Newsletter

The Anglican Catholic Church

Missionary Diocese of Southern Africa

EPIPHANY 2009

An epiphany is, of course, a showing forth of the glory of God. We here in the MDSA can justly claim to have experienced such a showing forth of the wonders of God’s glory and power, as we begin this year of 2009. It gives me great joy whenever I can report that a new parish or mission has joined us, but to have three large congregations, together with the clergy do so is a most wonderful beginning to a new year that we could ever have imagined. Fr. Jake Mabaso, together with his parish of the Holy Family, Protea Glen, Soweto, invited me to visit their parish 18^th January. The previous day, arrangements were made to meet with him, together with Fr. Jacob Qhesi of the parish of Emmanuel, Witsieshoek, Free State, as well as several other members of the Protea Glen clergy fraternal, and the upshot of this meeting was that both Fr. Jake and Fr. Jacob intimated their desire to join the A.C.C. On Epiphany II, I celebrated and preached at Fr. Jake’s parish, when he and his people were officially received. Fr. Jacob returned home, having promised to officially apply to be received during the coming visit of our Episcopal Visitor, Archbishop Haverland. After my return home on 19^th January, I received a phone call to tell me that Deacon Simani, together with his parish of St. Patrick, Pietermaritzburg also wanted to receive membership application forms. Two other congregations were considering changing their affiliation to the A.C.C.. I had had little to do with all this, other than responding to their cries for help, so to God be ascribed all the glory.

The next day, as I mused on the events of that momentous week-end, I calculated that since being appointed Vicar General of the M.D.S.A. our church had grown by about eight hundred % in terms of the numbers of parishes and missions. Was this not a clear sign of God’s gracious favour towards us? None of this should come as a surprise, since He looks for faithful Christians to carry out his revealed will in a world rushing headlong to disaster. Nor is this a local phenomena, for the latest edition of our newspaper, The Trinitarian, carried a report of the establishment of an A.C.C. presence in Kenya amongst the poor of Nairobi, as well as noting a number of other ecumenical approaches. To finish off a week of exciting happenings, I received an enquiry about the possibility of starting a mission in Brazil, South America. Whilst this is outside my area of jurisdiction, I do see it as a further sign of what God is about throughout the world.

All this has been an inspiration to us here in Cape Town, and the clergy are in the planning stages of an exciting outreach to grow our own congregations to the point when their significance can no longer be in doubt. A major block to further expansion is to be found in the lack of adequate funding for such a rapidly developing diocese, but we are trusting that He who is giving the growth numerically will also adequately supply us with what we need, despite the economic meltdown.

Our Annual Synod will be held again here in Cape Town, and we are looking forward the seeing many new faces, as all our new clergy converge on Schoenstatt Convent in April this year to take counsel together as to how the diocese should proceed from this point. If you wish to see how this ongoing saga continues, watch this space!

Newsletter for Whitsun 2008

“That day, about three thousand were added to their number.” (Acts 3:41)

Well, we may not have added three thousand in one day , but over the last three months we have seen more than a thousand souls join us. First we welcomed Fr. David Mpheshia and his parish of St. Michael and All Angels, Phutaditjaba, Qua Qua with a membership of about fifty souls from the Traditional Anglican Communion. Shortly thereafter I received Fr. James Hona, also from the TAC. He has been deployed as the new priest –in-charge at St. James, Sovenga, Limpopo. Then came a veritable flood with the reception of Archbishop Patrick Mkhize from the African Orthodox Church, with all his clergy and 830 members. The parishes and missions joining us are St. Patrick, Pietermaritzburg (55), St. Luke, Hammarsdale, Natal (30), Unnamed parish, Edenvale, Gauteng (300), Unnamed mission, Pitermaritzburg,(20), Christ the King, Port Elizabeth (140), St. James Matatiele, KZN (15), St. Cyprian, Queenstown, Eastern Cape (40), St. Mark, Qumba, E. Cape (20), St. Michael, Cala, E. Cape (30), St. Peter, Witbank, Mphumalanga (150) and St. Peter, Orlando, Gauteng.

Added to the above, but whose details are not yet to hand, are 11 parishes plus two priests in the Pretoria area, and another congregation at Klerksdorp, all of which promises a heavy round of traveling and visitations in the near future. Because of this phenomenal growth, the issue of electing a South African bishop has arisen. We petitioned Archbishop Haverland for a writ of election. The elective synod will take place on 28^th June 2008, at Holy Paraclete, Cape Town, with Bishop Iverach of Australia presiding. The bishop-elect is expected to be consecrated in the USA in October this year, together with new bishops for the Dioceses of the United Kingdom and New Grenada, which encompasses several South American countries.

Since our last newsletter, the doors of our new theological institution, Good Hope Theological College has opened its doors and is ready to receive students. Although primarily founded for the purpose of training clergy for the ACC, the college is happy to receive students from outside our jurisdiction. We offer diplomas and degrees up to doctorate level. Alongside the college, we have opened the Peter Wood Memorial Library, so named in memory of the late Fr. Peter Wood, whose widow donated all his quite extensive library to the ACC. Books will be available for locally based students to borrow. Fr. Barry Hodgin, a former archdeacon in the CPSA, has been appointed as warden of the college.

We have so much to thank God for, but as many of our congregations are from disadvantaged areas, such a sudden influx must inevitably place great strains on our financial resources. Few of the congregations mentioned above, not to mention parishes and missions who were already part of the ACC have their own buildings. Such funding as we receive from overseas is largely used for community based projects, such as feeding the poor, vegetable gardens, or counselling services. We are therefore praying that God will send us some generous donors who are as excited about the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in our midst.

Finally, we are resuscitating our diocesan newsletter, Bona Fide, so that all our people can be kept abreast of all that happens in the Missionary Diocese of Southern Africa. Watch this space!

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.