Catholic Bishop in South Africa Cautions Clergy against “mediocrity”

The Bishop also urged Priests to rise from their comfort zones which he said is another way of saying “Don’t expect anything serious from me, I am happy with mediocrity and doing only the minimum of what is required of me, for I am a simple parish Priest.”

To shun minimalism and mediocrity, the Local Ordinary of Mthatha Diocese who doubles as the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) said that Priests need to strive for greatness.

“The people that we serve have advanced in knowledge and education. They are also confronted with challenges and complex life situations. Sadly, our resources for serving them are still the basics we learned from the seminary,” he said.

Referring to the day’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles and the Easter octave period, Bishop Sipuka said that the members of the Clergy, just like Peter who healed the crippled man outside the temple, are capable of doing more for the people they serve.

“Let us stop crawling and having coins thrown at us. Let us stand up and walk in the name of Jesus the Nazarene,” the President of SACBC said in his April 3 homily.

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He added, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

The Bishop cautioned Priests against belittling themselves, saying, “You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.”

“There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. As we’re liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others,” he said.

Fr. Menatsi who served as the Vicar Forane for the Western Deanery, Parish Priest of Christ the King in Worcester, and Priest-in-Charge of St Monica in Robertson in Mthatha Diocese was laid to rest on April 3.

In his homily, Bishop Sipuka hailed the late “as a man of excellence and hard work who disproved the racist prejudice that anything a black person touches collapses.”

“All the places he has been to improve for the better. He did things well,” said the 63-year-old Bishop who has been at the helm of the Southern African Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in May 2008.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.