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From the Caritas Desk – Good news in the Lockdown

CARITAS DUNDEE NEWSLETTER (9/10)

Sept  8^th  2020

Diocesan Coordinator: Nduduzo Shandu

Chaplain KZN: Fr Mthetho Ndlovu

Chaplain Mpumalanga: Fr Gerald Gostling (Newsletter)

Working as Caritas “Love in Action” – each and everyone is invited!

“Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour, that is why love is the answer to every one of the commandments” (Sunday’s second reading: Paul writing to the Romans)

Lord Our God, help us to live simply that others may simply live

• The Caritas Desk is pleased to share more from some of the groups and activities in the Diocese. This represents a huge amount of good work that is going on in the love and care of people who are in need, both materially and in need of support emotionally and in their community and family life during this very difficult time. YOU know this from your own area and situation. God bless you all. This is one reason that CATHCA chose Counselling as the input for the Workshops. The Coordinator and Fr Gerald continue to meet at least once a week in the Office to check on work and planning.
• Thank you to the many who have humbly shared through these newsletters since the Lockdown began in March! May it continue.
• CARITAS KZN: On August 19^th there was a one-to-one whatsAp video meeting with Jenny Boyce, the outgoing KZN Coordinator, and our Coordinator Nduduzo Shandu. Then on August 27^th another meeting with Jenny for the Coordinator plus Chaplain(s). The purpose was for Jenny to get a picture and form some Report of how each Diocese was managing. This Report will be shared with the new Coordinator.
• The date now set for the official hand-over for the new Coordinator of Caritas KZN and the new one for the Durban Diocese is Friday October 2^nd We wait!
• God bless all who read this newsletter and may we all continue to support one another as best we can, and be unceasing in our prayer

CONTENTS

• Buyelekhaya Project
• CATHCA Workshop
• Denis Hurley Centre – Homeless
• Anthony’s Home and September 8^th
• Dlamini Village in Dundee
• 2 Emba Projects
• Bonus: Seminarians and Bishop Graham – Retreat

BUYELEKHAYA PROJECT

Madadeni:  the Parish of CTK:  Fr Mthokozisi Khanyile

Another visit on Sep 2nd by CARITAS  –  reported by Nduduzo Shandu, our CARITAS DUNDEE  Coordinator.

This Project, probably unnoticed by anyone outside the parish community of Christ the King, was initiated in 2002 by one of the Consolata priests. Like all the Projects it began by responding to a practical local need. To care for some elderly people who needed looking after, and needed company and “family”.

The Project operates from a Home/House in Madadeni section 3. The house has 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room, and bathroom.  There is also a two room shack house just outside the main house, and it is meant for Male residents. At present there is one man happily living there

Buyelekhaya is helping by providing a home for 5 needy and vulnerable  adults. It provides them with shelter, 3 meals a day, bathes those who cannot manage themselves, takes them to clinic/hospital for their routine check-ups and medication.

There are two staff members working shifts to take care of them.

The accommodation is basic, but what makes up for lack of any ‘luxuries’ is the loving care and company and feeling of family and being wanted. Fr. Khanyile brings Holy Communion to the Home. They love his visits and appreciate the Blessed Sacrament.

I visited these people on behalf of CARITAS for the second time, and brought them 10 loaves of bread (grateful thanks to the kind shop owner who regularly gives the fresh bread as a gift to Caritas) and some fruits and vegetables which were kindly donated. Apart from the food I could see that what made them most happy was to have a visitor. I spent time to talk and share with them all and they were pleased and proud to show me round again.

There is a garden in two sections with vegetables growing well.

I learn in my visiting the projects and with this one I could see that a lot can be done quite simply working together with practical acting love, and determination, and with faith and prayer.

CATHCA  (Catholic Health Care Association)  –   WORKSHOP on COUNSELLING Aug 25^th 2020

Also in support of one another to Check-out by gathering and sharing how the Projects are managing during this time of the pandemic.  How is everyone?

The venue was Maria Consolata Embalenhle for four local Projects in Mpumalanga: The main Coordinators attended on behalf of the Projects.

Mduduzi Family Care: Embalenhle

Ithemba neNjabulo: Embalenhle

Ekuthuleni Multipurpose Project: Leslie

Vusisizwe Home Based Care: Volksrust

The day from 9.30am – 2pm was lead by Melese Tumato Shula, PhD the skills Development Officer for CATHCA and a good friend to CARITAS  and some Projects in the Diocese. Everyone benefitted greatly and gained a lot to take back to share with members of the Projects, all of which in some way have care of children, youth, elderly, and sick, the poor.

A similar Workshop is arranged for the KZN region in mid September.

Thanks go to Nduduzo Shandu for negotiating the workshops.

Thank you to Maria Consolata for  arranging delicious refreshments.

Thank you to all who participated.

A little up-date from the Denis Hurley Centre Durban.

We continue to keep in prayer the lively ecumenical outreach of this Centre, and the continuing work of welcoming hundreds each day who come from the streets to the DHC for a meal, and the  many attended to at the Clinic. Great hope was given to a huge number of the homeless by negotiating a place to stay, or arranging a safe sleeping area, and then those who have found the welcome of the Jewish Club.

To mention one, Sandile “Rasta” Mkhize (botton right) – you remember his photo along with the others during the strict lockdown and sharing from the DHC – and a group of keen gardeners who share a tent at the Jewish Club Safe Sleeping Space based in Pinetown.

It happened that on my recent visit I (Fr. Gerald) too stayed in Pinetown!

St ANTHONY’S HOME

On Tuesday September 8^th the Church invited us to celebrate the Birthday of Mary. All 73 children and youth and staff at St. Anthony’s gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady, (also supporting a small statue of St Anthony, and St Francis their two great Patrons) and shared the celebration of Mass in honour of Our Lady.

The celebration was lively and full of faith and hope,  and a strength in this very difficult time of the virus.

Mr. Mbongiseni Nzuza and staff thank you for your prayers, and are grateful for the support of so many good people. Lockdown with so many children was not an easy ride, but it worked wonderfully, and they thank God there was no sickness.

Dlamini Village in Dundee

Support continues in this little Village setting and in the surrounding areas. Many useful items including good clothes are shared. Also the donation of loaves of bread, which is gratefully received.  Nduduzo the Coordinator is shading under the umbrella

Ithemba neNjabulo and Mduduzi Family Care

(and so many other groups, projects, parishes, families….who reach out to others – they have their own stories)

Anyone with children knows that they are always hungry! During this lockdown time many more have been helped, particularly those who have missed out on their main meal, and often only meal, at school. Thank you to the local donors.

OUR SEMINARIANS follow-up: When the Exams were over for our 12 Seminarians at Maria Ratschitz they enjoyed a Retreat guided by our Bishop Graham Rose.

Renewed and refreshed they all returned to SJV Seminary on Friday 28^th August.

Fr Gerald Gostling  8^th September 2020

Mpumalanga Catholic Aids Response – M-Care Website—>   …   Ithemba neNjabulo Project Report—>