Thought for the day
In our day, it seems to be hard for people to make and sustain life-long commitments. We think we can always press undo and we like our freedom. But there are different freedoms. Specifically, there is freedom of choice and freedom of choosing. Freedom of choice contemplates the options; freedom of choosing concretises and makes real some specific option. There is joy in freedom of choice; there is greater joy in freedom of having chosen and having made a decision. There is no contradiction between freedom and commitment: “for freedom, Christ has set us free” as St Paul says.
Prayer
We need your guidance, Lord, to discern our path in life. We need your support to sustain us on the way. We need your joy to keep us joyful. Amen.
THE PAROCHIAL NOTICES
- LAST WEEKEND’S FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Collection R 4 122,10 Planned Giving R 5 250,00
Southern Cross R 108, 00
Thank you most sincerely for your generosity!
- WINTER HAS ARRIVED … COLD WEATHER … DISTRIBUTION TIME OF OUR WOOLEN ITEMS. Anik Broadhurst is asking for any items that have been knitted with the wool that was given out at the beginning of the year. Please contact her on 021 4396987 or 0839771099 for collection. Any unused wool will also be collected.
- The Women’s Choir from Cologne Cathedral will be singing at the 17h00 Holy Mass in the Cathedral on Sunday 18th They will give a short concert after the Mass.
- On the weekend of July 06-07 there will be a second collection for Peter’s Pence.
- On the weekend of July 13-14 there will be a second collection for the Seafarers.
Please note that if it is your intention to get married in the Catholic Church, you need to give the Church at least SIX MONTHS notice of your intention to do so. Please contact the Cathedral office to set up an appointment with one of the Cathedral clergy to complete the Pre-Nuptial Enquiry and to arrange the required Marriage Preparation Classes.
The Banns of Upcoming Marriages
03rd August @ 14h00 Rudiger Moser & Kim Moser Convalidation
PLEASE NOTE THE FORTHCOMING EVENTS
- MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND on 19 -21 July 2019. It is a weekend to gives couples an opportunity to rekindle the flames of romance. Just call Graham or Patuele on 084 502 3805 or 076 930 3818
- TAIZE PILGRIMAGE:
The Taize Community here in Cape Town is hosting a pilgrimage from 25th to 29th September 2019. All parishes are supporting this initiative and our parish has been asked to host 30 to 50 young people from 18 to 35 years of age by giving them a place to sleep and a light breakfast. They will be collected from this area to be transported by bus to the pilgrimage venue in Rondebosch, where they will take part in a full day’s programme. They will be given lunch and supper there and be transported back to the parish at approximately 9 pm. If you able to accommodate at least 2 people please would you contact Margie Cook on 0824618607.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
The Cathedral Parish is completely committed to ensuring the safety of our children. For further information consult the website of the Archdiocese: adct.org.za using the Ministries Tab or contact our Parochial Coordinator, Margie Cook on 0824618607.
Uncomfortable conversation about apartheid legacy
by Fikile-Ntsikelelo Moya
South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark, Zindzi Mandela, has dominated the public debate over her tweets on land and those she called ‘apartheid apologists’.
As an ambassador and a diplomat, former president Nelson Mandela’s daughter must know that she does not represent herself but the government — more specifically, the head of state that sent her. To that extent, her public views must always be of the highest diplomatic order. When she is unable to do that, she is unable to be a diplomat and must therefore resign from her post. That said, it is disingenuous to pretend that the views she expresses are maverick. South Africa does need land reform and to deal decisively with the effects of racism. To pretend otherwise is akin to being an apartheid denialist. Apartheid was about privileging whites over blacks and about dispossessing black people’s land as per the 1913 and 1936 Land Acts. Pope John VI’s memorable quote, “if you want peace, work for justice” applies here. It is unhelpful to hope that those who are living with the effects of having been rendered landless and those who continue to suffer from racism, get over themselves. Talk of apartheid and its effects divides South Africans because of a lack of a common South African approach to the subject. A people united in their expression of a shameful past cannot have that past used against them. Societies such as Germany cannot be held to emotional blackmail over their Nazi history because they have faced their vile past head-on and made institutional changes, such as making Holocaust denialism a crime punishable by law.
The practice of shutting down any uncomfortable conversation about South Africa’s past will continue to haunt us, unless we learn to have an honest and open conversation about our sad history. Polite conversations about the structure of the South African society merely open up opportunities for those on the extreme sides of the debate. That is why it is the responsibility of those of average temperament to have an honest discussion about the legacy of apartheid.
This past will come in handy for those whose politics benefit from keeping us divided. Building a cohesive society is not for the faint-hearted. It requires courage to step out of our comfortable mindsets and take the bull by the horns.
