Johannesburg, 06 July, 2022 / 2:26 pm (ACI Africa).
Late Fr. Michael D’Annucci whose missionary life in Pretoria, South Africa, was abruptly cut short following a car hijacking incident in 2001 has been honored in a new book that seeks to make known “the message” the late Catholic Priest wanted to communicate, the author of the book has said.
In an interview with ACI Africa, Daluxolo Moloantoa shares details of the Italian-born member of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (Stigmatine) who was known by the name, “Masusumetsa”, a Setswana language name for someone who “brings about change”, “pushes boundaries for the better”, or who “makes things happen”.
“The book was written to honor him, to translate the message that he wanted to give to the world,” Mr. Moloantoa said about the 21-chapter book published under the title, “Masusumetsa: Tributes to a Martyr of Charity” that he also said gives readers an opportunity “to learn about who Fr. Michael was”.
Readers of the book that is available on Catholic Connexions, the author said during the Monday, July 4 interview, “will also learn about what other people thought about him, and what his works meant to them.”
In an October 2017 report by the Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa, The Southern Cross, Mr. Moloantoa was quoted as remembering late Fr. Michael as “a very special missionary in Pretoria whose work was cruelly cut short by deadly bullets”.