Fr Pierre Goldie, 74, UKZN’s Oldest Graduate!
Fr Pierre Goldie, Photo: UKZN
A Catholic priest was the oldest recipient of a PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s 2024 autumn graduation.
Fr Pierre Goldie, a priest of the archdiocese of Cape Town, graduated with a Doctorate of Philosophy in Catholic Theology. He is 74.
Fr Goldie is a former columnist for The Southern Cross.
In his research, Fr Goldie, who serves the parish of St Raphael in Khayelitsha, investigated the evolving perception of sacred power among Cape Town’s black, urban, isiXhosa-speaking Catholics.
Fr Goldie, who was ordained in 1997, said that he sought to understand the appropriation of Catholicism, and to evaluate its success and challenges within this context.
In his research, he studied how perceptions of God have shifted over time, and what the implications of that have been for religious consciousness.
His study found that while in the past the ancestors used to hold primary sacred power, now God commands religious consciousness, but with enduring reverence for ancestors.
“The significance of displacing ancestors underscores a fundamental transformation within Catholicism, and Christianity in general. God now offers a closer, more accessible source of sacred power, challenging the distant, intimidating perception of the divine prevalent in African traditions,” according to Fr Goldie.
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