Academic Mass
On Sunday 19th February Bishop Dabula Mpako, Bishop of Queenstown, presided and preached at the Annual Academic Mass at Holy Trinity. The Mass marks the beginning of the academic year for tertiary students in Johannesburg. Representatives from the Universities of Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand were present. The President of St Augustine College (the Catholic University in SA), Dr Michael Van Heerden, concelebrated with the Bishop, university chaplains and other priests who attended. This year students from Fordham University – the Jesuit University in New York City – who are visiting SA and working with the University of Pretoria also attended. The McDonogh School of Business at Georgetown University (a Jesuit University in Washington DC) was represented by Prof Becky Heino.
In his homily Bishop Mpako said that education from a Christian perspective seeks to bring people to human maturity. He said that mature people recognise their social responsibility and seek to free others from any form of slavery. The Bishop said that Jesus was our model and offers us the grand vision of what it means to be mature human beings. He encouraged students to take their studies seriously and not to get caught in some destructive dynamics which are all too often present amongst students – entitlement and selfishness. He encouraged students to learn and use what they have learnt to build a just society bridging the ever growing gap between “haves” and “have nots” in SA. Bishop Mpako also asked educators to take their task seriously recognising that they are moulding the future of South Africa; “Be willing to share your knowledge and expertise generously” he said.
At the end of the mass Raymond Perrier, director of the Jesuit Institute, launched the new Stations of the Cross app for smartphones and a Lenten Booklet published around themes of Hope&Joy.