By Lauren O’Connor-May
“Today we celebrate all the saints of Africa and thank God for 40 years of the Neocatechumenal Way in this archdiocese,” Sipuka said in his homily. “By the providence of God, these celebrations belong together. The Saints of Africa show us what happens when faith takes root and transforms a person’s life. The anniversary of the Neo Catechumenal Way invites us to ask how the gift we have received is helping us to achieve that same transformation that the saints have and how the Grace of God makes that same transformation take place among us.”
The joyful eucharistic celebration was held at St Michael’s in Rondebosch and was fully packed with members from all around the Archdiocese, clergy, nuns and diplomats representatives.
The Way, as it is called, is an itinerary of Catholic formation and ongoing Christian initiation which is nurtured in small communities in parishes. It was inspired by a vision of the Virgin Mary to renowned Spanish artist and musician Kiko Arguello and Servant of God Carmen Hernandez met in the shanty towns of Madrid where they formed the first community in 1964. The charism then spread through missionaries to dioceses all over the world.
Responsible for The Way in Southern Africa, Dino Furgione, emotionally recounted the history of how the charism was born in Cape Town during his address at the Holy Mass.
“The Neocatechumenal Way is neither a movement nor an association; rather, it is an instrument within parishes—at the service of the bishop—designed to lead back to the faith those who have abandoned it, or who are experiencing a crisis for which Sunday Mass alone does not provide answers. Today’s wounded society has led many people to turn away from the faith and the Church; for this reason, a journey of Christian formation is urgent, as is the rediscovery of the beauty of belonging to a Christian community.”
Archbishop Sipuka, speaking on the inspiration African Saints give, also encouraged celebrants to live out their faith in every area of their lives, as the saint did.
“We cannot faithfully observe religious practices while allowing parts of our lives to remain untouched by the Gospel. There is also the question of where we place our deepest trust. As Africans we honour our ancestors and remember them with gratitude for the life we have received from them, but when loyalty to the ancestors conflicts with the loyalty to Christ, then our faith still needs to mature,” he said. “Our ancestors as Africans have their place in our memory and gratitude but they cannot take the place of Christ.”
He also encouraged the faithful to live out their baptisms in maturity.
“Faith has to grow deeper than the baptismal register. Fr Mario Pezzi, a combonian missionary in Congo who later joined the International Team of the Way, recognised this need after the massacres in Burundi, where even the baptised would turn on one another. That realisation first brought The Way to Africa, to Khartoum and then in Kampala in the early 1980s,” the archbishop said. “We need to hear the word of God repeatedly, to allow it to question us, and to be helped by others, like the Neo Catechumal Way, as we learn to lead while we profess. Because there must be a correspondence between what we profess and what we live.”
At the end of the solemn Mass, Fr Robert Bissell, judicial vicar, read out many letters of good wishes and greetings received from various Vatican dicasteries, other dioceses, and the Italian consulate, as well as a message from the Apostolic Nuncio, which included an apostolic blessing from Pope Leo XIV.
Some members of the Way told of their experience.
Bernadette, of Kraaifontein described finding solace in the church through “The Way”, as the charism is called.“I was lost. There was something missing in my life and it felt like God was not present, because of all the hurt from my marriage and the difficult times I went through and my nephews being on drugs,” she said. An invitation from a catechist led her back to church and she described being so joyful after the experience that she dragged her family with her too. “I thank God for intervening in my life and bringing myself and my family to the Neocatechumenal Way,” she said.
Linda, from Belhar described her miraculous recovery from a brain aneurysm that left doctors scratching their heads.“I’ve beenthrough a double brain aneurysm and a permanent shunt had to be inserted in my head in 2023. This for me will always be a big kiss from God. I only know that I had a tremendous amount of brothers and sisters praying for me from all communities during this time,” she said.
Landyn from Bridgetown “I spent so many years thinking that I had a plan for my life and that I knew what would make me happy. But through my suffering, through the witness of my brothers and sisters, and through the patience of the Lord, I began to understand that my life is not something I need to control. It is something I need to entrust to Him.”
- Archbishop Sipuka Marks 40 Years of Neocatechumenal Way in Cape Town - November 10, 2026
- Pope in Uruguay: The bridge, the palm groves and mate drink - November 8, 2026
- Rediscovering Cardinal Owen McCann - November 7, 2026
