The Church in South Africa

St John Vianney Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Pretoria held a farewell for three formators and 11 final-year theology seminarians.

Theologian Corné Gieselbach discussed early Church councils, the Council of Trent, and the work of John Henry Newman in an interview with The Southern Cross.

Seminary rectors in Southern Africa are working to train future priests to practice synodality by listening to and walking with the people.

Seminary rectors from across Southern Africa met for a workshop to integrate synodality into priestly formation curricula. The weeklong event, held from October 26 to 30 at the Padre Pio Conference and Retreat Centre, focused on moving from theoretical discussions of synodality to practical application in training future priests.

Fr. Parry, the director of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) Secretariat, told the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference Communications Office that the workshop aims to equip priests to foster listening, participation, and shared responsibility within the Church. The gathering included 12 rectors from the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé e Príncipe, three from the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, one from the Lesotho Catholic Bishops' Conference, and one from the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique.

This initiative follows a 2024 workshop and builds on previous IMBISA efforts to strengthen regional priestly formation. Past collaborative projects included the development of a human formation manual translated into English and Portuguese for distribution to regional seminaries.

Pax College in Mashashane, near Polokwane, signed a memorandum of understanding to advance its educational mission.

Cardinal Stephen Brislin blessed the Good Shepherd Chapel of the Salesians on the evening of October 29. The blessing occurred on the feast of Blessed Michele Rua, the first successor of Don Bosco.

Emmanuel Suntheni, OSB, delivered a sermon on the theme of the call to holiness during the Solemnity of All Saints.

Rectors and participants at an African Synodality Initiative workshop reviewed a proposed syllabus for seminary curricula. The workshop focused on developing a curriculum for synodality.

Seminary rectors from the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) region gathered at the Saint Padre Pio center for the African Synodality Initiative to strengthen priestly formation.

The African Synodality Initiative began a workshop on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with an opening Mass. The Southern Cross reports the session opened with a call to service and transformation.

Archbishop Dabula met with all sodalities and associations in the Archdiocese of Pretoria to continue the work of synodality.

Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Maseru, Lesotho, gathered for Fatima pilgrimages on Saturday, October 24, 2026.

The Southern Cross published the Mass readings for the liturgical period from November 1 to November 8, 2026, which includes the feast of All Saints.

Bishop Sylvester David, OMI, will host the official launch of the book Catholicism, Apartheid, and Diplomacy in South Africa at the Archdiocesan Chancery in Cape Town. The event is scheduled for 16.00 on 18 November 2026.

Alexandra Maclennan is the author of the book regarding Cardinal Owen McCann. Attendees must RSVP by 12 November 2026.

The Church observed the centenary of World Mission Sunday on October 18, 2026.

Pope Leo XIV stated during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 25, 2026, that the one true God desires to become the God of humanity.

The Southern Cross published a list of ten books intended to assist with Catholic apologetics.