A Celebration of Joy, Family & Jubilee Year at St John the Baptist Church In Pretoria

An official commencement of the Catechetical year, along with a Family Fun Day, was held at St John the Baptist Church in Pretoria North.

The event began with a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop John Masilo Selemela of the Archdiocese of Pretoria. During his homily, the bishop engaged the children in attendance by posing a series of questions related to the day’s Mass readings. He emphasised to the children the importance of attentively listening during Mass, stating, “It is crucial that you pay close attention to the messages conveyed and the teachings of the Gospel, so that you may carry these lessons with you and apply them in your home, at school, and throughout your daily lives.”

Following the Mass, the assembled congregation and guests convened in the church hall, where the bishop delivered a keynote address centred on the theme “I am the Church. You are the Church. We are the Church.”

Subsequent to his address, the day’s enjoyable activities commenced. A range of sports events, organised by the government Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, unfolded in the churchyard. Food vendors were present, and children were delighted with face painting and various other activities.

Speaking to The Southern Cross, parish priest Fr Jeremiah Mkhwanazi CSS provided insights into the rationale behind the parish’s decision to organise and host a family-oriented fun day:

“It has come to our attention that, as a church, we have fathers, mothers, and children actively participating in our community.

Nevertheless, similar to many other congregations, it is common to observe fathers congregating on one side after services, while women’s groups engage in their respective programs. Additionally, children are often separated from their parents, participating in youth groups.

In response to this observation, we recognised the necessity of addressing this issue. Our aim is to unite families for a day filled with enjoyment, prayer, and activities that foster connections among husbands and wives, couples, their children, and the broader church community. We believe we have made significant progress in achieving this goal today,” he said.

Dineo Lekganyane, a coordinator in the parish Marriage and Family Life ministry, expressed her gratitude to all those who contributed to the successful organisation of the event:

I would like to take this moment to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a role in making this special day possible. This event was a joint effort involving the parish Marriage and Family Life ministry, the catechist team, and the wellness team. We are grateful to them, as well as to our married couples, singles, widows and widowers, divorced individuals, youth, children, and the entire parish community.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the catering team for their early morning efforts to ensure that our guests and the bishop were well taken care of. This exemplifies our status as pilgrims of hope during this Jubilee Year. Additionally, we would like to express our appreciation to Auxiliary Bishop John Masilo Selemela for his insightful teachings on the essence of family.

Finally, we wish to convey our sincere thanks to our parish priest, Fr Jeremiah Mkhwanazi CSS, for his constant attentiveness to our ideas.

Like a caring parent, he listens to us and grants us the freedom to bring these ideas to fruition as a reflection of our faith and community spirit,” she concluded.