"You never said you were coming..."

St Boniface (Sitkei Parish)

Keeping with the "tradition" since I became Bishop, I keep on visiting the communities of the diocese when I do not have confirmations. I had said in different moments that I would normally do it "unannounced" so that I could see a "normal Sunday". Still, not everyone knows it or remembers it and, as it happened last Sunday, someone would see me and before greeting me would just say: "you did not say you were coming...". 

I had but... of course, only to the priest whom I thanked at the end of the Mass for being able "to keep a secret" (which made people start laughing). The priest is the one who tells me where I could go, the time of the Masses and where the church is. 

The first Mass was at St Boniface, an outstation of the parish, and included the celebration of the baptism of a baby. 

The second Mass was at the parish: Good Shepherd. I had been in the area many times but never in the church but next door to the parish where our Good Shepherd Hospital is. 

During Mass, Fr Mabuza (priest-in-charge) reminded me of the need to use both English and Zulu (or SiSwati) as some of our Catholics working in the hospital come from different parts of the world. 

Old Good Shepherd Parish