Diocese of Keimoes-Upington Bisdom van Keimoes-Upington		Welcome
	Patrons: The Immaculate Conception & St. Francis de Sales
	www.catholic-keimoes.org.za	rckeimoes@catholic-keimoes.org.za
	Suffragan Diocese of the Province of Bloemfontein - Republic of South Africa

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Welcome to the web page of the Diocese of Keimoes-Upington. I hope that through this means we will have the chance to get to know each other and that one day you will have the chance to come to discover that the desert which comprises most of our diocese has a life of its own.

One of the patrons of the diocese is St. Francis de Sales. The pioneer missionaries in this diocese were devoted to making known St. Francis de Sales' way of living the Gospel. Here are some of his words with which you are welcomed:

"Wandel altyd naby God, want die sagmoedigheid (streling) van sy skadu is meer heilsaam as die helderheid van die son"

"The same life-giving Father who cares for you today, will tomorrow and each day take care of you. He will preserve you in suffering and he will give you his unfailing strength to endure it."

A Christmas Message

and

Looking forward to 2010

At Christmas my thoughts turn to you, my friends and fellow travellers, with whom I have travelled another year. I turned 60 at the beginning of the year and that brought with it a certain standing of age and wisdom in the eyes of certain people, but in my own mind’s eye I remain that foolish young man I have always been. I think the only distinguishing mark 60 years has for me is that I become more and more aware of my finiteness and vulnerability.

A very privileged moment this year - an unexpected fulfilment of a wish I had - to be part of the African Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. I experienced the Church of Africa in a very deep way through the eyes of the bishops and other participants, all of whom bore a deep love for the Church and its African members. There was a sense that together with Africa’s peoples we must find the solutions to our continents challenges and that such solutions lie in our being reconciled among ourselves and becoming fellow workers in the common

This year has been particularly challenging with financial concerns and I recall the words of the psalm: ‘I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from whence shall come my help’. It began with an enormous challenge of finding money to continue with the AIDS office since the funding was withdrawn and the year ends with an even bigger challenge, finding a half million to complete the work we began on the renovation of the cathedral in Pella – this as a result of one of the groups that promised us finance withdrew at the last moment.

The year has been very difficult for the local people with the increase in joblessness. Many more children come to school hungry and they look forward to what they have to eat at school. Some say that unemployment is as high as 65% of the work force – most of them young people who have left school early or who have completed their matric.

HIV and AIDS is still the biggest killer of our young people and the number of funerals in all our parishes has trebled over the last few years. Where there was a funeral, four a month, is now sometimes five on a weekend or 15 in a month. Making young people aware of the killer virus remains an ongoing imperative. We have been involved in awareness for nearly ten years but the message does not get passed on – and I believe the main reason for that is the continuing stigma associated with AIDS and the hushed tones people use when talking about it.

A devastating hail storm struck us in Keimoes this year and destroyed all the grape crop for a number of farmers. Every year I enjoy picking the grapes in my garden and making wine, but this year that past-time has been spoilt. We had a promising crop of tomatoes that was reduced by a third and all the mealies were destroyed. All the window panes on the north side of our buildings were smashed and the toll is nearly five hundred panes of glass. All that in a reign of terror that lasted five minutes. Even my friend the owl was knocked out of the palm tree and died instantly with an egg-sized hailstone to his head.

On December 16 we were blessed with a new priest. I ordained Fr. Mzingaye Moyo in Keimoes and many gathered with joy and thanksgiving for the occasion. His parents and family were also present for the occasion. Fr. Mzingaye joined our diocese two years ago and has mastered Afrikaans wonderfully.

Keep us in your prayers in these days in which we celebrate the birth of Christ, the Lord. I pray for all who read this message and so share with us our joys and sorrows. Let us keep our eyes raised to the mountains, from whence comes our help.

Please make contact with us through our e-mail address:

rckeimoes@catholic-keimoes.org.za

Every blessing on you and your family and friends.

+Edward Risi omi

Bishop

[Home] [Welcome] [Map & History of the Diocese] [Administration] [Necrology] [Diary] [Schools] [Parishes] [Clergy] [Days of Prayer, Collections, etc.]

[Bishop's Coat of Arms & Photo] [Institutions & Religious Houses]

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