Our Mission in South Africa...
There has
been a Capuchin presence in South Africa since 1929. This was
established in Cape Town, which remains the principal city of our
activity.
There are
1100 Capuchins in Africa (about 10% of the world total) and the South
African presence is one of the smallest.
Currently we
have eighteen friars of the Vice-Province: eleven are from Ireland and
seven are South African. We have two other South Africans as students
and one (South African) postulant.
We also have
one friar from the Tanzanian Province working with us in the
Vice-Province.
We have four
parishes in Cape Town; two in Port Elizabeth (which is 800 kms from Cape
Town) and three in Pietermaritzburg (1600 kms away). The latter also has
a student house for seminarians studying at the seminary for religious,
situated just outside Pietermaritzburg.
Under the
jurisdiction of the Vice-Province is a large post-novitiate formation
house in Pretoria (1400 kms from Cape Town). This is a facility for
Capuchins from throughout Africa. It has recently been built and can
house forty students.
The
Vice-Province is determined to develop local vocations and is actively
involved in collaboration with Capuchins elsewhere in Africa - something
which could only be achieved with the end of the apartheid system.
Previously we were isolated in our work.
Parish work
constitutes the bulk of our activity, but we are also involved, inter
alia, in supporting the Secular Franciscans, the Marriage Encounter
movement, and retreats of various types. We take a special interest in
the Capuchiness Poor Clares, who have two convents in this country.
