From the Margins to the Centre
The sight of people from the Amazon with traditional clothes and instruments participating in a Mass in one of Rome’s grand baroque churches will be one of the defining images of this papacy. When...
Category: Raymond Perrier
Our Church Must be an Open Club
When he announced the convening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII proclaimed that he wanted “to open the windows and doors of the Church so that we can look out and others...
We Need to Talk About Mental Health
As a society we are getting better at talking about all kinds of subjects that were once taboo: gender-based violence, diverse sexual orientations, life-threatening illnesses, bullying at work or at school, and addictions. But...
Get The Story From The Homeless
The Denis Hurley Centre in Durban recently launched a campaign with the web-based news site Daily Maverick to invite South Africans to look into the eyes of homeless people and get to know their...
Mary Magdalene and Me
I share a birthday with Mary Magdalene – her feast day that is. In his article “How Mary Magdalene the Apostle Was Slandered” Günther Simmermacher provides some very useful insights into how and why...
Who Teaches the Teachers?
The Roman poet Juvenal asked: “Who guards those who do the guarding?” In the same way, we might ponder to ask “Who educates those who do the educating?” As a society — and as...
The Challenge of living in the Ordinary
By now, the excitement of the 2019 elections is over. An election campaign is always full of high points — moments where a politician gives us hope for the future — and low points...
We Are Easter People!
We wished people a Happy Easter last Sunday but are you doing so this Sunday? Easter for Christians is not a one-off event: rather it is a season lasting a full 50 days and our joy should continue to overflow this year until June 9, this year’s date for Pentecost.
Think Before You Give!
The Lord reminds us it is better to give than to receive. During Lent, I am sure that most readers are focused on the value of giving. But as someone who runs an organisation that...
Why We Have to Plan for Successors
In Durban, we recently rejoiced to welcome Archbishop Abel Gabuza as coadjutor. When, in time, he succeeds Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, he will be only the sixth bishop of the territory in nearly 170 years....
The New Year: A Time for Hope
As we go into a new year, I might be tempted to some degree of despondency. Last year was a tough year. I am put in mind of Queen Elizabeth II who in 1992,...
At Home in the Universal Church
When Pope Francis canonised Archbishop Oscar Romero, Pope Paul VI and five others this month, Raymond Perrier was there. Here he reflects on that experience. The meaning of Catholic is of course “universal”. It...
