Fr Jay de Leon, new director of Mater Dei Pastoral Centre in Mokopane

Father Jay De Leon SVD, affectionately known as Father Jay, the new director of Mater Dei Pastoral Centre in Mokopane, Limpopo, is a priest of the Society of the Divine Word originally from the Philippines.

Before entering the seminary, he worked as a Computer Science Engineer for eleven years, including six years in Japan, bringing with him valuable professional and intercultural experience into his missionary vocation.

He obtained his Master’s degree in Theology from Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay, Philippines. Prior to his missionary assignment in South Africa, he served as the Campus Ministry Head of Saint Jude Catholic School in the Philippines, where he was actively involved in the spiritual formation of young people.

He was appointed the Director of Mater Dei Pastoral Centre in January 2026 following the departure of his predecessor, Father John Sunny, also a member of the Society of the Divine Word, to his new assignment in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

The member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) has previously served as a Parish Priest of Good Shepherd Parish in Phalaborwa under the Catholic Diocese of Tzaneen before he was appointed the director of Mater Dei Pastoral Centre in Mokopane under the Catholic Diocese of Polokwane.

Fr Jay held various leadership roles in the Southern African Council of Priests. He is currently serving as a member of the Provincial Council of the SVD Botswana Province and as the Mission Animation Coordinator of the SVD Africa and Madagascar (AFRAM) Zone.