Young Christian Students of Loreto Primary share their experience
By Fr Mokesh Kantilal Morar – Lourdes in France is known as a place of healing, and perhaps so is Lourdes Primary School in Diepkloof, Soweto, visited by Holy Rosary School in Edenvale during Women’s Month from 7-11 August. “This is where we grow” was one of several lovely murals painted by students as part of their outreach for Women’s Month with the theme: “Paint with a purpose”.
They joined hands with the Young Christian Students (YCS) of Lourdes Primary, recently started and accompanied by Bonolo, a former student of Lourdes PS and YCS volunteer.
“It was hard work, but fun painting the walls and cleaning the playground area.” According to Bonolo, the main purpose was to enhance the learning environment for the young learners. Mr Khotso Mathinya, the principal of Lourdes Primary, opened a classroom for artists to have a view from inside the classroom. “Wow! …it is amazing what we did… beautiful and unbelievable“, remarked a second student.
“It will uplift the spirits of the small ones in Grade 1 to see how we can grow together.”
At first, the YCS members did not find it easy to socialise with the visitors from Edenvale, saying: “Father Mokesh, we are shy.” However, after spending time together on the merry-go-round, they said: “We had so much fun playing and working together.” Of the 30 persons present, 15 were YCS members preparing and painting at one time or the other.
“The collaborative nature of the outreach fostered unity and service among learners from different schools”, recounted Bonolo and a sure sign of hope given the painful history of forced removals. Next to Lourdes Primary is Immaculata High School, both part of the historic Holy Cross school founded in 1931 in Alexandria, Johannesburg and not far from Holy Rosary, Edenvale. Holy Cross school property was expropriated by the apartheid government and the school was forcefully moved to Diepkloof under the Group Areas Act in the 1970s.
YCS at Lourdes Primary is the fifth group in Soweto since 1994. By 2020 there were ten school groups: four in Soweto, three in Bophelong, Vanderbijlpark (near Sharpeville); one in Joburg CBD and at McAuley House and Holy Family College, both in Parktown. The latter YCS group was started by an ex-Wits YCS member who still supports it today, namely Mr Mikes Takkos, the RE teacher.
On Mandela Day this year, the HFC YCS had a project: “Jars of Hope”, where close to sixty-five large jars filled with layers of different kinds of beans and distributed to families who are food insecure. “YCS is ‘n onbegonne taak” (“You have to keep re-starting at schools: again and again”, said Fr Albert Nolan).
Today there are four YCS groups and hopefully the numbers will grow again to more than ten in the future. Fr Nolan, author of “Jesus before Christianity”, was one of the founders of YCS in South Africa and, with others, YCS became a strong force resisting apartheid and injustice.
Fr Morar, the organiser of YCS Gauteng, said: “Although small as this painting project may appear to others, it is a significant step in healing a painful past by bridging the gap of separation and history, certainly a sign of hope of a different kind of society growing today.”
And in the words of Holy Rosary Principal, Dr Deon Oerson: “Our school is a place where we encourage students to use their talents to make a difference in the world and to be advocates for humanity.”
Fr Mokesh Kantilal Morar is the organiser of YCS Movement South Africa. , 0781189016
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