The Anglican Catholic Church

Missionary Diocese of Southern Africa

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2007

The highlights of the fourth quarter, at least on a personal level, were firstly my attendance at Provincial Synod in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A (followed by a couple of weeks holiday with family in the Cotswolds of England), followed shortly thereafter by our third Diocesan Synod in Cape Town, South Africa, where important changes to our Constitution were passed. But as far as the Church was concerned, of more immediate importance was the reception by Archbishop Mark Haverland of two experienced priests in the persons of Fr. Barrie Hodgin and Fr. Hilton Marais. The latter joined us in April with his whole parish of S.S. Mary and Martha, Summer Greens, Cape Town. On the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity, Deacons Timothy Smit and Nicholas le Roux were both elevated to the priesthood, bringing the number of clergy in the Cape Town area to six! Added to that, there are two new congregations in Summer Greens and Khayalitsha, with new missions in formation in Plumstead and Grabouw. This is quite spectacular growth in the Western Cape. The same growth is to be seen in the Eastern Cape, where three new missions at Addo, Port Elizabeth and Humansdorp have been added to the A.C.C. There are prospects of adding a further five clergy in this area, plus one in Natal and two in Limpopo. How is all this possible? It is clearly the work of the Holy Spirit, coupled with a sense of missionary zeal on the part of all our members.

Archbishop Haverland had a few days of rest and recreation during his November visitation, when he enjoyed some of the attractions of both the Western and Eastern Cape, including the Addo Elephant Park. He was accompanied by Canon Marvin Gardner of Roanoke, Virginia, who heads up our Society for mission funding in the Original Province, who saw at close quarters all facets of our diverse cultures. During his visit, Archbishop Haverland confirmed twenty four persons and baptized the two infant children of Rev. Lothando Binza. His Grace was impressed with the progress made at St. James’, Sovenga with regard to their crèche and community vegetable garden where the first seedlings had just appeared. The church plot at Grahamstown has now been cleared and fenced and is now ready for the next stage of development. Lack of funds at present prevents the purchase of land at Kirkwood, whilst elsewhere possible church sites are being identified

An exciting development is the establishment of The Good Hope Theological College, a distance learning facility that will prepare our ministry candidates for ordination, as well as offering training to non-ACC persons. The first students are expected to register for the academic year commencing in February 2008. Courses offered will include certificates, diplomas and degrees.

The Church is looking forward to the New Year in eager anticipation, with a strategic planning meeting early in January. The spurts of growth do not permit of ad hoc decision making, and a diocese-wide approach will be adopted, with some delegation of tasks. Our main aim, outside the normal priorities of the gospel, is the financial independence and viability of each congregation. The more missions we open, the thinner we shall have to spread our funds from overseas. It is therefore self-evident that our major funding will be directed to community projects which are firmly under the control of the A.C.C.

The readership of this website has now grown to over four thousand ‘hits’ per month, which is most gratifying. The Christmas season lies just ahead and so does the New Year. Our prayer for you is that you will come to experience the joy and peace which comes from a knowledge of Christ alone.

NEWSLETTER FOR EASTER - PENTECOST 2007

Easter, Ascension and Whitsun have passed, a reminder that the slow unfolding of the seasons reflect the outworking of God’s plan for His creation. He frequently surprises us in the suddenness of change in our circumstances. Nothing remains static, and God is the unseen dynamic, the catalyst that brings these changes. Fr. Deacon Joseph Zahela, who was ordained to the permanent diaconate in November 2006, died suddenly from a stroke. Few things have any real permanence outside the will of God. As though to emphasize this, Fr. Hilton Marais, together with his wife Karen and congregation of S.S. Mary & Martha, Summer Greens, Cape Town joined us. They are a most welcome addition to the A.C.C. in the Western Cape.

In March the Vicar General traveled to Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, to open the first National Mothers’ Union Convention, which proved a great success. Mrs. Koliwe Mntundini was elected as National President. The M.U. has as its mission the upholding of Christian marriage and family values. Thereafter he blessed the newly acquired building site of St. Peter’s Parish. On the same day, 22^nd March, he traveled to the nearby monastery of Hillandale. Here he conducted a clergy Retreat at which clergy from the Ethiopian Catholic Church were also present as invited guests. The theme of the event was, “The servant-hood of the priesthood.” It was a most successful time together at which the evolving relationship between the two churches was discussed.

Since then, the Vicar General traveled to Limpopo Province to visit St. James’ Parish, Sovenga. He was accompanied by Fr. Michael Williams who remained behind for two weeks to encourage the parish to remain faithful during the interregnum at the same time interviewing possible candidates to fill the vacancy.

The Cape Town Deanery hosted an information evening on 16^th May which was attended by two young men considering pursuing their priestly vocation with the A.C.C. During discussions, mention was made of the hope of establishing an in-house seminary in partnership with an outside Bible College, with additional doctrinal modules to further prepare candidates for the priesthood. This is an exciting development and is further evidence of a growing normalization of church life in the Missionary Diocese of South Africa.

Our website continues to elicit much interest, and we average in excess of 2500 ‘hits’ per month, with ongoing interest in expanding the A.C.C. into the rest of Africa. Of course, we would love to be able to respond positively to all the petitions, but lack of resources limits such ventures. The priority is to stabilize South Africa first. As with any fairly new enterprise, we experience set-backs, but as I mentioned above, for every such step backwards, we seem by the grace of God to take two forwards.

This is born out by the reception of Fr. Hilton Marais and his parish of S.S. Mary & Martha, Summer Greens, a Cape Town suburb adjacent to Edgemead and Holy Paraclete. The reception took place on Whitsunday at 8.00 a.m. In the afternoon, Holy Paraclete celebrated its feast of title with a Solemn High Mass. The Vicar General was celebrant and preacher, and Fr. Michael Williams of Christ the Priest, Bonteheuwel concelebrated. Fr. Deacon Nicholas le Roux was deacon of the mass. Representatives of all the Cape Town missions came to share our special day, and enjoy the after-Mass reception. We also had the privilege of a full team of servers for the occasion.

ADVENT 2006

The latter part of Trinity Tide was spent mainly on preparations for the 2^nd Annual Synod, which was again held at Schoenstatt Convent, Constantia, Cape Town, from 20^th- 22^nd November, 2006. A great deal of work was accomplished in a very short time, due to time constraints imposed by our archbishop’s hectic timetable. The debates were more lively this time around, with better lay participation. Twenty one delegates assembled to hear the archbishop’s charge, followed by reports from the various parishes and missions. These indicated steady growth, and good commitment from our clergy to increase both the numbers in individual congregations and the formation of new missions and parishes. In his Diocesan Report, the Vicar General drew attention to the fact that one former CPSA parish had joined us and two new missions had started in Cape Town. We were especially glad to welcome delegates from St. Matthew’s, Kirkwood, St. Peter and St. Paul, City Bowl, Cape Town and Christ the Priest, Bonteheuwel, Cape Town.

Because of good financial support from overseas donors and growing contributions from our own people, we were able to approve a budget of +/- R130 000,00. We had obtained a tax exemption from the Receiver of Revenue and attention was drawn to the need for tighter financial control. The Diocese was in a position to support community projects, and proposals were awaited from the parishes.

The Diocesan officials of the preceding year were re-appointed, with addition of Mr. David McMahon-Panther as Assistant Treasurer and Mr. Sanda Mntundini as Assistant Secretary. We also filled vacancies on the Council of Advice and elected members of the Diocesan Consistory Court, all of which provides indications of a growing maturity as the Church in South Africa.

The day prior to Synod, the archbishop ordained three new deacons, Tim Smit, Nicholas le Roux and Joseph Zahela and confirmed six persons, again pleasing signs of continuing growth. There was a packed congregation for the occasion, which was hosted by Holy Paraclete.

On Wednesday 22^nd November, everyone left for home, with His Grace, together with the Vicar General visiting the main centres of Port Elizabeth, Kirkwood, Grahamstown, and Sovenga. In various places, serious negotiations were begun with churches interested in coming under the ACC banner, which will be continued both locally and centrally. The churches concerned have a basic catholic ethos and large membership, all of which might well prove mutually beneficial. The Archbishop left for the USA and the Vicar General returned to Cape Town. Every where, people had been confirmed and great interest shown in the MDSA. Next year (2007) looks set fair for further growth. Reports of coming baptisms and weddings have since come in, increasing even more our number of parishioners.

It seems appropriate to thank God for all these blessings, and to petition Him for a blessed and peaceful Christmas and New Year for you all.

Synod Delegates 2006

NEWSLETTER TRINITYTIDE 2006

Another year of comings and goings, new faces found and some old faces lost, which is what one might expect in a growing and developing church. In February, the Vicar General visited Sovenga, where Fr. Binza is priest-in-charge. Fr. Binza was ordained in December 2006, and he had already regained most of the parishioners who had drifted away in the absence of a priest. A start was made during this visit with a mission at Sheshego which became the Bernard Mizeki Mission.

On 21st April, the ACC held a special Synod, the purpose of which was to amend the MDSA Constitution to provide for the acquisition and disposal of fixed property in terms of South African law. Seventeen delegates, lay and clergy attended. This was followed by a meeting of the newly elected Board of Trustees, which formally adopted a resolution to purchase a plot of ground in Joza Township, Grahamstown. The total purchase price was lodged with our attorneys. There is a two-bedroom house on the property as well as a ‘shack church’ which we hope to soon replace with a permanent structure.

On 23^rd April, Fr. Kenyon-Hoare traveled to Bersheba, a village close to Addo in the Eastern Cape, where he received an entire parish of about 60 members, including three lay readers and a catechist. This former CPSA parish had over several years become increasingly burdened by the spread of Anglican liberalism. Plans are afoot for the acquisition of land in two adjacent villages on which to build a church and community facility. Fr. Mntundini is priest-in-charge of this mission, under the patronage of St. Matthew.

Another new mission to open was that of S.S. Peter and Paul, situated in the City Bowl of Cape Town, with Fr. Brown responsible for taking services. It is hoped that this will be a predominantly young congregation drawn mainly from tertiary institution students in Cape Town.

On Whitsunday, Holy Paraclete celebrated its Feast of Title with a Solemn High Mass where the rector was assisted by the clergy of our two missions in Cape Town, Fr.Dean Brown and Fr. Michael Williams. We were joined on the occasion by parishioners from Christ the Priest, Bonteheuwel and S.S. Peter and Paul. A welcome face in the sanctuary (albeit in a wheelchair) was Fr. Peter Wood. He was unfortunately overcome by the pain of his rapidly advancing cancer, which was soon to claim his life.

Fr. Wood died at 7.20 on 27th June and the Requiem was celebrated on 30^th June when Holy Paraclete was packed to capacity with mourners from far and near. His death is a great blow to the ACC and he will be sorely missed. His widow, Nellie and family will soon be moving nearer to Holy Paraclete where they hope once again to play a full part in the life of the parish.

On 22nd June we also lost Fr. Dean Brown and his family who emigrated to Australia. We had known that they were going for some time, depending on his obtaining a visa, but it all happened at a week’s notice in the end. In this instance, our loss will be Australia’s gain, and I understand that he is already in the process of obtaining a licence in his new country. All this has meant a reorganization of the two Cape Town missions, with Fr. Williams looking after both. We are looking forward to the visit of Archbishop Haverland in November, where the ordination of three deacons will alleviate the shortage of clergy, with two to serve in Cape Town and one in Bersheba.

We have been very blessed with donations from both Australia and the USA, enabling us to work on completing St. James’ Church, Sovenga, and to look forward to building in Grahamstown and Bersheba. As far as Cape Town is concerned, we continue with our fund-raising efforts, but the cost of purchasing land or an existing church is prohibitive, so we will need overseas support for the foreseeable future. It is of the utmost importance for us to have a visible presence in the mother city, which is the cradle of Anglicanism on the African continent.

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2005

This has been a year filled with development and activities, both at Parish and Diocesan level. To begin with the letter, we held our first Diocesan Synod from 1 – 3 December at Schoenstatt Retreat Centre, Constantia, where our Constitution and Canons were adopted unanimously by delegates from all our Parishes and Missions.

On 3^rd December, Mr Michael Williams and Mr Lothando Binza were ordained to the Diaconate by our Episcopal Visitor, Archbishop Mark Haverland. Archbishop Haverland had been elected and enthroned at Provincial Synod, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA at the end of October 2005, and was paying his annual visit to South Africa. On 4^th December he confirmed Aaron Brown, Kim October, Nicholas le Roux and Tim Smit before a packed congregation at Holy Paraclete. At the same service, he ordained Revd. Deacons Dean Brown, Michael Williams and Lothando Binza to the Priesthood. From 5^th to 12^th December, the Archbishop accompanied by the Vicar General, visited our Missions and Parishes in South Africa, in Port Alfred, Grahamstown and Sovenga. He confirmed a further 11 souls and baptised four infants. At various centres, negotiations were held with clergy who had expressed an interest in joining the ACC. Altogether it was a hectic schedule, but very stimulating, giving great hope for future expansion.

On a sadder note, the Vicar General, the Venerable Innocent Nyoni passed away in June, leaving Sovenga without a priest. Father Kenyon-Hoare, Dean of the Western Cape was appointed Vicar General in his place.

On the parish scene, Holy Paraclete celebrated its 10^th Feast of Title on Whitsunday. On the 15^th and 16^th October we celebrated our 10^th Anniversary as a parish with a splendid banquet, and Solemn High Mass on Sunday.

Fr Kenyon-Hoare left shortly thereafter to represent the Diocese at Provincial Synod (see above). In June/July, he and his wife visited England where Fr. Alan officiated at the wedding of their son Craig to Carmen Knowles, after which visits were paid to family and friends. In March, Fr Alan visited the Eastern Cape Parishes in his capacity as Dean. What a year of travels – altogether Fr Alan traveled some 39000 miles.

On 9^th August the Society of St Pio of Pietrelcino was launched in Cape Town, where Fr Brown and Fr Kenyon-Hoare made their vows for 1 year and 2 years respectively. The Society is a religious order open to clergy and laity, whose mission is “To be holy and make others holy”. It is ecumenical and admits all catholic men and women prepared to keep the rule.

Finally when Fr Alan returned from Provincial Synod, Fr Peter wood announced his retirement on grounds of ill-health. He has a General Licence, and will assist as far as he is able. He has been a valued and esteemed member of the parish, together with his wife, Nellie.

January 2005

The big news for Holy Paraclete is that in November 2004, the clergy of the parish met with Bishop Mark Haverland, Episcopal Visitor to the A.C.C. in S.A. and formally requested that he assume oversight over the parish, following a prior unanimous mandate given by a full vestry meeting. Bishop Mark graciously assented to this, and the next day at a full Pontifical Mass, he ordained Deacon Peter Wood to the sacred priesthood, and Mr. Dean Brown to the diaconate. All these events happened at breathtaking speed, as the bishop had to change all his travel arrangements at the last moment, before proceeding to the Eastern Cape to ordain four men to the priesthood. Bishop Haverland was accompanied by the Venerable Archdeacon Innocent Nyoni, Vicar General of the A.C.C. in S.A, and Fr. Robert Wirth of the U.S.A.

The ordination Mass was virtually the last service attended by our sub-deacon, David Panther, before he and his wife Pam, one of our wardens, moved to Port Elizabeth. The parish hosted a very well attended farewell dinner. Their absence from Mass in the future will be sorely felt, but they have asked to remain on the parish roll, and will attend when visiting Cape Town.

Before leaving for Grahamstown, Bishop Haverland appointed Fr. Kenyon-Hoare as Rector of Holy Paraclete, and Dean of the Eastern Cape. He will exercise oversight over the parishes in the Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth areas.

The parish has experienced a 25% growth since the change of jurisdiction, a pleasant outcome after several stressful months. We have however, in general, had a very successful year, with excellent financial growth. More importantly, the Catholic Renewal Society, an ecumenical body, was formed and formally launched on 9^th August, 2004. The society is open to anyone adhering to the ancient Catholic faith, and Roman and Anglo-Catholics have met together, bound by a common desire to promote the ‘faith once delivered to the saints.’ The launch was a Votive Mass of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, followed by a paper delivered by Fr. Kenyon-Hoare.

( For further details, see our page on the Society of St.Pio.) This was followed on 26th September, the eve of the feast of St. Pio, by a Solemn Evensong and Benediction at the Parish of the Holy Paraclete. Fr. Kenyon-Hoare was the Officiant at Evensong, whilst Benediction was presided over by Fr. David Bailey of St. Luke’s Anglo-Catholic Parish, Salt River, Cape Town, who brought along his organist and choir to grace the occasion.

On 13^th November 2004, we ventured into a new field of fund-raising, when we hosted a 5 and 10 kilometre road race. We had hoped for more entries, but raised a substantial amount for our building fund and ministry projects. More importantly, we learned a lot about organising such an event, and hope to repeat the race this year. Members of the parish, including children, competed with good success, and were among the prize winners.

One of the new developments we look forward to this year is the offering of a two-year Diploma in Theology course, and a three-year Licentiate in Theology course, under the direction of Fr. Peter Wood. Although primarily directed towards ordinands for the A.C.C. the courses will be open to other fee-paying candidates. We hope to start admissions by August, depending upon recognition by the Qualifications board.

Anyone looking for an orthodox Anglican parish is welcome to attend any of our services, and this applies especially to visitors to South Africa. Visitors to other areas should consult our list of parishes.

Society of St. Pio

The Society of St. Pio is being formed as a result of intense interest, following the delivery by Fr. Kenyon-Hoare of a paper on the Mission of St. Pio at the launch of the Catholic Renewal Society on 9 August 2004. Briefly stated, the Mission of St. Pio was to be holy and make others Holy. The Association is open to all Catholics, (Anglican, Roman,etc.) both clerical and lay, who are willing to live by a simple Rule based on the Beatitudes, and are in three categories, viz. Associates, Clerical, and lay Third Order brothers and sisters.

If you are interested, please contact Fr. Kenyon-Hoare by email or post at the addresses given.

Catholic Renewal Society

This movement was formed by Catholic priests of various backgrounds who were concerned about the rapid liberalization of the Christian faith, and were anxious to apply a teaching corrective. The Society meets roughly quarterly, and meetings are open to all like-minded people.