Sir, - It is with great regret that I learned of the drop-off in church attendance and the growing indifference towards the Catholic faith in your country. In light of this I would like your readers to consider the following.
Think of a good deed that you have done and how you felt. Maybe it took you a minute or even an hour to complete. It is not easy to sacrifice, but it is the greatest thing a human can do. Now I would like to think of the thousands of Irish nuns, priests and brothers who have sacrificed 30 or 40 years of their lives, often in extreme poverty or danger.
In my own diocese, Fr Stan Brennan OFM has educated over 1,500 teachers, politicians industrialists, inspectors, doctors, lawyers and others from all walks of life in his centre, with no funding and against the apartheid law. He has an AIDS clinic, a drug/alcoholic rehabilitation centre, a daycare centre for the aged and a skills training centre and has given thousands hope where there was despair.
I have heard it said that Ireland's youth is its greatest export. Now I know it is true. Daniel Byrne, a young lawyer aged 25, came to live with the Franciscans in Boksburg as a lay missionary. He paid his way out, refused any remuneration offered, and just came with the words "I am here to help".
Soon after, he found that he could help the gold-miners who had been laid off without their entitlement and faced poverty and starvation. He single-handedly and successfully sued the mines and gathered 4 million ????????????????????rand for 100 miners and their families, not taking a cent for his efforts. Daniel also showed great compassion to the children dying from HIV/AIDS. This was in three short months. Never let is be said that one person cannot make a difference.
There is a common thread of compassion and tenacity in all these people. Perhaps that it what is meant by being Irish. The Diocese of Johannesburg owes much to your nation, and for this we are thankful. Be proud of your people and value your Church - Africa does. - Yours, etc.,
Fr Letsie Moshoeshoe, Parish Priest, St Joseph's Catholic Church, 270 Mokoena Section, P.O. Box 12009, Katlehong, 1431 South Africa.