Farewell to Fr. Johann Manesch in South Africa

Fr. Johann Maneschg
(on the right,
in the picture).
 

As a great biblical scholar, Fr. Johann Maneschg marked the lives of many, especially the majority of the South African Diocesan priests. He taught in the national seminaries of St Peter’s in Hammanskraal and St. John Vianney in Pretoria, in St. Augustine College and at the now extinct Bible College, in Johannesburg. He also worked in pastoral field in dioceses of Witbank, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban, serving the Christian communities in those areas.

Fr. Jeremias dos Santos Martins, the provincial superior of the Comboni missionaries in South Africa, in a couple of simple sentences paid a heartfealt tribute to him: “We thank Fr. John for what he did mainly in the formation of the local and religious clergy, but especially for what he is for each one of us, an example of a dedicated missionary, a faithful and true companion on the missionary journey.

Vows of the Comboni Scholastics
On the 1^st of May, in Pietermaritzburg, twelve Comboni scholastics/students renewed their religious vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. It was a simple and touching celebration, presided by Fr. Jeremias dos Santos Martins, where some close friends of the community were also present. The celebration was preceded by a recollection day underlining the call to be grateful for the gift of our consecration and for the richness of our Comboni spirituality of the Pierced Heart of the Good Shepherd.