Our Lady of Fatima hosts annual memorial of the Portuguese victims of crime

Portuguese Community memorial for victims of crime

By Kati Dijane – For over 2 decades, the Portuguese Forum, currently led by Manny Ferreirinha, has been marking a day in November to commemorate the souls of members of its community whose lives have been cut short by violent crime.

This year, the annual memorial was marked on Sunday, 10 November 2024, at Our Lady of Fatima in Brentwood Park, Benoni in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. The three-part event, started with the laying of wreaths by parish priest Fr Tony Nunes, Dr Antonio Sabido Costa, from the Portuguese Embassy, Ms Graca Fonseca, the Consul-General of Portugal in Johannesburg, Manny Ferreirinha, the Portuguese Forum Women, Ranco representatives, the Portuguese Forum Youth and the Portuguese Forum Children.

Candles were then lit by the youth and other members of the community. The third and final part of the commemoration was a Mass celebrated by Fr Nunes. The parish priest lit a large candle to honour the souls departed who don’t have families or loved ones to remember and pray for them.

Before his homily, Fr Nunes approached the wall of remembrance and shared a heartfelt message for the souls of the departed, asking them to rest in peace and forgive the perpetrators who took their lives through crime and assuring them of our prayers. He then spoke in part about the Gospel of the day, Mark 12:38-44, where the generosity and selflessness of the poor widow who gave everything she had into the treasury made her immortalised as her story made its way into the Gospel. “Contrary to the generous widow in today’s readings, our stinginess can breed greed, leading us to devour one another, as shown in this memorial we are having. Extreme greed turns into violence,” he said, making an example of wars, which he adds are a profitable business at the expense of many people.

On the other hand, God is generous to everyone, especially to those who believe and trust in His providence, said Fr Nunes. “We see this in the first reading, where the Prophet Elijah performed the miracle of ensuring the poor widow who fed him at Zarephath did not run out of food until the drought ended. It was her trust in God’s providence that sustained her.”

Before Mass ended, Mr Ferreirinha, Dr Costa and Ms Fonseca addressed the community, thanking them for their attendance. The message was the same: prayer for the victim of violent crimes and solidarity in creating a safer country to live in.

After the final blessing, friends and families mingled, ending a sombre day on a sweet note with tea, biscuits and laughter.