An Oakford Success Story

We are very privileged at Villa Maria to be the Hospitality community for the Gau-Kim Community (Gauteng-Kimberley, South Africa). That means that we welcome any sisters who come from afar for meetings, holidays, or anything else. This gives us an opportunity to see many of our sisters at different times.  One of these was Sister Charlotte Engelhart, who came for a week’s holiday to us.  On Saturday March 3rd, she welcomed some surprise visitors.  Here is Sr Charlotte’s account of the visit:

What a wonderful afternoon I had! Staying at our Villa Maria in Johannesburg for a few days, I was visited by four ‘old girls’ of Sacred Heart, Oakford, Matric 2003.  Bajabulile Gicjabe is in the fashion industry, working very hard. She got a bursary top study Marketing in London for the next few years. Mbale Hlambe, now Ngerde, first studied geology, then switched over to other studies. She is a business analyst at a bank. She was Head Girl in 2003.  Ngobile Mzobe now Mbatha has done various other things, also helping her widowed mother, and is now studying Accounting.  Ntokozo Mngadi is now studying Psychology further at Witz University, where she is already a counsellor on Saturday mornings. She is working voluntarily in a soup kitchen in Parktown.

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Dominican Sisters Africa Meet in Koinonia

The co-ordinating team of Dominican Sisters Africa (DSA), and the DSA Justice and Peace Committee gathered at Koinonia Conference Centre, Johannesburg, in January for their planning meeting.  Dominican Sisters International (DSI) includes the Dominican Sisters of 153 congregations throughout the world, and DSA works with Dominican sisters across Africa.   Representing the four zones and the Justice and Peace committees were sisters from South Africa, Benin, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Accomplishments since the DSA General Assembly in Kenya in May 2011 were reviewed, reports were received from all the different zones, and some future planning was done around the Dominican Youth Movement. 

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Sr. Alison Speaks at African Jesuit Conference

Sr Alison Munro was invited by the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN) to present a paper at a theological conference in Nairobi, Kenya at the end of January 2012, marking thirty years since the discovery of HIV [AJAN co-ordinates the AIDS work of the Jesuits across Africa].  Her paper examines some of the experiences of the Catholic Church in South Africa in the provision of anti-retroviral treatment to people with AIDS.  Since the beginning of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) AIDS Office programme, the Church has initiated more than forty thousand people on treatment.

CLICK HERE to read Sr. Alison's presentation

Taylor University Visits Koinonia

Koinonia, our conference centre in Johannesburg, hosted a group of first year honors students (involved in medicine, international studies and other programs) from Taylor University, Upland , Indiana (USA).   Pursuing a course on “Restorative Justice in the Arts”, they are examining justice, mercy and faithfulness, with reference to Mt 23:23, in the context of the past and ongoing struggles in South Africa.  In the Western Cape they heard from Arts faculty members at the Universities of Cape and Stellenbosch, visited a film project and the National Art Gallery, interacted with theologian Professor John de Gruchy, and  visited District Six and Robben Island.

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Kopanang Celebrates 10th Anniversary

On 7^th December, 2011, Kopanang Community Trust, the project Sister Sheila Flynn has been coordinating on the edge of the Tsakane township (about 55km south east of Johannesburg), celebrated its 10^th Anniversary – quite a milestone for development projects here in South Africa.  Students and teachers from Australia, out among the Kopanang families at this time, joined in giving thanks with all those gathered.

One of several highlights was when Samaryia was honoured for the courage she has had put into to overcoming illiteracy.  She was able to sign her name recently when being helped to open her first bank account, instead of making an ‘x’ mark.  We whooped with joy at this incredible feat.

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