News
Members of the Leadership Conference of Religious Life South Africa meet for the Annual General Meeting
Left to right: Srs Stephany Thiel (Newcastle), Katy van Wyk (King Williamstown); Thobile Gumede (Montebello); Mary Tuck (King Williamstown) and Alison Munro (Oakford)
Present at the Annual General Meeting of the Leadership Conference of Religious Life South Africa (LCCL SA) were Dominicans representing the King Williamstown, Oakford, Montebello and Newcastle Women’s Congregations, and the friars.
45 participants, including the Dominicans, engaged with the theme of Discernment in Decision-Making, embracing the Synodal values of inclusion, consultation, listening and dialogue.
Leaders reflected on, discussed, and shared matters from their own experience, drawing ideas and suggestions from one another regarding next steps.
A lawyer with qualifications in both canon and civil law gave practical and useful input on the importance of wills, property matters, dismissal and dispensations from religious life, and answered the questions asked by superiors facing challenges concerning the specific issues they face.
The UISG (International Union of Superiors General) had commissioned a study on Catholic Care for Children in South Africa. The research company undertaking the required research presented an interim report on their findings, as well as their recommendations. Catholic Care for Children has particular significance in rural areas which are often not well-served by government agencies.
The four Dominican Congregations represented have historical links with one another. The King Williamstown Dominicans (known as Schlehdorf Dominicans in Germany) established in 1877 in South Africa, had their beginning at St Ursula’s in Augsburg, Germany.
Oakford separated from King Williamstown in 1889, and Newcastle (known as Bushey Dominicans in England) and Montebello ( a Diocesan Congregation in South Africa) both separated from Oakford.
Text Sr. Alison Munro OP