration of the first anniversary of Parish Alive in the Archdiocese. There could not be a more appropriate name for this movement because the overall spirit of the Summit was that our parishes are alive with the Holy Spirit and a hunger to bring the Kingdom of God into the local communities. Our faith is alive, our church is alive. Each parish is unique and has its own journey to travel. But what the Parish Alive Summit showed is the great unity shared by all. Love and commitment to our faith strongly binds us together.

The Summit’s opening liturgy was led by and presided over by Cardinal Stephen Brislin. The roof of the church was certainly raised as everyone joined in the opening hymn “Here in this place, a new light is shining”. The theme of the opening liturgy could be summarized in the reading of Phil 2:1-4, which speaks of unity and of being in one spirit, and of one mind. In his address, the Cardinal spoke about synodality which, he explained, lies at the foundation of the Church. The synodal process is unique and is deeply spiritual, rooted in prayer and guided by the Holy Spirit. The Servant Song concluded the opening liturgy with the powerful words “Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?” reminding us of Christ’s example of servant leadership that we are called to follow, especially in our roles as parish leaders.

Father Zane Godwin’s talk was entitled ‘An Invitational and Welcoming Church and Making the Most of the Weekend experience.’ The essential identity of the Church is to be missionary – through our baptism we are all called to be missionary. Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of The Gospel, speaks to this nature of the Church. Fr Zane spoke of a church that involves all and needs to be outward focused. Indeed, the church is one of the few organizations that exists for the people who are not members. Naturally the church needs to minister with love and care to all its members, but we should be inspired and challenged to invite others to share and participate in the good news. It should even disturb us that so many do not have what we have – a relationship with Jesus. For many, being missionary, going out and being invitational is challenging. So how do we create opportunities for being invitational? We should not underestimate the power of the individual who simply invites others – something good is going on here, come and see. Once we have invited people to come, we need to be sure that they have something to come to, a great reception – a welcoming church. We need to practice radical hospitality and from the moment a person arrives at the church, they should experience the love and warmth of a Christian community where everyone (not just the few) is engaged in hospitality. The Mass is the source and summit of our faith – it is the high point of the Christian life and it should be our deepest desire to share it with others. The weekend experience is what the majority of people experience in the Church and so it should be our priority to make it the extraordinary experience it rightfully should be, so that it has the greatest impact on people. (Also see Theology Today on page 6 in the AD News). Fr Zane introduced youth leader, Claudio de Sousa, who gave a powerful testimony of how the youth have responded to a welcoming invitational church in St John’s, Maitland.

One of the highlights of the Summit was the breakout session. Almost 60 groups each with six people randomly assigned gathered to talk about three questions: What a newcomer arriving for Mass for the first time or the first time in many years might realistically experience; What concrete things can we start doing to make our parishes more mission-oriented; and How we can actively engage long-time, regular parishioners in ministry and mission. The hall was buzzing with lively discussion, and we are thrilled that, with everyone’s help, we captured the results – which will be shared.

Nqobile Ngobo’s talk was about ‘Missionary Disciples’. She developed the definition of a disciple as someone who has a transformational encounter with Jesus, surrenders to him and follows him. We are called to imitate Jesus. When our lives are transformed, we transform our parishes. As Peter stepped out of the boat in faith to follow Jesus, so too does Jesus call to us saying ‘come’! Pope Benedict XVI said that ‘evangelization is to teach the art of living’. And so, from disciples we become missionary disciples – we transform ourselves and in turn our parishes. And ‘Like Jesus with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, so the Church becomes the travelling companion of people.’ (Pope John Paul II)

In the panel discussion, the theme of being missionary and evangelizing was further explored by the different speakers who talked about the important role of youth in our parishes (Dominique Yon); how we can evangelize in our everyday life, in the home, at school, in the workplace (Nqobile Ngcobo); the benefits of Parish Alive (Nick Bickell); and the way in which music in the church is deeply spiritual and touches the soul in a unique and special way (Alison Dunn).

The Summit fittingly ended with Benediction, celebrated by Bishop Sylvester David OMI. Bishop Sylvester summarized impressions of the day. Without a doubt the message of the day is that the Church is missionary and just as the apostles were called to be with Jesus and then sent out, so we too must do the same. It is about mission and we are called to do beautiful things for God. He said that in the Church there are no spectators, we need to be active participants. Bishop Sylvester ended with a hopeful message that we can see what hope God’s call has for each person. (Read Bishop Sylvester’s talk in his From the Book column on page 11 in the AD News).

And with this message we were sent….

Karen Parkin
Parish Alive Team Member and PPC Chair of Constantia Parish

HOT OFF THE ‘DIGITAL PRESS’: In this edition: Parish Alive Summit 2024; Youth Empower Conference; Liturgical Music Training; Spiritual Accompaniment Course; Priests focus on Synodal Priesthood; Respond-ing to Disaster; Uplifting Revival Day at St Monica’s; Cardinal celebrates with the Diocese of Manzini and the Diocese of Kroonstad; Children Celebrating Liturgy; Kolping knitting and crochet marathon; St Joseph’s wins Best NGO award for 2024; Vocational Discernment; Engaged Encounter celebrate 50 years; No Greater Love; An Utterly Broken Visa Regime.

ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS 1 OF 2024 DOWNLOAD