In All Things
Issue 1
1 September 2022
2022 has been a busy year so far for the Jesuit Institute South Africa. We have welcomed new staff members, revamped our website, offered retreats, recollection days and workshops and we have been involved in training lay people and religious in various ways. Our offices in Auckland Park are abuzz with activity and planning for the remainder of the year and we have started our planning for 2023. Enjoy a few snippets taken from some of our works so far.
For the first time, we ran a Lent for Children workshop. We had 11 eager children varying in age from 4 to 12, playing in the gardens at Auckland Park and enjoying activities relating to the season of Lent. The children made prayer beads, prayer bottles, a Lent activity book and assembled a bag of objects to remind them of the reason we observe Lent. The children enjoyed a story and a snack and Fr Russell Pollitt SJ had a surprise Easter egg for them all to end off the morning.
Our Enneagram training continued with a retreat at Origins Retreat Centre led by Wilma Geyser in March and a 2-day Introduction to the Enneagram training session at St Vincent Palloti House in July led by Gillian Hugo and Russell Pollitt SJ.
Fr Russell Pollitt SJ led a wonderful retreat in Zinkwazi, KZN in April called Encountering Jesus at the beach. The retreatants explored the narrative in John 21 and were treated to mass on the deck at sunrise.
Acclaimed media personality and novelist, Joanne Joseph, led a writing retreat, The experience and art of writing, at Zinkwazi, KZN in April. Joanne ably led the retreatants through different genre’s, styles of writing and engagement in their own writing. All retreatants received a signed copy of Joanne’s latest bestseller, Children of Sugarcane.
Annemarie Paulin-Campbell and Russell Pollitt SJ and other “partners in mission” are guiding a group through their 2nd year of Spiritual Accompaniment training this year. They, along with other international players, are also half way through a year-long course of Ignatian Spiritual Exercises Training with a group of people from all parts of the world.
Morongoa Selepe and Puleng Matsaneng continue their valuable works that include Tsosoletsa, Spiritual Accompaniment training with various religious groups, Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola and reflection days with school groups. Both of these wonderful ladies have been involved in Synodal conversations within different parishes across Gauteng. They have been capably assisted by many volunteers and friends of JISA.
Youth Walk for Justice
By Puleng Matsaneng
On the 9th of July, young people (aged 12 to 30 years old) from Soweto and Tembisa joined the Jesuit Institute, in collaboration with the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre (JHGCentre) on a Youth Walk for Justice, from the Zoo Lake to the JHGCentre. Fr Frank Taruwona SJ led the reflections as we walked. The second part of the day saw the youth engaged in an interesting age-appropriate programme facilitated by the staff at the JHGCentre. The young people shared the following comments with us: “The day was very informative.”, “The Jesuit Institute never disappoints”. They were very grateful and thanked the Jesuit Institute South Africa and the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre.
July and August saw the first in-person Winter Living Theology series post-COVID. We welcomed Fr Daniel Horan, OFM, from USA to lead this series of lectures about Thomas Merton in Cape Town, Durban, Swaziland, Johannesburg and Botswana. Fr Dan also hosted a weekend retreat about The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton. Both WLT and the retreat were a wonderful success and we have had positive feedback from attendees at all venues.
August saw a new offering of an online series called Women in Scripture. With over 20 people online every Thursday night discussing a different woman from the Old Testament each week. Women’s month was enriched with thanks to Rahab, Esther, Deborah and Ruth.
We have more exciting events planned and hope that you will join us.