First off, A belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! There's so many different things to be thankful for this year. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who made my trip to Lesotho possible. I would not be able to be here without all of your help and support, so for that I am incredibly thankful!
On sunday, the whole Diocese celebrated the ordination of 8 people, 4 Deacons and 4 Priests. The ordinations were held at the Lesotho National Convention Center in Maseru, since it was the only place big enough to hold all of the people that wanted to come! There must have been 600+ people in attendance. Many of the churches around Maseru cancelled their regular sunday services so that their parishioners could come to the ordinations. It's wonderful to see the whole community come together to support these new priests in their ministry. I've been to several ordinations in the states, and they don't compare to the ordinations here at all. Ordinations are such an exciting time for the Church. We should strive to provide the same support for our newly ordained in the States.
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| Father Michael and Me |
Two brothers from the local SSM (Society of the Sacred Mission) Priory were part of the group ordained to the priesthood. One of them, Father Samuel Monyamane, will be the new priest in Mantsonyane when I arrive in January. Father Michael Lapsley is the head of the SSM in Lesotho, so he was in attendance. I got to speak with him for a bit. You might remember him from a previous post,
Redeeming the Past. If you have not had a chance to read his book, I highly encourage you to do so. Check out that previous post if you are not familiar with Father Michael's story.
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| Newly ordained SSM Brothers with Father Michael |
I finished his book a few months back, and it is an amazing read. A key point in the book is the old adage "Everything happens for a reason." But Father Lapsley makes the argument that it is up to us to give the events in our life purpose and reason. We cannot just accept bad things when they happen. We have to find a way to redeem the those events and give them purpose. Father Michael's life was shattered by a bomb from the South African Government. He could have easily given up, but he turned his ordeal into an amazing ministry that has touched thousands of lives. Check out his work at
The Institute for Healing of Memories. One of my favorite quotes from the book,
"God does not step in to prevent terrible things from happening, but God accompanies us on the journey, whatever that may be." Something I think we should all take to heart.
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| Ordained to the Diaconate |
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| Ordained to the Priesthood |
Finally, just a quick appeal to everyone to please read the blogs of the other YASCers. They are all doing great work in their various placements. You can find the links to their blogs on the left hand side of this page. Sala hantle!
On sunday, the whole Diocese celebrated the ordination of 8 people, 4 Deacons and 4 Priests. The ordinations were held at the Lesotho National Convention Center in Maseru, since it was the only place big enough to hold all of the people that wanted to come! There must have been 600+ people in attendance. Many of the churches around Maseru cancelled their regular sunday services so that their parishioners could come to the ordinations. It's wonderful to see the whole community come together to support these new priests in their ministry. I've been to several ordinations in the states, and they don't compare to the ordinations here at all. Ordinations are such an exciting time for the Church. We should strive to provide the same support for our newly ordained in the States. 
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