by Raymond Perrier · Published April 24, 2018 · Last modified April 21, 2018
The story of the Church began with a whole evening of unjust trials – Jesus brought before the Sanhedrin and the Roman governor to defend himself against trumped-up charges and in a highly politicised process. The Church’s birth through injustice – condemning not only Jesus but many of the early Apostles – has given it a good basis on which to challenge corrupt policing, biased courts and inhumane laws
God / Prayer / Raymond Perrier
by Raymond Perrier · Published March 27, 2018 · Last modified March 25, 2018
Over the past few weeks, Catholics and people of other faiths have been praying for the rains to come to avert the crisis. I do not want to undermine or diminish the power of prayer, but it is worth asking ourselves what we feel the act of prayer in itself is actually doing.
Christian Living / Ethics & Human Dignity / Raymond Perrier
by Raymond Perrier · Published February 27, 2018 · Last modified March 5, 2018
At the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, we aspire to live up to Pope Francis’ vision of the Church as “the House that welcomes all and refuses no one”. So, as well as providing a safe place for those who are homeless, or refugees, or drug addicts, we also try to be a place where people with disabilities feel welcome.
by Raymond Perrier · Published January 30, 2018 · Last modified January 28, 2018
Shareholders come and go as they buy and sell their shares, but stakeholders often have a much more enduring relationship with the company.This concept has even more relevance for Church organisations and NGOs since there are no shareholders in the commercial sense.
Church / Ministry / Raymond Perrier
by Raymond Perrier · Published January 3, 2018 · Last modified January 1, 2018
There is one group whose work over the holiday season will probably go unnoticed since they work invisibly during Christmas and indeed throughout the year. That group are seafarers.
Charity / Christian Living / Raymond Perrier
by Raymond Perrier · Published December 5, 2017 · Last modified November 30, 2017
First and foremost, our duty is to make sure that we do not waste the money entrusted to us. I am afraid I have been involved in the past in some very well-resourced charities who happily use money because it’s there, without stopping to think if they are actually getting value for their spend
by Raymond Perrier · Published November 11, 2017 · Last modified November 7, 2017
I was involved in a profound experience like this a few months ago when we organised two consecutive Saturdays of driving around KwaZulu-Natal in the footsteps of Archbishop Denis Hurley, the long-time head of Durban archdiocese who died in 2004 after whom the centre I work for was named.
Church / Church History / Raymond Perrier
by Raymond Perrier · Published October 10, 2017 · Last modified October 9, 2017
As you walk around the “Eternal City” — and I walked 50km in four days — you are conscious that you are treading on the bones of the past.
Raymond Perrier / Suffering and Pain
by Raymond Perrier · Published September 14, 2017 · Last modified September 13, 2017
Drug addiction – it’s a scourge in our cities and villages. It wastes lives and it destroys families. It’s a social problem, a medical problem and a moral problem. It affects every type of family, regardless of colour, religion or income level — but inevitably the poorest suffer more.
Church / Liturgy / Raymond Perrier
by Raymond Perrier · Published August 19, 2017 · Last modified August 20, 2017
In so many areas of our lives, we have overcome our prejudices to exercise gender sensitivity in language.
The National Arts Festival in Grahamstown is always full of surprising drama delights, secular and also sacred. Among the latter this year, I was pleased to encounter an a capella gospel group from a...
Church / Raymond Perrier / Youth
by Raymond Perrier · Published June 23, 2017 · Last modified June 22, 2017
The celebration of Youth Day, and remembering the extraordinary sacrifices and bravery of the Soweto youth of June 16, 1976, is these days often accompanied by a lament for modern-day youth: “The trouble with...
