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Ordination ‘a tale of two cities’ By SyDNEy DUvAl
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HE Johannesburg ordination of Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father Bonga Majola began with his confrere Archbishop Buti Tlhagale introducing it as a “Tale of Two Cities”, featuring wealthy Sandton and the township culture of Alexandra, where the ordination took place. Speaking to the gathering of some 2 000 priests, religious, laity, family and friends at St Hubert’s parish, the archbishop of Johannesburg said Sandton may have more resources and status, but “Alex” was the richer of the two through its generosity of spirit and Christian solidarity, because the people were served by a parish with a long history of generous service to the people who in turn were generous to each other, and because of its many vocations—it had produced priests who were talked about for years to come. Archbishop Tlhagale interpretation of the dynamic contrast between the two societies found affirmation in the ordination itself which demonstrated for those present that the people of St Hubert’s know how to celebrate in style and to organise “an unforgettable and beautiful experience touched by cultural diversity with singing in Sotho, Zulu, English, Latin and Italian”. The use of Italian was in recognition of the years Fr Majola, 30, studied theology at the Oblates’ International Scholasticate at Rome from 2008. Br Thabo Mothiba, a fellow Oblate scholastic at Cedara and also from St Hubert’s, was thanked for his role in organising the celebration. Archbishop Tlhagale devoted his homily to a core message which explored the qualities that give a priest a unique identity. “The very sacrament of ordination, the out-calling of the spirit on this occasion, the reception of the seal of the Holy Spirit, gives the priest his identity, so his first identity derives from the very act of ordination and
Fr Bonga Majola (also seen inset) receives a special candle incorporating his motto and symbols, made by Sr Melina Seiler (right), a Franciscan Nardini working at Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. (Photos: Sydney Duval) from receiving the gift of Holy Spirit,” he said. “The priest derives his identity from sharing in the works of redemption, in the saving work of Jesus Christ, so he receives his identify from the Good Shepherd. “A priest also receives his identity from being completely oriented to a life of service, serving the Church and serving God’s people. “These are three sources of a priest’s identity. They come from receiving the seal of the Holy Spirit, from sharing the work of Christ and from serving God’s people. So the life and work of the priest are inseparable. The priest has to serve and promote the mission of the Church, so internally he lives the
image of Christ and this image has to be reflected externally in whatever he says, in the work he does and in his lifestyle.”
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rchbishop Tlhagale continued: “Priests are expected to make Christ present through the ministry of the word: the word of God that evangelises; the word of God that calls to conversion; the word of God that calls for holiness; the word of God that commands a life of virtue.” At the end of Mass, Fr Majola described the inspirational sources that led him to the priesthood—being an altar server at St Hubert’s, having been deeply affected by the
“OMI cross” worn by his mentor, Fr Ronald Cairns, and attending a vocations workshop when he was studying marketing at Wits Technicon. He celebrated his first Mass the next day at St Hubert’s where Fr Cairns, spoke of the challenging call to be a priest 24 hours a day in a community that came knocking on the door for ministry and help 24 hours a day. By the time Fr Majola returned to his home town of Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, to celebrate Sunday Mass at Holy Trinity church, it was “A Tale of Three Cities” associated with urban wealth, teeming and vibrant township culture, and rural poverty and isolation. Fr Majola was raised at Nkandla by his parents, David, a retired database assistant, and Flora Majola, a teacher. He attended Ntumbeni Primary School, then Mthiyaqhwa High School. His return to his bundu roots, among winding dirt roads, deep valleys sprinkled with settlements of thatched huts and homesteads, was a rousing daylong celebration beginning with Mass concelebrated with parish priest Fr Aquilin Mpanza and his assistant Fr Bongumenzi Zulu. Fr Sifiso Ntshangase gave the homily. Nkandla’s rural Catholics expressed their joy through children in snow white dresses, with orphans and vulnerable children, with girls and young women in colourful tribal dress and with soaring voices raised high in harmony. During the Presentation of the Gifts, Nardini Sister Melinda Seiler gave Fr Majola the special candle she had made for his ordination incorporating a motif symbolising the chalice, vine and wine of consecration. The motif is also featured on his ordination card which reads (Ps 116:12-13): “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise and I will call on the Lord’s name.” Fr Majola has been assigned to St Charles parish in Victory Park, Johannesburg.
Britain to repeal anti-Catholic law T HE law that bans a British monarch from marrying a Catholic is to be lifted after more than 300 years. The reforms were announced following the unanimous agreement of the 16 nations that have Queen Elizabeth II as their constitutional head of state. But they will not include the repeal of a Catholic becoming monarch because allegiance to the pope might conflict with the sovereign’s role as the supreme governor of the Church of England. The changes will also see the end of the ancient tradition of male primogeniture, the rule under which boys take precedence in the line to the throne over elder sisters. The reforms will be included in the next British programme of parliamentary business to be unveiled in November, while New Zealand will lead a working group to coordinate their implementation in other Commonwealth countries affected. The announcement, made at the summit of Commonwealth heads of government in Perth, Australia, was welcomed by Catholic leaders in Britain. “This will eliminate a point of unjust discrimination against Catholics and will be welcomed not only by Catholics but far more widely,” said Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. “At the same time I fully recognise the
importance of the position of the established church [Anglican] in protecting and fostering the role of faith in our society today,” he said in a statement. Cardinal Keith O’Brien of St Andrews and Edinburgh, president of the Scottish bishops’ conference, said that he was pleased to note the process had started to repeal aspects of the laws. “I look forward to studying the detail of the proposed reforms and their implications in due course,” the cardinal said. In recent years there have been 11 attempts to reform the laws on royal succession, but none has made any meaningful progress, partly because of the difficulty in reforming laws across 16 jurisdictions. But British Prime Minister David Cameron was able to announce the changes after he won the support of the leaders of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, Barbados, Grenada, Solomon Islands, St Lucia and the Bahamas—who would also have to amend their laws. Announcing the reforms, Mr Cameron said: “Let me be clear, the monarch must be in communion with the Church of England because he or she is the head of that church. “But it is simply wrong they should be
denied the chance to marry a Catholic if they wish to do so,” he said. “After all, they are already quite free to marry someone of any other faith.” He said the idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he is a man was “at odds with the modern countries that we have become”. The reforms may entail amendments to nine acts, including the 1689 Bill of Rights, the 1701 Act of Settlement and the 1772 Royal Marriages Act. The laws brought to a close centuries of religious turmoil that began in the 1530s when King Henry VIII took the English Catholic Church into schism so he could nullify his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, his mistress. They were brought into force following the deposing of openly Catholic King James II, Britain’s last Catholic monarch, in the bloodless coup of 1688, which came to be known as “the Glorious Revolution”. After James’ Protestant sister Anne, his successor, failed to produce an heir, the throne was given to Electress Sophia of Hanover, Germany, from whom the reigning House of Windsor is descended. The abolition of the rule of male primogeniture will apply only to the descendants of Prince Charles, but it will mean that if the first-born child of the Duke and
Prince William and Duchess Kate at their April wedding. Under revised laws, the heir to the English throne will be able to marry as Catholic, but the monarch must be an Anglican. The abolition of the rule of male primogeniture will mean that if their first-born child is a girl, then she will ascend the throne ahead of any younger brothers. (Photo: Reuters/CNS) Duchess of Cambridge—William and Kate—is a girl, then she will ascend the throne ahead of any younger brothers.— CNS