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A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
It is our hope and trust that by now every Catholic in the Archdiocese will be aware that it is our vision and mission to be a local Church that is made up of members who have each become more deeply evangelised. For some, perhaps the word “evangelise” is a bit of a mystery. But it shouldn’t be, because it simply means “to let the Good News (the Gospel) become more and more the guiding light and rule of our life”. We can be said to be personally evangelised when we open our heart and our life to everything that Jesus does, says and teaches us. Through personal evangelisation we encounter Jesus as a real person, someone with whom we can enter a real relationship of love and friendship.
That is what our Diocesan Synod set out as our vision and goal just over two years ago. Thank God many of you have used the time (Reflection Seasons 1 & 2) and the material well and as a result have developed a real friendship with Jesus.
As we approach the great feast of Christmas – when we relive the miracle of God becoming man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, it is good and necessary that we take time out to reflect on what it means to have Emmanuel “God with us” come once again into our life through the liturgy of Christmas.
Let us keep in mind that when God sent his Son Jesus to become our saviour and redeemer, who frees us from the power and control of sin and evil, it was not to bring us back to the Father as individuals, but as a community of brothers and sisters, who respect and accept each other as bonded together in him. So often in the prophets messages God declares: “you are, you will be, my people, and I will be your God, when that day comes.” It is clear therefore that God wants to relate to us as his people.
You know that during the month of October Bishop Barry Wood and I took part in the Synod for Africa in Rome. One of the most beautiful fruits of that Synod was the teaching that in Africa, because of the important value attached to the family, we should not refer to ourselves simply as the People of God, but rather as the Family of God.
This teaching grew stronger as we realised that the Church in Africa will make a real difference in our countries only if we show more and more clearly the good qualities of the Family such as its welcoming spirit, its openness to hear what each has to say, its concern and care for those in any kind of difficulty, its help and support for those who are trying to be good and to do good, its willingness to welcome and accept everyone as a brother and sister.
As we approach the feast of Christmas, it is easy for us to recognise that this is an ideal time for renewing our commitment to be good members of the Family.
May God bless each of you with the grace and strength to live as his beloved son or daughter?
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+ Wilfrid Cardinal Napier OFM
Archbishop of Durban |
+ Barry Wood OMI
Auxiliary Bishop of Durban |
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Welcome to the website of the Archdiocese of Durban. Situated along the east coast of KwaZulu/Natal, from KwaDukuza (Stanger) in the north to Amanzimtoti in the south and Bergville in the interior, the Archdiocese covers a total area of 20 318 square kilometers. The total population is approximately 200 000 faithful.
While predominantly Zulu, the local Church serves a broad variety of people from diverse cultures and many languages. Since the demise of apartheid there has been an influx of many people from north of the South African border. Many are refugees while other have come to seek their fortune in this better developed part of Southern Africa. |
The Archdiocese incorporates some very first world parishes in and around the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, as well as a considerable number of rural mission parishes, some with remote outstations.
Under the patronage of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Durban Archdiocese has been served for over 150 years by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who, while reduced in numbers, still maintain a strong and active presence in the Archdiocese. Recent years has seen an increase in the number of local Diocesan priests. There has also been a greater number of religious orders and congregations who have settled in the diocese.
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Special Offer
SPECIAL PRICE FOR “GUARDIAN OF THE LIGHT”
The new biography of Archbishop Denis Hurley, ‘Guardian of the Light’, is available at the special price of R275, including the cost of postage, from the Diakonia Council of Churches in Durban. To place your order, please contact Anton on 031 3103500 or email: the.director@diakonia.org.za
All royalties from the sale of the book will go to the Denis Hurley Centre at Emmanuel Cathedral which will focus on care, education and community building in one of the most challenging and diverse congregations in the Archdiocese of Durban.
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