SA's Benedict Daswa's beatification authorised by Pope Francis

Bishop's 2015 Programme

                               

Year: 2015	First Week	Second Week	Third Week	Fourth Week
January	1- 11  India	12 - 17In Office: Tzaneen 14 Thohoyandou 15 Consultors	18 – 24 Tzaneen Office: 20 -27 SACBC meet: Pretoria	25 – 27 Pretoria 28-31  Tzaneen
February	2 Makhado Consecrated Life 3-7 Tzaneen	8 Giyani 9 Tzaneen 10-11 Priests meet 12 Finance Meet 13 Glen Cowie Teachers meet 14 Mashishing	15Mashishing Meet Youth 18 Ash Wed     Cathedral 19 Thohoyandou 20 St Brendan’s	22 - 27 AMPC retreat
March	Pretoria 1-3 Metropolitan meet 4-7 Tzaneen 4 Diocesan Catechetical Committee meet	9 -10 meet cardinal 12 – 13 Johannesburg  CASPA meet 14 DPC meet at AMPC	15 -21 Tzaneen 17 St Patrick’s at AMPC   19 Thohoyandou	22 – 31Taneen 24 – 25 Pretoria Dep. Of  Clergy meeting  Holy Week begins 29 Palm Sunday 31 Chrism Mass at cathedral
April	1 – 4 Tzaneen 2 Holy Thursday 3 Good Friday 4 Easter Vigil	5-11Tzaneen 5 Easter Sunday 9 Consultors	12 -18  Tzaneen 18 Fifth Anniversary as bishop - Cathedral	19 – 30 19 Malamulele 22 -26 Wedding CT
May	1 – 9 Tzaneen 3 Modjadjiskloof 7 AMPC meeting 9 Child Protection Policy workshop AMPC	10 – 16 Tzaneen 10 Thohoyandou 11 – 12 Priests meeting AMPC 16 Diocesan Finance Council AMPC	17 – 23  Tzaneen 17 St Scholastica 22 -23 Year of Consecrated Life celebration AMPC	24 – 31Tzaneen 24 Tzaneen - confirmations 31 Ofcolaco
June	1 – 6 Tzaneen	7- 13 Tzaneen 7 Dwars River	14 – 20 Tzaneen 14 Olifants River 18 Thohoyandou	21 – 30 Tzaneen 21 Ngwabitsi 28 Tzaneen 29 To Cape Town
July	1- 11 on leave in Cape Town	12 – 18 13 Return to Tzaneen 16 Thohoyandou	19 – 25 Tzaneen 19 Makhado 23 Consultors	26 – 31 Tzaneen 26 Phalaborwa 28 – 29 Priests meet AMPC
August	1 – 8 Tzaneen 2 Nzhelele 4 – 11 SACBC meet at Mariannhill	9-11 Mariannhill 12 – 15 Tzaneen	16 – 22 Tzaneen 15 DPC meet at AMPC	23 – 31 Tzaneen 16 Musina 30 Giyani
Sept	1 – 5 Tzaneen	6 -12 Tzaneen	13 Beatification of Benedict     Daswa at   Tshitanini	20 – 30 Tzaneen 20 Tzaneen 29 – 30 Priests meet with Fr Hugh Lagan SMA
October	1-10  1- 4 Blessing of the Fleet 5- 10 Tzaneen	11 – 17 Tzaneen	18 – 24 Tzaneen 20 -21 Pretoria Dep of Clergy	25 – 31 Tzaneen
November	1 – 7 Tzaneen 7 Diocesan Finance Council AMPC	8 – 14 Tzaneen	15 – 21 Tzaneen	22 – 30 Tzaneen
December	1- 5 Tzaneen	6 – 12 Tzaneen 10 End of Year Mass Thanksgiving AMPC	13 – 19 Tzaneen	20 -26 Tzaneen 25 Christmas Mass Tzaneen End of year break in Cape Town

Pope Francis gives the green light for the beatification of Benedict Daswa,a martyr of Christ

On the 22^nd January 2015,Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree on the martyrdom of Benedict Daswa who was killed on 2 February 1990 at the village of Mbahe in the Limpopo Province.This opens the way for the beatification, a public recognition by the Catholic Church that Benedict Daswa is indeed a blessed martyr of Christ and intercedes in heaven before God for the needs of God’s people.The Diocese of Tzaneen will be responsible for organising the celebration of Benedict Daswa’s beatification which will take place later this year.
Benedict Daswa will be the first blessed martyr of the Catholic Church in South Africa.The beatification of Benedict Daswa will have a deep personal significance for all the Catholic faithful in this southern African region and will also be an inspiration for the Christian population in general. He was a man who refused to compromise his faith in Jesus, the Lord and Saviour of humanity, and he was prepared to pay the ultimate price out of love for the Lord.
”Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”( John 15,13).
For the Catholic faithful this also means that we can ask Benedict Daswa who is in heaven to pray to God for our needs and to expect many blessings in answer to his intercession.Already a number of  people have shared their testimonies concerning the blessings they received from God after seeking the heavenly intercession of Benedict Daswa. This is the way the saints give glory to God because of their heavenly communion with Christ the Lord. We expect Benedict Daswa to continue to intercede for us because of his special connection with the people of Africa and one day he may even be canonized by the Catholic Church.
It is clear that the beatification of Benedict Daswa will mark the beginning of a growing public devotion in honour of his martyrdom. More and more people will want to learn about him and even go on pilgrimage to the places of particular significance in his life and death. People will want to meet together for prayer and reflection inspired by Benedict Daswa’s example of life.The Diocese of Tzaneen has obtained land in Tshitanini village near the villages where Benedict Daswa lived most of his life.It is there that a shrine will be built in his honour , where pilgrims will be able to come together in prayer and receive healing from God in body, mind and spirit and be inspired to follow the Gospel way of Jesus Christ who leads us to eternal life and salvation.