Blessed
Benedict Daswa to affirm the faith in South Africa
(Vatican
Radio) South Africans across the nation are gearing up to celebrate the man who
is set to become South Africa’s first Saint and martyr.
Benedict
Daswa, from the remote rural village of Tschitanani in Limpopo Province, will
be Beatified on Sunday, 13 September.
The
cause for Daswa’s canonization began back in 2008 and Pope Francis authorized
the signing of the actual proclamation for his Beatification in January 2015.
So
preparations for the event, led by the Diocese of Tzaneen have been intense in
the last couple of months, and have involved many people.
Amongst
them Lebo WA Majahe a reporter for the Catholic Archdiocesan News in
Johannesburg.
She
spoke to Linda Bordoni about Daswa, a family man and a school teacher who was
brutally murdered for having opposed witchcraft practices and beliefs:
Listen
to the interview:
“Something
that stands out about Benedict Daswa for me, is that everybody that I have
interviewed describes him as somebody who was very simple and who had a passion
for education, especially educating children” Lebo says.
She
also points out that other characteristics that stand out regarding this
“ordinary” man are that of integrity, of always being truthful, of being
dedicated to charity work and to caring for the poor of his community, even if
it meant donating his earnings and personal belongings.
Lebo
points out that he was a teacher by profession and responsible for the building
of the Catholic School – the only school in the village – and of the Catholic
Church there: “so he really did a lot in terms of community development”.
Speaking
of the importance of Benedict Daswa – the first South African Saint – Lebo
explains that only about 6% of the population is Catholic and the Beatification
will most certainly affirm the Catholic faith.
“Having
Benedict as one of our Saints means that there will be one of our own who will
be interceding for us, a person who knows our struggles: that’s great news” she
says.
She
says it all brings to mind the Gospel of Matthew that says that tells of how
the “rejected stones will be the cornerstones” – something, Lebo says, “that
more or less symbolizes what Benedict’s life was”.
In
this sense, Lebo points out, the figure of Benedict Daswa is also very close to
the kind of faithful Pope Francis speaks of.
As
a staff member of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg, Lebo will be present for the
Beatification and explains that the event will actually kick-off on Friday with
a media briefing, and then on Saturday there will be a vigil leading up to the
actual Beatification ceremony on Sunday.
“I
am hoping that the people of South Africa will take advantage of this event and
that most Catholics will be present” she says.
You
can read articles Lebo Wa Majahe has written on the cause for the canonization
of Benedict Daswa on the the website of the Catholic Archdiocesan News of
Johannesburg. Click here.
(Linda
Bordoni)
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