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Personal Views expressed on this site are not necessarily the official position of the Diocese
18th Edition of CHM - updated 22 December 2010
A Christmassy Edition of CHM is available here in PDF form. A PDF is electronic and carbon-free, it saves paper and trees and is therefore friendlier to the earth, our future and those to come after us: 18th Christmassy Edition of CHM 2010.pdf
Anglicans ACT - updated 28 November 2010
Celebrating our Vision for our Church!
Provincial Synod calls us all to mark 30 November, the Feast of St Andrew the Patron Saint of Mission (or a date close by), as the annual day for celebrating the Vision and Mission Statement for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, and rededicating and recommitting ourselves to this calling we have received from the Lord!
The Archbishop has approved the following prayer for use on 30 November, and on all other occasions where we want to affirm our Provincial Vision:
Lord God of all truth,
Anchor us in the love of Christ,
Commit us to your Mission, and
Transform us by the power of your Spirit
so that we may live lives of faithful worship, witness and service,
for the glory of your holy Name.
Amen
Provincial Synod also agreed that this be a day for financial pledges to support the work of the Vision, at Provincial level, in support of Diocesan priorities in ministry and mission.
Our Vision
The Anglican community in Southern Africa seeks to be
- Anchored - in the love of Christ
- Committed - to God's mission
- Transformed - by the Holy Spirit
Our Mission Statement
Across the diverse countries and cultures of our region, we seek:
- To honour God in worship that feeds and empowers us for faithful witness and service
- To embody and proclaim the message of God's redemptive hope and healing for people and creation
- To grow communities of faith that form, inform, and transform those who follow Christ
Our Provincial Priorities
- Liturgical renewal for transformative worship
- Theological education and formation
- Leadership development
- Health: HIV and AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
- The environment
- Women and gender
- Protection and nurture of children and young people
- Public advocacy
Marriage and Licensing of Divorced Clergy - updated 28 November 2010
From the Synod of Bishops, this communication is available in PDF form here Marriage and Licensing of Divorced Clergy.pdf
Statement from Synod of Bishops - 30 September 2010
We the Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa have met in Synod at the Kopanong Conference Centre, Benoni, Gauteng East Rand from 27 to 29 September 2010. In prayer and fellowship - the hallmarks of our Synod - we deliberated over many matters affecting the life of the Church: our own Church, the wider Anglican Communion and the ecumenical Church of Southern Africa. In this time we heard the stories of achievements and pain from the Bishops of Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and St Helena.
The presence of Bishop Zache Duracin, Bishop of Haiti, among us reminded us of the devastation that his country had recently experienced and of the long road that still has to be travelled towards full restoration. We are grateful for Archbishop Thabo Makgoba's pastoral visit to Haiti and for the many Anglicans of our Province who contributed towards the rebuilding efforts.
The Bishops have who attended the recent meeting of African Bishops in Uganda, gave mainly positive reports. However, while not able to endorse all that was said and done at that meeting, we state our full commitment to the Anglican Church in Africa, of which we are a part.
We, the Bishops, were deeply disturbed to hear from the Bishop of Swaziland of the growing human rights abuses in his country. He also challenged the Church to become more involved in the urgent quest for democracy; we agreed.
The Bishops of St Helena, Namibia and Lebombo (Mozambique) reminded us of the many missional challenges facing their countries.
We noted with joy the creation of the new Diocese of Mbhashe. And we received a request from Bishop Dinis Sengulane for the multiplication of his diocese - all signs of the growth of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa.
We reflected on other ways of growing our Church, and in this regard encouraged the use of 'Rooted in Jesus', a Church growth programme.
The draft document entitled 'Pastoral Guidelines in Response to Civil Unions' was given careful consideration. It has been drafted in response to pastoral situations that are arising within parishes as a consequence of South Africa's Civil Union legislation. An amended document has been referred back to the Diocese for comment and will be discussed by us again at the February Synod of Bishops. As Bishops all are acutely aware of the need to act pastorally and prudently on this sensitive matter, while at the same time committed to remaining within the accepted teachings of our Church on marriage and the ongoing dialogue within the Anglican Communion.
Provincial Synod in Benoni - 30 September 2010
More women need to be in leadership roles in the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba said on Wednesday.
'The church is hugely unrepresentative in relation to gender... women constitute the majority in our pews but the reverse is true at every level of leadership, lay and ordained,' Makgoba said in a statement.
'The roles of men and women alike, of every culture, were distorted by apartheid. We need to develop appropriate spiritualities for us all, for contemporary living... that are also channels of healing for the legacies of our brutalising history.'
Makgoba was delivering a speech at the three-yearly provincial synod of the Anglican Church in Benoni.
He also expressed his views on conscription - describing it as having a 'dehumanising effect... on a generation of young men barely more than boys'.
'Many are still wounded from that time... from their time in Namibia and Angola and need to be able to speak and find healing. Our society makes this almost impossible.'
On the issue of the position of homosexuals in the church, Makgoba said: 'For us what has mattered most is being centred on Christ, agreeing on the central matters of who Jesus is and the salvation he brings and therefore recognising one another as being united in him, and, in consequence, with each other.'
Source: News24.com
CHM Changing Hearts and Minds - 14 September 2010
Photo taken at St Peter's Chapel, Churchhaven
CHM is now available in PRINT FORM. It is being distributed from our Diocesan Office in Malmesbury. If your Parish has not received hard copies, they are in the post. Please write and submit high quality photos regularly. These may appear either in CHM or here on our Diocesan website. Articles are to be submitted in simple Word format and photos in JPEG
17th Edition of CHM - 27 August 2010
Photo by Ruth Smith 2010
For downloading, navigate to CHM Newsletter in the right-hand side bar. Printed versions are expected to be in your hands and pews by next Sunday 5 September 2010
Diocesan Farewell Services - 10 August 2010
Photo taken in Clanwilliam
Diocesan Farewell services for Clergy who are retiring in the Diocese:
Sunday 22 August at 18:00 Fr Rod Walsch, at St Oswald's, Milnerton
Sunday 19 September at 18:30 The Ven Dirk Magerman, at the Church of the Annunciation, Paarl
Sunday 31 October at 18:00 The Ven John Goliath, St Nicholas', Matroosfontein
Honouring Madiba - 14 July 2010
Photo of 'Children Reading' found on Google
Statement by The Archbishop of Cape Town,
Dr Thabo Makgoba, on Former President Mandela's Birthday
Celebrate Madiba's Birthday by Supporting Reading and School Libraries
On the occasion of his 92nd birthday, it is my humble and joyful privilege to send the warm greetings and congratulations of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa to our former President, Mr Nelson Mandela.
Photo of 'Madiba and Children' - Alexander Joe of Getty Images found on Google
I am particularly delighted that this year the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Institute and Equal Education are together highlighting the need to promote reading - and especially through the resourcing of school libraries - as a fitting way of marking Madiba's birthday. There can be no doubt over the importance of reading in his life, at the heart of the education that allowed him to become first a successful lawyer, and later a nation-changing leader and visionary world statesman, whose profound wisdom inspires us all.
Yet today, according to the National Education Infrastructure Management Systems, only 8% of South Africa's public schools have stocked libraries. Yet children from schools with fully stocked, fully staffed, libraries do significantly better than those who have none. Especially in the first few years of schooling, our learners need to be reading regularly, and come to know the joys of reading for pleasure. School libraries are not a luxury - they are a necessity.
As a patron of Equal Education, I cannot recommend this initiative highly enough. This is something in which we can all become involved as part of our celebration of Mandela Day on 18 July. We can use our 67 minutes to read to someone who cannot read for themselves, perhaps a small child, or an old person. Many of us can also give a book to a child, or to a school, or make a donation that will enable the purchase of suitable volumes.
I commend the Government on their positive involvement with the campaign for school libraries. I challenge local communities, civil society and business, to join hands with government, and throw their weight behind this initiative. In particular, I ask our Parishes to do what they can - encouraging parishioners to bring suitable books to church, so that they can be passed on to schools in their area.
Let us show our love and respect for Madiba on his birthday, by making the effort to ensure that access to a fully stocked, working, school library becomes a school libraries become a reality for all children.
Diocese on Facebook - 7 July 2010
Using Media to the Max not only to inform, but TRANSFORM ourselves, other and the world for the better. Please join and encourage others to the same
Draft of Diocesan Vision Statement - 23 June 2010
Golden wheat fields of the Swartland. Photo taken on the N7 somewhere outside Malmesbury
Our Diocesan Draft Vision Statement reads currently as follows: Inspired by our belief in God through Jesus Christ, we are committed to serve all in ways that continually affirm, equip and transform
Richard Norman - Ordinand from Mirfield - 3 June 2010
The Ven Titus Daniels, chairperson of the Diocesan Link Committee, met Richard at Cape Town International Airport (l). Richard Norman is seen here between Fr Titus and the Ven Andrew Wyngaard, Rector of St Mary's Parish Church, Kraaifontein
Yesterday (3 June), on the feast of Corpus Christi, the Diocese was delighted to welcome Richard Norman into our particular part of the Body of Christ. Richard is an ordinand training at Mirfield's College of the Resurrection see http://college.mirfield.org.uk/.
He is presently reading towards a Masters degree in theology, having completed an undergraduate degree at Oxford. At 22, Richard is the youngest ordinand in his Diocese. He will be in the Diocese of Saldanha Bay for about a month. An area of special interest for Richard, academically, is that of moral theology - how ethical questions are engaged with theologically and practically in people's lives.
He is currently being hosted by the Archdeaconry of Paarl. It is hoped later this month that Richard will make his way up the west coast, to the Archdeaconry of Namaqualand North.
Richard was met at Cape Town International Airport by the Ven Titus Daniels and two members of the Media Team. A lovely reception was arranged by St Mary's Parish Church, Kraaifontein.
 
Babalwa Williams (l) of the Diocesan Media Team with Richard (r). Above, a child in the township of Dunoon, typifying our warm welcome
Prayers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
'Let us all pray that God will bless the World Cup!' said Archbishop Thabo Makgoba on Monday ( 24 May 2010) as he launched a special prayer for the tournament.
'It is a short and simple prayer which is easy to learn, and I hope many people, of many backgrounds, will join me in praying it daily in the coming weeks' added the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. 'We are asking for the well-being of everyone who is in any way associated with the FIFA 2010 World Cup: players, spectators, South Africans as host nation, and everyone who travels here. Apart from the Olympics, this is the most widely supported sports event in the world - countless millions, even billions, love "the beautiful game" and we want to share this love with one another, for the good of the world.'
Dr Makgoba went on to say 'We know from experience that sport is potentially a tremendous catalyst for good. Sport can bring people of different races and religions together, building the confidence of young people and promoting social cohesion, both within this country and across the whole human family.'
This, he said, was probably the greatest, and most lasting, benefit that could be gained from the World Cup. 'We do not know what long-term material improvements there will be to the average South African as a result of the tournament, though the infrastructure developments should lead to lasting gains. I hope it will be a catalyst for change in other ways, and also prompt the South African Football Association to set up better football education, training, and health clinics, for young boys and girls.'
'Yet this I do know' he stressed, 'the World Cup will lift the spirits of this country of soccer-lovers, and we can harness this for nation building, which is of more fundamental value. I believe it will also touch the hearts of those whose first love is another sporting code - the success of holding Super-14 rugby games at Orlando Football Stadium shows vividly how support for skilful play in a good match enthuses us all, and how sports-lovers of very different backgrounds can find they have a common bond!
'I know I have to say "may the best team win", but in my heart I am certainly hoping that Bafana Bafana prove to be this "best team"!' concluded the Archbishop, who will be attending the Algeria-England match in Cape Town on 18 June. 'Most of all, I am praying for a good competition and entertaining football - and for God's blessing on us all.'
The Archbishop's prayer reads:
God bless the 2010 World Cup:
bless those who compete, and those who watch,
bless those who host, and those who visit,
and help all who love the 'the beautiful game'
grow in the love you have given us to share. Amen
Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town
Archbishop Thabo in Dunoon - 26 May 2010
Bishop Raphael and the Chapter of the Diocese express their sincere support and sympathy for the community of Dunoon. Bishop Raphael is also deeply grateful for the Archbishop's visit arranged by HOPE Africa, and to the leadership and Parishioners in the Chapelry.
The Chapelry of St Laurence, in the Parish of St Chad's Church Table View is situated in the township of Dunoon (about 16 kilometers from Cape Town). Recently, a fire raised 165 shanties to the ground. The shanties are densely packed together, adding heavily to the rapid spread of fires. While no one can say exactly how this recent blaze started, dangerous and illegal electrical wire criss-cross at very low levels over the shanty skies. Candles, paraffin and wood fires are also, often, the only sources of heat, warmth and light.
In support of parishioners and the community, Archbishop Thabo visited Dunoon today (26 May 2010). The Archbishop delivered a message of hope, distributed some clothing, blankets and food and visited part of the affected area. These care packages were made possible by HOPE Africa in partnership with the Warehouse.
The Revd Anthony Henderson welcomes Archbishop Thabo Makgoba to the Chapelry on behalf of Bishop Raphael and the Revd William Payne, Rector of the Parish
Townships in South Africa are not only places of hardship, poverty and despair - they are also places of staggering heart, humanity, resilience and hope. Dunoon is no exception! The Parish and community received the Archbishop with huge smiles, beat cushions and hammering bells - from the oldest to the youngest. In the seriousness and sorrow there was also celebration and tangible signs of care
Delene Mark of HOPE Africa is to the left of Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, accompanied by Zweli Luzipo, chairperson of Ethembeni (r)
 
The shanties (see below) are packed tightly together. But these seen here, are some with more generous spaces between them
 
Some of the narrower spaces and pathways (below) between the maze of shanties in Dunoon. Its easy to see why devastation and fires are able to spread fast and furiously
 
A home that has been raised to the ground (below). The delegation pauses as a mark of respect for those affected by the fire. But particularly, here also is where a life was lost. A member of the Mothers' Union leads the prayers
A Cross cuts through the clear of the open sky just above the place where once someone's home stood. At this place of loss, the delegation stands still and, in sacred silence, witnesses to a God who is still God - even and especially (t)here on the ground
Chapter Retreat
Please remember in your prayers Bishop Raphael Hess and the Chapter of the Diocese on Retreat for this week Monday 24 to Friday 28 May 2010.
Ordination in Clanwilliam
 
Pat Townshend, originally from Zimbabwe, now serving her first curacy at St Stephen's Church in Pinelands, waited 20 years for this moment. Sadly and embarrassingly, women are still not ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe - and in other pockets of the Anglican Communion. This position is fiercely rationalized and intellectualized, predominately by the men who hold it
Ordination Service Clanwilliam, Saturday 24 April 2010
Above (from l to r): The Newly Ordained The Revd Fr Craig Abrahams, the Revd Pat Townshend (ordained priests), the Revd Denver Heugh and the Revd Victor Harker (ordained deacons)
 
Above: Bishop Raphael Hess vests the Revd Pat Townshend, crossing her stole in the traditional way worn by a priest
Above: Rus Blassoples (front left) and the rest of the boys just before their Ordination. Rus facilitated their 5-Day Ordination Retreat, held in deliciously delicate, sacred Silence
 
Above: The Deacons are Made (photo on left). The Revd Denver Heugh (l) and the Revd Fr Craig Abrahams (r) are the youngest deacon and priest in the Diocese respectively
Above: Pat and Craig moments before they are to be ordained priests, perhaps remembering that they are always deacons (called to serve)
Above: The Revds George Abrahams, Craig Abrahams, Anthony Henderson and Denver Heugh basking in the warm and wonderful light of friendship and an incredible moment
Above: The Retreat House at Caleta Cove, Clanwilliam, looked onto all of this. Candidates were encouraged to create a personal daily ritual - to open themselves up to be blessed by the fading light, the setting sun and rising stars. St Bonaventure in the 13th century pointed towards this God infusion in all things. Bonaventure spoke of the Great Chain of Being. St Francis called the sun, brother, and the moon, sister - affording them deep and great respect
Ordination in Clanwilliam
From left to right: Anthony Henderson, Denver Heugh, Patricia Townshend, George Abrahams, Craig Abrahams and Victor Harker. Photo taken at the Retreat House, moments before leaving for the Ordination Service
An historic event took place on Saturday 24 April 2010. The first Ordination Service ever held in the Parish Church of St John, Clanwilliam. The Church was designed by Sophie Gray (wife of the First Bishop of Cape Town, Robert Gray); it dates back to 1867.
Those ordained to the priesthood were: Patricia Townshend and Craig Abrahams.
Ordained to the Deaconate: Victor Harker, George Abrahams, Anthony Henderson and Denver Heugh. Congratulations to the parishioners of St John's Church under the Rectorship of the Venerable Jerome Prins, Archdeacon of Namaqualand South.
Bishop Raphael Visits the Parish of Atlantis
Sunday 7 - 14 March 2010
Since October 2009, this pastoral visit to Atlantis has been scheduled into the diary for 2010. Suddenly March was upon us and the visitation began on Sunday 7 March with a glorious Confirmation Service at which over 30 young adults were confirmed, in the presence of a congregation of over 700.
Myfanwy and I lingered longer with the newly confirmed and their families, until lunchtime which was at the Rectory with Fr Joe Titus and his wife, Maureen. This was a wonderful time of conversation and connection. Late the Sunday afternoon, we made our way back home via Malmesbury, where I completed some "desk clearance" work.
Monday morning I was joined in the Parish by the Senior Priest and the Diocesan Secretary for our first meeting with the Rector. We began our time with reading again, Sunday's Old Testament passage about Moses at the Burning Bush and this passage formed the foundation upon which we built our conversations for the rest of the day.
We reflected upon the fiscal management of the parish and the need to give support to one another as parish and diocese to facilitate the work of God's Mission. It was very thrilling and encouraging to have these conversations and co-operation, and not condemnation and prejudice.
In the afternoon, we walked through the streets of Atlantis, and did some old-fashioned parish house visiting. We returned to the parish precincts for Evening Prayer at 17:30 and followed that with a meeting with the Churchwardens... again reflecting upon Scripture before moving onto our business of considering the finances of the Parish. The Diocesan Lay Canon, Clarence Martin, produced inspiring analysis of the Diocesan Finances. This meeting with the Churchwardens and the Rector produced a wonderful source of energy and a willingness to see the potential of the Parish Mission and Ministry to continue unfolding. There was a spirit of openness to see the burning bush and to be encountered by the God of Surprises.
The next few days it was the Joseph Story that formed the spiritual basis for our deliberations. Again, excellent, open, energizing meetings with the Parish Council and on the Wednesday morning and Evening, the Eucharist was celebrated, at which the Senior Priest, Anthony Gregorowski, delivered brilliant Biblical exegesis teaching on the God who creates and continues to create, re-create and to supply our needs.
The Bishop's week... which was titled the Episcopal Fiscal and Pastoral Visitation concluded on Sunday 14 March in the Parish with the Celebration of the Parish Eucharist followed by a Potjiekos Luncheon with the delicacy of pens and pootjies.
Love and prayers
+ Raphael
Archbishop of Cape Town Visits Haiti
2 March 2010
Statement from the Synod of Bishops
Swaziland 8 - 11 February 2010
The Synod of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) gathered with the Diocese of Swaziland in the blessing of their new Conference Suite at Thokoza (Joy), the Anglican Conference Centre in Swaziland. We then continued our meeting in that tranquil setting, giving thanks for the spirit of joy and fraternal charity that undergirded all our proceedings and which enabled us to conduct our work in an atmosphere of prayer.
As we met, we wrestled together with Scripture and listened to scholars speak on the authority of Scripture and its interpretation - that is, questions of hermeneutics. The problem of interpretation is crucial in a world of growing fundamentalism and we will continue to explore different hermeneutical ways of studying and interpreting Scripture. We believe that the prayerful study of Scripture should be central in all parish life, and encourage parishes to promote such study.
We listened too to scholars speaking on the spirituality of traditional African religion and its relationship with Christian spirituality. We recognise that we have only begun to scratch the surface of a deep and complex subject, and that there is still much that needs to be done in this regard. We have formed a Task team to explore in greater detail the implications of African traditional customs and rites being incorporated into Christian liturgical practice. But, because we are concerned that certain aspects of the two spiritualities might well be incompatible, we believe that, at least for the present, we must discourage any syncretism between the two.
As we sought to hear what the Scriptures are saying to us at this present moment, at the same time we listened to stories both from the Bishops and from civil society about what is happening in the nations within our Province. There are clear signs of spiritual growth and much that is happening for which we give thanks to God.
However, we have also been disturbed by some of the reports we have received, that suggest that there are common threads running through all the countries within our Province, threads that appear to be unravelling in worrying ways.
We believe that those in power are called by God to wise leadership and exemplary lifestyle, exercised on behalf of all God's people and for their upliftment and betterment - as St Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans. Of particular importance within God's economy are the poor, and those who live on the margins of society. It is our observation that, though lip-service is widely paid to the notion of social upliftment, the reality is that most of the leaders of our respective nations seem more committed to self enrichment than poverty eradication.
We have listened to accounts of unbridled greed, a greed that is not simply limited to those in political power. Nevertheless, we are especially concerned at the levels of greed of those in power, and at the manner in which political processes are manipulated and co-opted in the pursuit of self enrichment. This has resulted in a serious undermining of democratic values to the point where, in some places, such values are non-existent. We were distressed to hear of people living below the poverty datum line in the oil rich country of Angola, and of the huge number of people struggling to exist on less than $2 a day in Swaziland, where the average per capita income is over $5,000 per annum. In some of the nations within our Province, this quest for self enrichment has given rise to blatant abuses of power to the point where, in Swaziland, for example, political leaders stifle all attempts at dialogue and silence opposition, preferring instead to rule by threats and intimidation.
We have also been concerned at reports regarding the moral degeneration within our societies and among their leadership. The almost unprecedented levels of alleged corruption among those in positions of power within the Republic of South Africa, the seeming inability or unwillingness of the State to hold anyone accountable, and the recent revelations of the sexual misconduct of the President of that country do not bode well for the future and are cause for serious concern. The people in our pews look at what is happening there and elsewhere within our Province, and ask who they can respect and look up to as role models in the political leadership of our nations.
Much of this moral decay seems to disregard and undermine fundamental human rights. Certainly some of the corruption allegations referred to above appear to have been at the expense of the poorest of the poor, and show scant regard for what are seen by many as basic human rights. In the same way, the sexual indiscretions mentioned highlight the way women more widely face exploitation and abuse, and, in the case of Swaziland, are reduced to the status of the possession of a male through the denial of basic human, political and economic rights.
In response to the overarching call of God on all our lives, we therefore call upon the leaders of all the nations within our Province to covenant with us in a process of moral, spiritual and economic regeneration, in which we seek to model our lives and our societies more closely on God's principles and purposes for humanity, as they are held in common by the great majority of faith groupings. Through doing so, may we be servants of his blessing upon all his people.
Romans 13: 1-4 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.
Note for Editors: The Province of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa comprises Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha.
Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town
Inquiries: Cynthia Michaels on 021- 763-1320 (office hours)
After extensive and comprehensive reflections and discussions and the tabling of written reports to the Chapter of the Diocese, the Bishop has been advised to put the following interim structures in place for a period of reception and testing
Namaqualand North Archdeaconry was inaugurated 10 August 2009 at St Andrew's Church, Port Nolloth
Namaqualand South Archdeaconry was inaugurated 15 August 2009 at St John's Church, Clanwilliam
The West Coast and Malmesbury Archdeaconries was inaugurated 16 August 2009 at St Monica's Church, Vredenburg
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