Maria Mater Ecclesiae Parish In Garankuwa Welcomes New Sacred Heart Sodality Members

by Daluxolo Moloantoa · Published July 15, 2025 · Updated July 15, 2025

Maria Mater Ecclesiae parish in Garankuwa held a welcoming ceremony for three new members of the Sacred Heart Sodality. The new members, Mrs Anastacia Mphaka, Mr Madoda Mpanza, and Mrs Martha Matshaba, hail from the three Garankuwa cluster churches, from which a significant number of Sacred Heart members came to celebrate this occasion with their new companions.

“We anticipated a typical turnout for this event. The large attendance took us by surprise, but we are pleased to have welcomed all the guests,” stated Mr Mamabolo, the chairperson of the Maria Mater Ecclesiae (MME) parish council.

The day began with a procession for Holy Mass, led by the members of the Sacred Heart. Mr Mamabolo welcomed the visitors, and then Mass commenced. During his homily, parish priest Fr Harrison Mulenga CSS asked the new members a thought-provoking question. “Are you joining the Sacred Heart sodality, or is the Sacred Heart sodality joining you?” he inquired. The new members, taken aback by the question, awaited his response.

“You are the ones joining it, not the other way around. This means you should enter and adhere to the rules of your sodality. Do not attempt to alter the rules. You found them in place; respect them and fulfil the mission of the Sacred Heart sodality. That is all that is expected of you,” he counselled them. Following his homily, the swearing-in ceremony began, during which the three new members took their oaths. After Mass, jubilee candles were distributed to various sections of the parish.

Subsequently, new vestments featuring the Jubilee Year theme logo on the front were presented to Fr Mulenga CSS by the Daughters of St. Anne sodality, as a gesture of appreciation for his twenty-one years of service as a Stigmatine Fathers priest.

At the end of the service, one of the new members, Mr Mpanza, stepped forward to discuss the colours and symbols of the Sacred Heart sodality.

After Mass, a lunch was enjoyed by all attendees in the church hall.

Speaking to the Southern Cross after the service, Sacred Heart MME chairperson Kgothatso Ditshoke expressed his and his fellow Sacred Heart members’ joy at the day’s events.

“We did not anticipate such a large turnout, but here we are. As the Sacred Heart MME branch, we want to extend our thanks to everyone who attended, including those from the three Garankuwa churches, Mmakau, and other areas. Today, we experienced what our sodality represents: being Christ’s heart in the world.”