Lerato Mamohao Mphuti : Lessons in Faith from a Short Life

The spirituality of a teenager who died young provides an insight into what it entails to journey with Jesus and Mary in modern times, writes Colleen Constable.

In South Africa, the rate of youth unemployment is higher than the national figure of 34,5%. And according to Statistics SA, young people aged 10-19 years represent 17,4% of the population — and they are the future workforce.

Adolescents face the socio-economic circumstances in their communities and families. These challenges include poverty, food insecurity, family unemployment, school attendance, education, Covid-19 consequences, inequality, life skills, gender-based violence, to name a few. They also face challenges such as mental health disorders, alcohol and tobacco use, substance abuse issues, early sexual encounters, a high risk of HIV-infections and other sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage pregnancy.

The SA Child Gauge (16th issue) tells us that many children in South Africa fail to thrive due to violence, discrimination and poverty, and that 90% of children in the country are unable to access mental healthcare. Research further indicates that suicide triggered by depression is the fourth leading cause of death among young people aged 15-19.

Nearly one in two children (42%) has experienced violence, with 99% of children living in Soweto having experienced or witnessed violence in their communities, schools or homes.

If life for adolescents is hard, what is life like for those who seek to follow in the footsteps of the Jesus Christ, the Divine Child and Divine Adolescent? What is life like for girl children who turn to Jesus and Mary as their role models in modern times?

Model of Christian life

The short life of Lerato Mamohao Mphuti gives us some insights. And it provides a model for our young people who seek to live a Christian life.

Lerato was born on January 31, 2000 — the feast of St John Bosco, founder of the Salesians. She received her First Holy Communion at the church of St Dominic Savio at the Salesian’s Bosco Youth Centre in the archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Lerato was a special gift to her parents, their first-born child, and her maternal grandmother’s first grand- daughter after eight boys.

I met Lerato Mamohao Mphuti in around 2014 at the parish of the Divine Mercy in Walkerville, on Divine Mercy Sunday. At that moment, I thought: “Here is another Faustina.” I saw holiness and devotion in that young teenager. I didn’t know yet later that day, during the devotions, Lerato would play Sr Faustina in a short drama presentation. How well she performed in that role!

Later I heard Lerato’s angelic voice as she led the congregation in devotional prayers and song during the Hour of Mercy. It is during these moments that I recognised the depth of Lerato’s spirituality: one of adoration, worship, prayerfulness, fellowship and holiness. It was a brief glimpse into the spirituality of a young girl, who had an intimate relationship with God.

In June 2021, during a discussion with a theologian, I enquired about Lerato, recalling the sweet memories I had of her and her spirituality. I was saddened to learn that Lerato had died two years after my encounter with her, in a car accident on March 19, 2016, at the tender age of 16. The theologian who told me that, it turned it out, was her mother, Anastacia Mphuti.

Youth spirituality

Lerato’s remarkable spiritual life inspired an elderly priest, Salesian Father Michael Connolly, to summarise the development of her spirituality. The priest took this step after he heard Lerato’s voice “whisper” to him to write a book about her life, so that it might serve a purpose for the youth.

What does Lerato’s life offers to youth spirituality? What does her life offer to women’s spirituality? What lessons can be drawn from her brief life experiences?

Through the lens of Fr Michael, we learn that Lerato is best described as a “special light” in a family which for generations had embraced the Light of Christ. Lerato became a “special light” to her family, grandparents, extended family, neighbours, school companions, parish, youth group, and others, as she journeyed through her short life. Lerato is remembered as a “precious daughter”, “a popular, playful companion, an enquiring diligent student, a joy to be with”.

In a twinkle of an eye, she was gone. Her untimely death in 2016 left a huge gap in the lives of those who loved and knew her well.

Anastacia tells about the time when Lerato’s younger brother was baptised. The priest placed the white cloth also on Lerato’s head, even though she was not part of the baptism. Anastacia says that she “took it as a sign that Christ put that light also on her at that moment”.

Anastacia remembers the “day before the last day” of Lerato’s life. On that day, Lerato was dressed in athletic gear, an enthusiastic and diligent Grade 10 student. Lerato wanted to become a medical doctor, and she was exploring the school’s support system for prospective candidates who wanted to continue studies abroad. “Mommy, if I go overseas, will you go with me?” she asked her mother, a trusted friend whom she wanted by her side in a foreign country.

Lerato loved her family and people. She respected her parents, teachers and other learners. Anastacia feels that it was through the mercy of God and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin that Lerato experienced success throughout her childhood.

The sweet memories of Lerato shine forever in the minds and hearts of those whose lives she touched by her joyful presence; those who recognised Christ at work in the life of an adolescent stepping into her youthful journey.

The call to holiness

Lerato’s life constitutes a call to holiness. We are all called to holiness. Lerato is remembered for her prayerfulness: she had a devotion to Jesus, the Divine Mercy. She had devotion to Mother Mary. It is said that she never missed her daily devotional prayers. She was seen in church every day. She knew the value of personal prayer.

She spent an hour daily in personal prayer and reading spiritual books. During family prayer, a frequent complaint was that her prayers were too long. Lerato understood the need for intercessory prayer: she prayed for her parents, family, neighbours, friends, teachers, the sick and the poor. At a pre-confirmation retreat, it was noticed that Lerato spent a long time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

By the time of her death, Lerato had become an exceptionally prayerful young person. At first, the depth of her prayer life was known only to her family, though eventually other people noticed and spoke about it.

Everything else she did flowed from the spirituality of her prayer life: how she treated others, her ethics, her fun-loving playfulness, her dedication, her commitment towards excellence.

It is said that Lerato had a desire to receive her First Holy Communion already at the age of four or five. When the time finally came, she was very excited and had many questions about the bread and wine becoming the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

Person of fellowship

Lerato is remembered by her youth group as a good listener; caring and always asking questions. Jesus had also asked many questions when he was a 12-year-old. Lerato showed great concern for her fellow youth group members with whom she journeyed spiritually. When one of them was absent for some time, she expressed great joy at her young companions’ return, happy that they did not leave the Church.

Her companions remember Lerato as a “person of peace who wanted everybody talking to everybody”. However, hers was not a ready-made, perfect character. She too encountered negativity, like most young girls do. According to Fr Michael, Lerato’s character developed through her lived experiences and her spirituality.

Lerato had a spiritual maturity that went way beyond that of a teenager. She knew how to balance the various areas of her life, to live her best life, to become the person God created her to be, and to do what she was called for. Lerato had various interests: study, reading, singing, dancing, sports, school and church activities. She had the ability to integrate her spirituality into the different facets of her life. She knew the importance of integrating the issues of faith into her daily life.

Lerato asked her priest to pray for her during exams, and questioned him about the practice of her faith in relation to the Mass, family values, and what constitutes sin in such matters.

Fr Michael wrote that Lerato “made time to give God space in her young life, and it can be concluded that she was very close to God. She was spiritually mature beyond her years and such people are gifts for all who know them. They are really missed when they are gone.”

Meaning of a life

Lerato’s life is a shining example of a young person, an adolescent, a teenager who strived to become what God created her to be. At a time when many adolescents face huge socio-economic challenges, she presented a different model of life. She modelled her young life on Christian spirituality, and from that basis she integrated other areas and facets of her life.

At a time when South Africa faces the serious challenges of teenage pregnancies and school absenteeism, Lerato focused enthusiastically on her academics, sports, choir, church activities, personal prayer life and faith-based fellowship with her youth companions.

In this challenging modern world, Lerato offers young people a new framework towards holiness: the integration of a balanced lifestyle rooted in Christian spirituality, its foundation based in personal prayer and fellowship in pursuit of holiness, simplicity and joy. She also showed how to attain spiritual maturity in adolescence.

Will Lerato Mamohao Mphuti one day join the ranks of adolescent saints such as St Maria Goretti, St Dominic Savio or Bl Carlo Acutis? Let us adopt the enthusiasm modelled by Lerato and prayerfully hope that her life will one day too be recognised as an example for youth spirituality.

All praise to Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, for the life of young Lerato Mamohao Mphuti.

Published in the June 2023 issue of The Southern Cross magazine