More than a year ago, the Vicariate of Ingwavuma chose “catechetics” as the priority for the next years. There are many things we'd like to do but two things were clear to us: we could not have many “priorities” because it could lose its “urgency” and in any case, we could not have more than one because of the lack of human resources to implement them.

After a first meeting trying to discern how to implement it, two more meetings followed: the first one with all the priests of the Vicariate. It is always clear in the minds and hearts of the people that, unless the priests are involved, things will not move forward easily. The second one, suggested by the priests themselves, involved all the priests and catechetical coordinators of the Vicariate.

Each step of this journey has been a very important one. The last one, this last weekend will be treasured by us all.

For three years, our ecclesiastical province of Durban organised a workshop for catechists at Pax Christi (Newcastle). Considering that many times, our catechists are teachers at school, the workshop was held for one week each year during their school holidays.

At the end of the training, a number of them were trained to train others in their own dioceses (and Vicariate!). Bp Michael O'Shea, my predecessor, was part of this process making sure that some of our catechists would take part of this training.

Since 2010, ten of them (two from each of our five Missions), have been ready to start training others and... that is what they did this last weekend.

First of all they met in January to prepared the contents and structure of the training. Then, they took a weekend in February to reflect and pray together.

This weekend they were surprised by the response of the two Missions involved (Hlabisa and Mtubatuba): 84 catechists arrived for the training. No one was fully ready for that number. There was not enough food, mattresses or space... but at the end, nothing was really a problem and the spirit was excellent.

***

In the last weeks, just by chance, different people pointed out to me two things that, according to them, identify a Consolata Missionary: the fact that we deeply care about the formation of our leaders and … the fact that we do it with them. We just do not send them to trainings but we go together. In South Africa this has been common since 1971 as Ms Prisca Hadebe from the LUMKO Institute pointed out the other day. “I remember trainings held at Damesfontein Mission in the Diocese of Dundee, with all the leaders and the priests among them. They walked with them, they learnt together...”.

Today it seems to be the same. The archdiocese of Johannesburg organised a gathering of catechists and people were surprised to see the catechists of Daveyton arrived with their priests. “You are really blessed... We hardly see the priests coming with the catechists...”.

I guess it is part of our DNA and that is probably why I missed not being able to be with my catechists, the ones of the Vicariate of Ingwavuma, with whom we share this journey of making Jesus known, loved and followed. I had been present at every meeting for the last two years but at the last minute I had to attend the funeral of a brother Bishop in a diocese which is far away from ours.

Still I was able to be back in time for the final Mass at “Malusi Omuhle” (Good Shepherd), our Cathedral where they then committed again to serve together our communities guided by the Holy Spirit. No one was expecting me to be back. Sister Ngubane OP joyfully welcomed me saying: “you could not stop yourself, isn't it? You had to be here!”. She's right, it must be in our DNA...