Category Archives: Uncategorized

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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Ceasefire NOW petition

Dear colleagues and friends,

Now that the season of Advent is approaching, we are keenly aware of the pain arising from the senseless war in the Holy Land, where Jesus was born. Simultaneously, we aspire to embody true Hope and express solidarity with conflicts worldwide, particularly those in the Holy Land today.

In the spirit of compassion and solidarity that defines Caritas Internationalis, I extend to you an urgent and heartfelt invitation to join a global effort advocating for an immediate ceasefire in the Holy Land. This initiative, led by Ceasefire Now, calls upon individuals and organisations to lend their voices to a cause that transcends borders and demands our collective attention now by signing a global petition.

In fact, today marks the end of the Ceasefire, prompting us to invite the entire Confederation to unite through this symbolic action and sign the #CeasefireNOW petition. This petition has already garnered support from Caritas Jerusalem, Caritas MONA, and Caritas Internationalis, as well as 788 organisations from over 80 countries and more than 980,000 individuals. Its purpose is to amplify the global call for an immediate ceasefire, aiming to protect and save lives.

The goal of this petition is to mobilise 2.2 million people globally, equivalent to the population of Palestinians living in Gaza. The petition urges all world leaders, the UN Security Council and actors on the ground to take action now to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

Caritas Internationalis warmly invites all of you to join the #CeasefireNOW petition and help us reach 2.2 million signatures by:

Please find the translated versions of the open letter in English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew.   

As we approach the season of Advent, we hold onto hope, accompanying those who suffer globally, and particularly standing in solidarity with our colleagues in Caritas Jerusalem and Caritas MONA today.

Warm regards,

Alistair Dutton
Secretary General of Caritas InternationalisPalazzo
San CalistoV-00120
Vatican City
Email: Dutton@Caritas.va
Mobile:  +44 7795 176702Website: www.caritas.org		image001.png