Fr Richard Menatsi, Rest in Peace
Fr Richard Menatsi died on March 19 at the age of 67, and was buried on Aoril 3. At his Requiem Mass, Fr Johan Strydom delivered the eulogy, of which this obituary is an edited version.
Fr Richard Menatsi was born on December 13, 1956, the fourth child of Martha and Stone Menatsi. December 13 is the feast Day of St Lucy, virgin and martyr, and that day already indicated the insight and witness to come.
Richard grew up in Witlokasie, Knysna. His first school was St Boniface Catholic Convent, later in Fraaisig Hornlee, and he completed in matric in 1975 in Cape Town at Crystal High School in Hanover Park.
He studied at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, near Pietermaritzburg, as a Pallottine religious. Richard was friends with all there — very outspoken, generous, loving, and always reaching out to others.
Towards the end of his studies he joined the diocese of Mthatha as a seminarian. Bishop Andrew Zolile Brook ordained him a deacon in 1985, and a priest on June 21. 1986.
Fr Richard served in many parishes of the Mthatha diocese, including St Paul’s in Engcobo, Sacred Heart in Cala, Ugandan Martyrs in Tsolo, Christ the King in Qumbu, St Paul’s in Ngangelizwe, Ascension in Southridge, St Francis in Mclear, and St Peter’s in Elliotdale.
In 1987 he took a break from pastoral work and did a master’s degree in theology at Rhodes University, completing it with a thesis entitled “Vatican II Ecclesiology and Liberation Theology Ecclesiology”.
From 1994-97 he served as vicar-general of Mthatha. In 1997, Fr Richard was seconded to the headquarters of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference as associate secretary-general. When secretary general Fr Buti Tlhagale OMI was appointed archbishop of Bloemfontein in 1999, Fr Richard took over as secretary general, a position he held until 2007.
He rejoined his diocese in 2008, but a year later he was again seconded, this time as director of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA), which comprises most of the SADEC countries. Based in Harare, he worked there for six years, rejoining his diocese in 2016.
Fr Richard was seconded to the diocese of his birth, Oudtshoorn in 2022, where he was appointed priest-in-charge of the parish of Christ the King in Worcester, and later a Dean of the Western Deanery. As always, he began to renovate, revive and serve generously.
Fr Richard was founding member and chair of the National Religious Association for Social Development in 1997, member of the board of trustees of the Cape Development and Dialogue Centre (CDDC), and a key member for many years of the National Church Leaders’ Consultation (NCLC) and numerous think-tanks of senior church leaders’ meetings.
Dr Renier Koegelenberg, executive director of the CDDC Trust, testifies that he was privileged to have worked closely with Fr Richard since the time when the priest was the SACBC’s associate secretary general. Fr Richard, in representing the SACBC, fostered cooperation among church and faith groups in the unique role they play in health, education, care programmes, and sustainable community development. This included meetings with Presidents Mbeki and Zuma, cabinet ministers, several director generals, international development agencies like the Global Fund, the international Partnership on Religion and Social Development; numerous conferences between the EFSA Institute and the Protestant Acadamy of Tutzing in Bavaria, Germany, and programmes of embassies and the European Union.
Dr Koegelenberg describes Fr Richard as a remarkable person who was able to play a leading role in different contexts, different levels of decision-making and management. He never losing touch with his community, church and parish roots. His frank way of sharing his views and convictions, especially speaking truth to those with political power, without making enemies, was remarkable.
Fr Richard was a good manager; he liked to do things precisely – always with a great sense of urgency and responsibility. He was someone that you could trust.
Cardinal Wilfrid Napier affirmed that Fr Richard had a great loyalty to God in the person of Jesus Christ, to his Church and his vocation as a Catholic priest.
Fr Richard was forthright in saying what he had in mind, even to bishops, and there would be humble acceptance of the truth instead of a negative reaction, according to the cardinal.
The cardinal said he was certain that there are lots of broken hearts among those who were privileged to know Fr Richard beyond his sometimes brash exterior and approach, and his sincere and honest prayer is that the Lord reward him for being a wonderful ambassador for his Lord and the Church which spreads the faith.
Bishop Sitembele Sipuka of Mthatha, who visited Fr Richard in Oudtshoorn during a clergy conference, recalled that as a young priest, Fr Richard was involved in the efforts to relate faith to the country’s socially and politically changing situation at the time, and he leaves a legacy of commitment to priesthood, professionalism, and efficiency. Wherever he worked, Fr Richard left the situation better than he found it, Bishop Sipuka noted.
Fr Richard certainly transcended ethnicity, colour and language effortlessly. He was a true friend, and has friends all over the world.
When Fr Richard returned from the United States at the end of January this year, he said that he had been sick the whole time. Tests soon established that he had Stage 4 lung cancer. Fr Richard responded to the news quite peacefully: “I am going home, and if heaven is so wonderful, shouldn’t I look forward to it?”
He admitted himself to Worcester Provincial Hospital as he needed oxygen. He felt the love and prayers of many who reached out to him. He was strengthened by sacramental ministry. His family from Knysna and Mossel Bay reached out to him in love. He had bonded with his extended family, now resident in Mossel Bay, since childhood, and had often visited them.
Thanks to the generosity of Franco De Grandis and to the great happiness of Fr Richard, he was transferred to the Frail Care of Amble Ridge in Knysna. On arrival he said he was so happy, he was feeling better already. However, he soon needed to be hospitalised in Knysna Provincial Hospital, where he received Anointing, Holy Communion and Viaticum. He was so grateful to all who reached out to him, and he was surrounded by love from the faithful, clergy, family and friends in his last hours.
On Tuesday morning, March 19 — the feast of St Joseph, patron of a holy and happy death — Fr Richard Menatsi departed to God whom he loved, during the time when a Holy Mass was being celebrated for him at St Charles Lwanga in Mossel Bay.
His Requiem Mass was on April 3 at a packed St Mary’s church in George, with seven bishops and many priests. Burial was in the Catholic cemetery in George.
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