Threads in a Magazine

by Gunther Simmermacher · January 5, 2024

Dear Reader,

Our cover this month features a young priest who made the unusual transition from Lutheran ministry to Catholic holy orders. In our article on page 12, newly-ordained Fr Lwazi Masina tells us about his faith journey.

What strikes me about his story is that Fr Lwazi sees himself as a well-placed mediator for ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic and Lutheran Churches, which despite their obvious differences have so much in common. We wish Fr Lwazi well in his ministry.

Our cover photo is taken by the talented Sheldon Reddiar, whose work we also saw on the covers of our June 2023 and September 2023 issues.

Sometimes there are running threads in an issue that are planned, and sometimes these things just happen. There was no plan to publish two articles that are set in the Western Cape diocese of Oudtshoorn, which geographically is one of the largest in South Africa. But that’s how things worked out.

The diocese of Oudtshoorn was largely built by the Pallottines. In our November 2022 edition we reported on the centenary of the Pallottine priests in this country. In this issue we look at 100 years of the Pallottine Sisters in SA.

We should never fail to appreciate what the various missionaries built up in our region. In many parts of South Africa, especially in many rural regions, education and healthcare were made possible by missionaries — people who followed God’s call to serve communities far away from the lands of their birth, and did so with great dedication.

Of course, globally there is legitimate interrogation of some missionaries’ part in colonialism, and it is indeed a complex issue. We certainly must not trust any generalised answers which may be offered, either way. But even in matters where fair questions may be asked, we should not lose sight of the great legacy of the missionaries — on which local vocations now need to build.

Still in Oudtshoorn, we remember the experience of 500 Polish war orphans who found refuge in that town in 1943. It is a remarkable history which is being kept alive by dedicated people, with the help of the Catholic Church.

Another unplanned mini-thread in this issue concerns the Eastern rites of the Church. When we decided to run the fascinating article about Metropolitan Fülöp Kocsis, the motorbike-riding leader of the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, we had not yet received Fr Chris Chatteris’ reflection on the pope’s prayer intention for January – which concerns the Eastern rites in the Catholic Church, such as the one headed by Metropolitan Kocsis.

Fr Chatteris rightly notes that for most faithful (and those who don’t share our faith), the Roman rite is seen as the Catholic norm. But there are at least 23 other rites, with their own liturgy and practices, within the Catholic Church. As the pope prays, may we “discover the richness of different ritual traditions in the heart of the Catholic Church”.

On January 21, the Church observes the Sunday of the Word of God, or Bible Sunday. The day was instituted by Pope Francis as of 2020 with a view to foster the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God. On page 22, we explain how St Jerome translated the Scriptures into Latin in the 4th century, a decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Church.

I never cease to be awed by the fact that he did so within only a few metres of the actual birthplace of Our Lord Jesus.

The church of the Nativity already stood there when Jerome arrived in Bethlehem (he disliked the silver star that even then marked the spot of Jesus’ birth). Our “History in Colour” column on the back-cover shows that church in 1934. It’s a reminder of our Church’s long history, tangible through the ages.

Thank you for reading The Southern Cross, and please tell your friends about your monthly Catholic magazine — they may well thank you for it.

May your 2024 be filled with many blessings and graces, and especially good health.

God bless,

Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)