Signed, Healed, Delivered

A Catholic Charismatic prayer group from two parishes is gearing up to host its first healing and deliverance conference in Cape Town in December.

The guest speakers will be Sacred Heart Father Joseph Wilson of Johannesburg and Fr Colin Bowes, vicar-general of the diocese of De Aar.

The December 14-16 conference is hosted by the parishes of Our Lady of Fatima and Holy Family in Bellville.

Fr Bowes is the founder and director of the Amazing Grace Retreat Centre in Noupoort in the Karoo, and is internationally respected in the exorcism field.

Fr Wilson, who is the spiritual director of the Healing and Deliverance Ministry and chair of Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Johannesburg archdiocese, has been ministering what he calls the Jesus PHD (Preaching, Healing and Deliverance) for 19 years.

“We want to emphasise that the two-day conference will be a grounded in scripture, giving scriptural information about the basis of Jesus,” Fr Wilson said.

“It focuses on the full ministry of Jesus which he himself did and which he wants his Church to do as part of the great commission, which includes preaching, healing, and deliverance,” he said.

Fr Wilson, who regularly conducts healing and deliverance services in Gauteng, said the Church has partially carried out preaching but healing and deliverance are often neglected.

“Many people who come to me for healing and deliverance have told me how they’ve presented themselves to their priest and were told to see a psychiatrist. This is deeply disappointing and discouraging for Catholics,” he said.

“This is why people, Catholics included, tend to turn to people who take these areas more seriously like sangomas and false prophets — whereas the Church should be providing this service,” Fr Wilson noted.

Among the topics at the conference will be deliverance from intergenerational/ancestral curses, emotional trauma, healing of memories and hurt, and how to hold on to healing and deepen it.

There will also be praise and worship, blessed adoration, and daily Mass.

The first Charismatic prayer group was started under the late Fr Bill Butler, then parish priest of Our Lady of Fatima, Bellville, in 1976. A year later, for practical reasons, another group was started at Holy Family church in Bellville under Fr David Rowles.

The prayer group also forms part of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Cape Town and part of the International Family, CHARIS.

Weekly meetings are held every Tuesday at 19:30 at Holy Family church hall in Bellville.

The December 14-16 conference will be from 9:00 till 17:00 at Our Lady of Fatima community hall in Bellville Centre. The cost is R100 per person and limited seats are available. To register e-mail name, surname and contact number to bellvillhdconf@gmail.com or contact Susan Hartzenberg on 072 202-0470.