May 29, 2019

     I received an update letter from a friend who is an actively retired Grail member (an organization that is dedicated to uplifting the status of women worldwide, based on Gospel values). Among other things that she shares, is a few words about the situation here in South Africa that she lives in an a few comments about some of the rural women that underwent her training and how they have thrived. Have a look:

“This is the world I live in. The world I work in is very different. South Africa’s ranking as an Upper Middle Income country, masks the fact that it is the most unequal, in terms of wealth distribution. SA’s developed North (cities and commercial farming areas) has built its wealth on the cheap labour of the underdeveloped South (rural, traditional, former Bantustan areas). The North continues to suck up the lion’s share of the country’s resources leaving the South almost as poor and undeveloped as it was in Apartheid times. SA’s Middle Income status, has development agencies leaving, including five of WLTP’s former funders. 

Irwin believes that we have spent much time trying to eradicate poverty without equally addressing wealth. He is a medical doctor who has worked for many decades on development and health issues. The real challenge, he says, is to focus on the role of the rich in creating poverty. Why do the very wealthy find it so difficult to share their wealth? He is presently consulting for the Atlantic Philanthropies Tekano Project. The founder, Charles (Chuck) Feeney has given away all his wealth while he is still alive. His biography, “The Billionaire who Wasn’t,” is waiting to be read

I work in a microcosm of the global economy in the Women’s Leadership and Training Programme (WLTP) which is based in SA’s underdeveloped Global South. We are trying to redress specific dimensions of inequality, including patriarchal oppression, by working with girls and young women. We have done well, opening up a very different world of knowledge, and possibilities for girls who now remain in school and continue on to tertiary studies. We are being recognised too. Our director, Sbongile Mtungwa, my friend and former house mate from way back, is an Atlantic Fellow. Two other staff members, Nqobile Masuku and Ntuh Xaba, are (Climate) Adaption Network Fellows. A third, Nomusa Mkhungo, did a presentation at the International Hornbill Conference in Sarawak, Malaysia last year. (This gave her a chance to connect with Samkele Mhlanga (Grail member) in Kuala Lumpur where she is the SA Ambassador.) Girls have travelled to the UN to talk at events organised by the Commission on the Status of Women and have attended UN Climate Change Conferences of Parties. Ntuh represented the Adaptation Network at the Climate Change COP 23 in Bonn last year (This gave her a chance to connect with German Grail members). Seven of us, four staff members and three girls recently travelled to the Birdlife SA “Flock on the West Coast” at Langebaan, north of Cape Town. During the Learning About Birds (LAB) conference, we won the prize for the best 5 minute speed talk. (See the attachment) All of these trips are fed by and in turn feed into our work on the ground in the Global South of Centocow, Hlokozi and KwaMashu.” 

On my part I have been thinking cynical thoughts (again) about our Genius Trump and how he could so casually throw in the garbage the Iran Nuclear Deal. The hard work and sharp intelligence of teams of people from 6 different nations, over a period of two years, were able to come to a satisfactory solution regarding the nuclear program of Iran. But, Genius Trump, knows better than all those silly, stupid minds that wasted their time on this useless and worse decision (so he thinks). He is definitely a special creature of God, but I don’t think that we should blame God.

The on again, off again, meeting with Kim Jong Un, I think was deliberate. It kept the attention focused on him, which he loves, and it makes North Korea look as though it has to grovel in front of him because they really want to have this meeting (take away the economic sanctions). Not to mention the South Korean leader, who was never even consulted regarding several meetings that Trump or his team had. As though it really doesn’t make any difference to South Korea if there is or isn’t a meeting. And, of course, if there should be an outbreak of war, guess who would be the first target. Diplomacy 101 would be beyond him.

But let’s take a look at some other things that Cas has been up to during this month of May.

May 5…There was a mens’ Braii ( a cookout) to which I was invited at St. Paul’s parish where I help out from time to time. It was a good time for informal questioning and answering of questions that are on these guys minds, with, maybe a bottle of beer or a glass of gin or scotch in hand to loosen the tongue. Is marriage fading out of the picture? What about divorce and re-marriage and taking communion? How about our teaching about abortion? ( actually, I don’t support abortion at all, however, I challenge those who march against abortion on the premise of being respectful of all life. Why is it that there is no follow up after the non-aborted child arrives on this earth, only to die before the age of 5 because no one cares after the child is born. Malnutrition, diseases, etc. things that could easily be tackled, but most anti-abortion activists end their respect for life there. There is no follow up for those children, many if not most of whom (in our part of the world) will be dead, after suffering a lot before they die. There must be a follow up if we are truly pro-life. Lots of other things also came up like the kids today who don’t bother much with church any more. They don’t see it’s relevance. They are good kids and want to make this a better world but don’t think that it is necessary, or maybe even desirable to be part of a church. What would you answer?

    We have been following up with our fund-raising efforts with several meetings trying to get a more accurate estimate of what this building will cost (bricks, blocks, cement, doors, roof, costs of the municipality approving plans, etc. etc. etc. ) we had the contractor and some others come out for an onsite visit to be able to see what has to be done as a preliminary before the building itself. We will need a bull dozer to do some levelling and a Back Hoe for some serious digging for pipes and foundations. How are we going to pay for this? Where are we going to connect the water and sewage and electricity? Etc. etc. etc. I am taking a guess that the cost in the end will be somewhere around R700,00 to R800,00 Rands ( that is about $80,000). Actually it is beer money in America, if you think how much it costs to build an ordinary house. This church is going to hold about 150 people and will have some toilets, a room for a caretaker, a couple of spare rooms, and a small kitchen. Anyway, as daunting as it seems right now *( we are a very poor community) we soldier on putting our trust in the Lord. I hope he notices.

    I have been taking the Masses at the hospital every Mon to Fri. even though the government had taken over the administration of the hospital. Some of the sisters and nurses come at the 6 am Mass. During the day, others pop in for a time for some quiet prayer, not just Catholics, but anyone.

     May 11

 I attended a meeting, workshop at the Botanical Gardens in Durban of soy bean farmers. What used to be the monastery farm, has been taken over by a soy bean project with the hope that Africans can benefit from the very healthy Protein source that soy beans are, especially as they will be forced to eat less and less meat (most Africans are carnivores, like me) because it is just getting too expensive. Some of you have heard of Edamane. Well, that’s what they are producing and they are encouraging local African farmers to grow the soy beans, sell them to the project, which in turn will find a market for them, or use them (seeds) themselves processing them for the market in stores around here. I listened to presentations by African who explained how to grow soy beans, what fertilizer to use, best time to plant, how to use the project to make some profit, etc. etc. etc. and the complicated procedure to prepare the seeds for sale in the stores. Very interesting.

   ( I just heard my cell phone making funny noises and checked to see what it was all about. It was a story about a priest who was having an affair with a nun, who decided to end the affair, so he shot her. How’s that for a nice juicy story. Catholic priest shoots Catholic nun after ending an affair. Wow. Newspapers will be sold by the thousands. And the poor bishop. Now what must he do. While those who are against the Catholic Church will be licking their lips. I am sorry for both of them and will pray for them. As for the priest, his days as a priest are definitely numbered but I hope that his conscience brings him around to asking for forgiveness. Whether or not he asks, and or received, forgiveness, he will be haunted by this action for the rest of his life.

May 13..Mother’s day. I said Mass at St. Paul’s parish (mostly so-called Colored and Indian with a sprinkle of Whites). The pastor (parish priest, we say) is not well and joined me but sat through the Mass because his legs are giving him serious problems… several operations, mostly to get some circulation going there). We were invited (we priests—honorary mothers for the day I guess) to join the mothers who were wined and dined by their husbands with a champagne breakfast. Very nice. However, I was wondering if this could possibly be a con, because they do this breakfast act for one day and the other 364 days the wife gets to do the job. Hmmmm.

May 15…I paid a visit to the dentist (Sr. Michael). I have been having some trouble with a couple of upper molars and one of them might need a root canal. But that is very expensive, I think. So she said check and see. There were three options, 1. Root canal   2. Antibiotics to calm down the infection at the root of the tooth   3. Get rid of the tooth.

Hmmm. I am trying to hang on to what I have got and don’t want to lose any if I don’t really have to .

So a friend talked to his friend who is a dentist and I saw him a week ago and again yesterday (May 28) and he decided that the full cost of a root canal would be R2500, that would be, at current exchange rates, about $230.00.

And that would include 3 sessions to check out what was possible and how to go about it before actually doing it. He decided to try an anti-biotic first and, after a week, have another look and see where to go from there. I saw him yesterday and he filled anther tooth and decided that there was no rush to do a root canal, if it would be necessary at all. If it doesn’t give any more trouble, let the sleeping dog lie. I agree, but I want to make sure that all is well before I head for the States next year. I don’t want any surprises along the way.

May 18…. The Cardinal (Wilfed Fox Napier) came to the hospital for a special thanksgiving Mass for all the years that the St. Mary’s Hospital, as a Catholic hospital, served this community (now numbering more than a million people.)

I was told to sit in front with the cardinal in the middle and the provincial on the other side. The Provincial gave a very good talk going back over the history of the hospital and the many challenges they faced and overcame to the point where the government now takes over.  Many of the speakers (health dept., chief, hospital administrator) had either been trained as nurses here at St. Mary’s (their tutor was also sitting in front) or, like the chief, was actually born here, or had been treated here for one reason or another. It was gratifying to hear this, but I doubt if there will be much follow up if I judge by what happened when the government took over other hospitals. Somehow the spirit goes out. I was given honorary mention since I come almost every day for a service (Mass ) to pray for the patients and staff. Don’t want to lose the connection with God. I am not ready for canonization…..yet.  Ha.

Quite a few people have come for help of one kind or another (fixing the house, roof, or whatever, school fees, no money for food (the social welfare dept. just didn’t give the grant this month and maybe won’t give the grant again next month---I would like to shoot those guys) or transport, or funeral expenses, etc. etc. etc.  They thank me profusely but I tell them that I will thank those who put some change into the socio-pastoral purse to be used for just such things, e.g. you guys. So please accept the thanks and gratefulness for the help you offer them when they are caught in a serious pinch.

I also visited a few families in the evening. I call it “informal evangelization”. We talk about a lot of things and thank the Lord for the friendship that we celebrate when we come together. Thanks to the good work of our community leader at Savannah Park, Mike Pillay, he organizes communion  to the sick (maybe 5 or 6 people), who are house bound and who are soooo grateful that someone thinks to bring the Lord to them in communion since they are no longer able to walk to church.

May 25…. We celebrated the 80^th birthday of Sr. Agnes who has a ministry to the German community. She had cancer ( I think around the throat) and was not able to talk for some time but is seems that it is gone and she continues her work. We sang happy birthday, and may she have many more.

I also visited several people in the hospital. Sometimes there is no priest to visit and people feel a bit abandoned. It is always nice to be remembered, especially when you are so vulnerable.

I have not been cutting grass with the weed eater lately, since the grass has not been growing so much, but I have been working for a couple of hours a day in our “garden”, for lack of a better word. Lots of thorn trees that grow like crazy and come over the fence so that you can hardly walk there. I attack them viciously and they counter attack just as viciously. I have to be careful when I take a shower not to get blood spots on the white shower towel.

In between, I have also prepared a brochure for the wedding I will be taking in CapeTown in early November, and have been doing some remote preparation of my itinerary for next year’s home leave. I plan a year ahead of time so that I don’t miss anyone un-nececessarily.

I think that that is enough for now. Let me say “bye!”  Take care and and know that I love you all and you are ever pleasant on my mind. Cas