The faithful of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg gathered in solemn prayer on Tuesday, May 26, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church for a Reparation Mass following the desecration of the parish altar earlier this month.
The Mass, presided over by Cardinal Stephen Brislin, was held in response to a deeply distressing incident that took place on Thursday, 14 May 2026, when a young man entered the church shortly before midday Mass and desecrated the altar while shouting religious profanities in front of parishioners.
A Reparation Mass is celebrated by the Church in response to serious spiritual violations or acts of desecration. It serves as a moment of prayer, healing, restoration and reconciliation, reaffirming the sacredness of the church as the dwelling place of God among His people.
The liturgy on Tuesday morning carried both sorrow and hope. Concelebrating the Mass with Cardinal Brislin was parish priest Father Russell Pollitt SJ. Assisting at the altar were Deacon Billy Davis, Father Lawrence Ndlovu, vicar for liturgy and master of ceremonies, as well as the cardinal’s secretary, Father Vusi Nhlapo.
The liturgy began with the Litany of the Saints, invoking the prayers and intercession of the communion of saints upon the parish community. This was followed by prayers of exorcism and the blessing of the church, rites intended to restore the sanctity of the worship space after the desecration.
Cardinal Brislin’s homily
In his homily, Cardinal Brislin acknowledged the deep emotional wounds left by the incident, especially for those who witnessed it firsthand.
“For those who were present at the incident, it must have been deeply traumatic, and we pray that trauma will be healed through the loving mercy of our Lord,” he said.
The cardinal reflected on the significance of a church building as a sacred sanctuary where believers come to encounter God in peace and safety.
“We all know that a church is meant to be a place of sanctuary, a holy place, a place where people can feel safe and where they can feel free to pray to God and to seek His grace and His mercy,” he said.
“When that is violated, we feel violated within ourselves; we feel trampled upon.”
Despite the pain caused by the desecration, Cardinal Brislin stressed that the Church’s response must never be driven by vengeance or hatred. Instead, Christians are called to respond with mercy, healing and prayer.
“One thing that is very clear to all of us is that the Church never seeks vengeance,” he said.
He acknowledged that the perpetrator may himself be a wounded individual in need of healing and compassion.
“The approach that has been taken in this parish, of which I have been informed, is to pray for the perpetrator, whatever his condition is, and to pray that whatever violence he felt within himself may be healed, that he may find peace,” the cardinal said.
“And if this is a person that is hurting because of some trauma in his own life, we would love to be able to say: can we help heal that trauma? Through the Word of God, God’s mercy, can we bring him to peace?”
Cardinal Brislin commended the parish community for choosing a path of reconciliation instead of anger, describing their response as a powerful witness to Christian faith.
“I would like to commend you too for the attitude that you have taken, despite the deep shock that you have felt; that it is not only that you are seeking to punish the person or seeking to avenge what happened, but it is certainly to try to restore the relationship, to restore that person’s relationship with himself and with God,” he said.
The cardinal explained that the rites celebrated at the beginning of the Mass were not merely symbolic acts, but signs of the Church’s hope in Christ’s healing presence and a reaffirmation that evil and violence will never have the final word.
“We wish to ensure that the desecration that happened, the violation that happened, does not impact on our faith in believing in Christ’s presence,” he said.
“That it does not shake us into fear of what can possibly happen, not only here in the church, but in our lives. That we are able to put our trust in God, put our trust in Jesus Christ and the promises that He has made to us.”
The cardinal reminded the faithful that the Eucharist remains the source of unity, peace and healing for believers.
“We are able to receive once again the Eucharist, which makes us whole, brings us peace, brings us together into unity, so that we can face the future with confidence, with deep trust in God,” he said.
After Mass, Father Pollitt SJ echoed the cardinal’s message of healing and forgiveness. He said the parish continues to pray not only for the perpetrator, but especially for those who experienced trauma because of the incident.
“We are praying especially for the people who witnessed the incident and were traumatised by it,” he said.
Father Pollitt also noted that some of those affected were present during the Reparation Mass, describing their attendance as a sign of courage and faith. He added that despite the challenges and pain faced by the Church, the Christian community continues to stand firm in hope. The Reparation Mass ultimately became not only a response to desecration, but also the testimony to the Church’s belief in healing over hatred and hope over fear.
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