Category Archives: Uncategorized

Live-streaming of the Installation of our new Archbishop

The Installation of our new Archbishop will take place at GrandWest Arena on Saturday 14 March at 10.00 a.m. It will be live-streamed directly to the YouTube and Facebook pages of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and has been shared with the Archdiocese of Cape Town Facebook and YouTube pages at the following respective addresses:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Any8w5DJS/

We ask you, please, to honour your ticket at the venue!

The Mass of Reception and Taking Possession of the Cathedral will also be live-streamed from St Mary’s Cathedral to the same YouTube and Facebook pages, on Sunday 15 March at 10.00 a.m. The links for this are:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1C9Sio8eWj/

A Faith Reflection on the arrival of the new Archbishop

3 February 2026. The “Neck” of the Church

A Faith Reflection on the arrival of the New Archbishop. This is an addendum to the faith reflection I posted on Facebook earlier today.

On the feast of St Blaise when traditionally we bless throats, I thought that seeing that the throat is synonymous with the neck, this gives an opportunity for another thought. In the OT the throat/neck is synonymous with life. To seize the enemy’s throat is to seize the enemy’s life. To crush the neck was to crush the life.

The Bridge Between Head and Body: In the mystical body of Christ, Jesus is the Head and the faithful are the body. The “neck” is the vital conduit that allows the life, and the breath to flow. The neck allows the Head to animate the rest of the body. An Archbishop acts as this spiritual “neck”, ensuring that the Word of God (the Head) flows into the life and actions of the local Church (the Body).

A Conduit for Breath and Voice: The throat is where we draw breath and find our voice. As we receive the blessing of the throat on the feast of St Blaise, we pray for healthy throats to “pronounce our prayers and to praise God’s holy name”. Similarly, the Archbishop’s primary task is to be a pastor and teacher, providing the “breath” of the Holy Spirit to the community and giving voice to the Gospel in our modern world.

Healing the “Choking Points”: St Blaise is famous for rescuing a small boy from choking on a fish bone. In any Diocese, community or family, there can be “choking points” such as conflicts, apathy, or scandals that prevent the grace of Christ from reaching all His people. We prepare for a new Archbishop in the sure hope that, through his leadership, these blockages will be cleared, allowing the Church to breathe freely again.

The Sacrifice of the Neck: St Blaise was a martyr who gave his life (his own neck) for the faith. Our new Archbishop shows a similar imitation of Christ, sacrificing comforts and personal desires to serve as the servant of the servants of God.

Bishop Sylvester David OMI
VG/Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town

Plenary Smiles

Some smiling faces at the Bishops’ Plenary in Pretoria. Submitted by Bishop Sylvester David OMI.

Rosary Week and Procession

“We, the parish of Holy Trinity Matroosfontein, invite all in the diocese to come and join us from Monday, 6 October until Sunday 12 October for our annual parish rosary week and procession.
See the poster below for the information for the week.
As it is also the Jubilee year, the Central Deanery will be processing from Holy Trinity, Matroosfontein to Holy Cross, Modderdam at 2pm on Sunday 12 October and we invite you to come and be part of this event.
At Holy Cross we will say the rosary together and listen to a talk by Sr Joanne, a Schoenstatt Sister, and close with Benediction.
Please do come and join us on the day.”

Parish Pastoral Council Elections

 

PPC Elections

During the months August – October, we will be having PPC elections in all parishes across the diocese of Cape Town.
It is a process of Awareness, Nominations, Elections and finally the installation of the PPC by November.
There are resources available for all parishes to download from the Parish Alive website at
https://parishalive.com/ppc-elections-2025/

Go to this webpage to download posters, presentations, webinar, templates, prayers, forms, handbook and more…

We learnt a lot from the Conclave election process of our beloved new Pope Leo XIV. We are the church and so our processes are guided by the Holy Spirit. We pray for our elections in each parish, where we too can have our own white smoke signifying the spiritual presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our elections.

Youth Day Battle of the Bands

To all parishes

A warm reminder that this Monday (16th) we will be celebrating a special Jubilee Youth Day, and we would love your support in making it a memorable occasion for our young people.

The celebration will begin with a liturgy celebrated by Bishop Sylvester at 10:00, followed by a light lunch. From 11:30 to 13:00, our youth and young adults will showcase their God-given talents in an exciting Battle of the Bands.

This year’s theme is “Hope”, as we mark the Jubilee in a joyful and meaningful way.

We kindly ask you to:

Encourage your youth, young adults and parish community to attend. Everyone is welcome!

Share the event details in your parish newsletters, on social media, and during Mass announcements.

Please note: There will be no Mass at Lansdowne on Monday, as we are celebrating at the Italian Club of Cape Town in Milnerton to accommodate a larger gathering in the spirit of the Jubilee Year.

Thank you for your continued support and collaboration. We look forward to seeing you and your parish community there!

Register your parish/ group at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jubilee-battle-of-the-bands-tickets-1374364042849?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Catholic Bookshop has moved

The Catholic Bookshop has moved alongside the Archdiocesan Chancery at No 14 Bouquet Street, Cape Town.  This is a short distance from where we were before and should be easy to find. Please see the map below.

Though our address is different, our telephone number 021 465 5904 and our email address sales@catholicbookshop.co.za will stay the same.  We are now open for business, but online purchases can also be made on our website: www.catholicbookshop.co.za. You can also contact on 063 222 2724.
Parking can be found in Roeland Street, Hope Street or St John’s Street.  For a clearer indication, click HERE and a Google Map will open.

Parish Alive Leadership Webinar

To All Priests and PPC Chairs

You are invited to attended a PARISH ALIVE LEADERSHIP WEBINAR – Leadership: Building and Leading Teams hosted by Parish Alive in cooperation with Divine Renovation.

PLEASE SEE POSTER below.

It will take place on Thursday, 11 April on ZOOM at 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

The topic is an important one that will cover how to build and manage teams once we have the portfolio coordinators in place. We are also delighted to welcome a guest speaker from the USA, Ryan Coyne who is a Leadership Coach with Divine Renovation.

The agenda allows for group discussions and also Q&A time. Please join us for what will surely be a worthwhile and interesting session.

REGISTER

It is important that everyone registers for the event. Please Register on the below link or contact Nick Bickell on 083 261 7181 or bickell@iafrica.com
REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/6qguu9Lt24eaD26y9

ZOOM MEETING DETAILS

Join Zoom Meeting Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82932563843?pwd=cUhvNlN1dW1UbjRNd3paKzJ2TWNVdz09
Meeting ID: 829 3256 3843 / Passcode: 953723

ABOUT GUEST SPEAKER

Ryan Coyne, Leadership Coach, Divine Renovation

Ryan has worked in parish ministry since 2015. He is currently a Leadership Coach at Divine Renovation where he and his team coach priests from across the world, develop content and mentor new coaches.

He holds a Master’s degree in Systematic Theology from Saint Vincent College. Ryan lives in Western Pennsylvania with his wife Allexsi and two sons, where he enjoys serving on the Pastoral Council at his home parish, Our Mother of Sorrows, in Johnstown.

He enjoys hiking and biking with his family and cheering on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ryan is also a member of his local Fire Department.

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