Hundreds of members of the Catholic community and priests gathered in Kimberley on 15 and 16 August 2026 to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast that holds a special place in the spiritual life of Catholics in South Africa.
The night vigil celebration kicked off from St Mary’s Cathedral to the Light House, a large multi-purpose event venue and auditorium that was previously the Christian Revival Church. The weekend celebration offered the faithful an opportunity not only to honour Mary, the Mother of Jesus, but also to reflect on their own call to the mission in the Church.
A procession of faith
The celebrations began at St Mary’s Cathedral, where the faithful gathered before processing together towards the Light House. The procession became a visible expression of the community’s devotion to Mary. Young and old walked together, accompanied by priests, the Knights of da Gama and fellow parishioners, turning the streets of Kimberley into a public witness to their Catholic faith. The procession towards the Light House set the tone for an evening centred on prayer, formation and the Eucharist. The programme was led by Father Sipho Moatlhodi, who guided the faithful through the various moments of the celebration.
An evening of prayer and renewal
At the Light House, the evening unfolded with a penitential service, giving the faithful an opportunity to examine their lives and seek God’s mercy. The penitential service was followed by a talk on the Synod on Synodality, bringing the universal journey of the Catholic Church into the local context of the Diocese of Kimberley. The discussion on synodality provided an opportunity for the faithful to reflect on what it means to be a Church that listens, walks together and participates in the mission entrusted to all the baptised. The formation was followed by the celebration of Holy Mass, presided over by Bishop Duncan Theodore Tsoke, Bishop of Kimberley. The Eucharistic celebration became the spiritual centre of the evening, bringing together the different elements of the programme around the altar.
“We do not worship Our Lady. We honour and respect her”
In his homily, Bishop Tsoke addressed an important question about Catholic devotion to Mary, particularly in a Christian landscape where different traditions understand Mary’s role differently. “We know that many people from other Christian churches do not give Mary the honour due to her as the Mother of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We, as Catholics, do,” he said. The bishop was clear, however, about the distinction between honouring Mary and worshipping God. “We do not worship Our Lady. We honour and respect her. We honour her because God Himself honoured her,” Bishop Tsoke said.
He explained that the Solemnity of the Assumption ultimately points beyond Mary to God and to what God has done in her life. “This is what we celebrate today in the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven. We are celebrating the God who gave honour to Our Lady,” he said. The Assumption teaches that Mary was taken into heaven, body and soul, by God’s grace. While human bodies ordinarily undergo decay after death, the Church teaches that Mary was uniquely preserved from bodily corruption. Bishop Tsoke recalled that this teaching was solemnly proclaimed as a dogma of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius XII in 1950 in Munificentissimus Deus. The bishop added that the feast was not simply a celebration of an event concerning Mary, but also a proclamation of Christian hope, the hope that God has conquered death and that human life has a destiny beyond the grave.
Mary, the “prayer warrior”
Bishop Tsoke also drew attention to another dimension of the Assumption: Mary’s continuing role as an intercessor for the faithful. “Having been assumed into heaven, Our Lady continues to be our prayer warrior,” he said. He explained that a prayer warrior is someone who dedicates himself or herself to praying and interceding for others. “In our lives, the greatest prayer warrior is Mother Mary because she has been assumed body and soul into heaven and stands in the presence of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. The bishop then challenged Catholics to renew their devotion to the Rosary. “If today, on this Feast of the Assumption, you acknowledge that Mary is your prayer warrior and the prayer warrior for your family, then I invite you to make a promise, a promise that you will begin, or return to, the devotion of praying the Rosary,” he said.
Bishop Tsoke also said that the familiar words of the Hail Mary are themselves an expression of faith in Mary’s intercessory role. He further explained that when Catholics pray the Hail Mary, they first greet Mary using words drawn from Sacred Scripture. The greeting of the Angel Gabriel in Luke 1:28 – “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you” – is echoed in Catholic prayer. So too is Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary in Luke 1:42: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” After greeting Mary, Catholics ask her to intercede for them: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” Bishop Tsoke encouraged the faithful not simply to recite these familiar words mechanically, but to recognise their meaning.
A call to return to the Rosary
The bishop’s message was ultimately a practical invitation. “Today, I invite all of you to renew your devotion to the Rosary. Return to the Rosary,” he said. He encouraged Catholics to embrace their faith openly and confidently, urging them to become “proud Catholics” who are not afraid to witness to their faith publicly. “A proud Catholic recites his or her rosary faithfully,” he said, describing the rosary as a powerful spiritual weapon and a prayer through which Catholics entrust their lives and those of their loved ones to God’s care through Mary’s intercession. He encouraged the faithful to make Mary their prayer warrior for every dimension of life, including their families, businesses, health, careers and workplaces.
His invitation was particularly significant in a world where many people face uncertainty, anxiety and challenges in their personal and family lives. The rosary, he suggested, can become a simple but profound spiritual practice through which Catholics continually return to God.
Mary and South Africa
The Assumption also carries a particular national significance for Catholics in South Africa, the bishop said. The year 2026 marks the 74th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of the Assumption as principal patron of South Africa. In 1952, during a Marian Congress held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province to celebrate the arrival in South Africa of the first Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, Archbishop Martin H. Lucas, the then Apostolic Delegate for Southern Africa, proclaimed “Mary Queen assumed into Heaven”, patroness of South Africa. “So happy feast day to South Africa,” the bishop said.
This gives the celebration a significance beyond an individual parish or diocese. Mary has become deeply woven into the devotional life of South African Catholics. The image of Mary being taken body and soul into heavenly glory also offers a message of hope to a nation that has experienced deep divisions, suffering and uncertainty.
A Church walking together
The Kimberley celebration brought together two important dimensions of Catholic life: devotion and mission. The procession, penitential service, reflection on synodality and Eucharistic celebration demonstrated that Catholic faith is not confined to one spiritual practice. It involves listening, participation, prayer, community and the celebration of the sacraments.
The inclusion of a reflection on the Synod on Synodality was particularly significant. As Catholics continue to discern what it means to become a more listening and participatory Church, the faithful of Kimberley were reminded that every member of the Church has a role to play. The celebration also demonstrated the importance of gathering as a diocesan family. With priests and hundreds of faithful participating, the Solemnity became an opportunity to strengthen bonds across the Diocese of Kimberley and to renew a shared Catholic identity.
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