An exemplary couple

What happens when an adventurous Irish young man travels to South Africa and suddenly finds himself face to face with a beautiful Afrikaans-speaking girl? Well, all cultural, religious and ethnic barriers are broken, and a thing of beauty is born—an exemplary Catholic couple!

Bob and Yvonne Moore were married in the Catholic Church on June 27, 1958. God has since blessed them with five wonderful children and (to-date) eleven adorable grandchildren. Their 50th wedding anniversary a couple months ago was a great occasion for the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Westville, Durban.

Parish priest Fr Noël Peters, OMI gave them an inspiring service, even singing the song “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”. The Catholic Women’s League prepared a super tea function, to the joy of the Westville community.

Why this fuss about the couple? Bob is a very successful businessman who has built a thriving family business in construction and plant equipment hire. However, it is not about Bob as a businessman that the Westville community celebrated the couple’s 50th Anniversary with such great joy. Anybody who has been part of that community knows that Yvonne and Bob are an essential part of the parish. Yvonne is a sacristan and a key figure in the Catholic Women’s League. Bob is a lay minister of Holy Communion. With Yvonne, he leads a Bible faith sharing group, and the two are undoubtedly the backbone of the local conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP).

Through the SVP, the couple has for years been involved in community work. Years back they assisted Sabbath Mlambo (the mother of Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka) who runs a project for Aids sufferers. Presently the SVP works with the Hillcrest Provincial Hospital providing a breakfast treat every two weeks to the patients. It also provides linen protectors for Aids patients under the care of the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s congregation). Bob’s Mercedes Benz is a familiar and welcome feature in the African township of Chesterville where the SVP and the Association of St Anne both run food parcels schemes for poor families and children. Bob drives his Mercedes to the township to deliver the goodies for these less fortunate members of society.

Bob is modest about the papal medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice presented to him in 1999. It is a mark of his humility that he thinks there were other more deserving people in the parish. But all who know him see this as a fitting reward for his exemplary leadership. Indeed greatness is about ordinary people doing things in an extraordinary way!

What can we learn from this humble but amazing couple? Firstly, Bob states with absolute conviction: “The family that prays together, keeps together.” Bob and Yvonne work as a team—in raising children, in Bible study groups, in doing works of charity and in prayer. Secondly, if any Christian woman wants to know how to treat her husband, she only needs to spend a short while with Yvonne. Bob and Yvonne clearly love one another and often poke fun at each other; but one thing is abundantly clear: respect for her husband is written all over Yvonne’s face.

The third lesson is a challenge to all young Christian parents, and in particular to the Moore children: Rory, Kieron, Deirdre, Sean and Tracy. Bob writes: “We have passed the faith on to them, the same way as we received it from our parents, by their good example.” What Bob is saying is that it is the duty of all Christian parents to receive the torch of Christ from their parents and pass it on to their children.

Finally, asked what his vision and hope for the Church is, Bob responds: “We as lay people must never be afraid of making suggestions to our Church leaders on the developing of the Word… Let us hope they [the Church leaders] continue to keep the windows open and let the fresh air blow through”.

I can only answer: “Amen. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear!”