“COVID-19 pandemic will come to pass,” South Africa-based Cleric at Priestly Anniversary

“Communism came to an end with the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, some of you might recall that moment. A few years later the Wall of Apartheid came crashing down and South Africa changed radically with the release of Mandela and the introduction of Democracy,” he recalls in his June 25 reflection.

“The Irish struggle with England (for now) ended with the Good Friday Agreement and the violence came to an end,” he further recounts.

Msgr. McAleer who, in January 2018, was lauded by SACBC members as a “great evangelizer and man of the people” and acknowledged for his forthrightness including challenging “the Bishops to think differently” recalls the changes at the level of the Catholic Church leadership since his ordination to the priesthood.

“When I was ordained, Pope John XXIII had just opened the Second Vatican Council. He died and was followed by Pope Paul VI. Then he died and was followed by Pope John Paul I, he died and was followed by Pope John Paul II. He died and we got Pope Benedict. He resigned and now we have Pope Francis,” the Irish-born Cleric recalls referencing the six Popes he has so far ministered under.

Msgr. McAleer whose name, according to Archbishop William Slattery, “is synonymous with evangelization” goes on to highlight the spiritual, liturgical and cultural changes in the Church in his lifetime.

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“When I said my first mass all those years ago, I said it in Latin; the mass in the vernacular languages had not yet been introduced. I was blessing the people in Latin,” he continues to recount changes in his lifetime adding, “Today we speak of the priesthood of the Laity, where all baptized share in the priestly, kingly and prophetic mission of Jesus.”

“I am sure all of you can look back and see the changes that have taken place in your own lives. Life is all about change and development,” Msgr. McAleer writes and referencing the ongoing global pandemic invites the people of God on the continent to, for now, “bow our heads and accept the cross, say our prayers and place ourselves, our families, our businesses, our economy and our leaders under the protection of the Lord God of history.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.