The Church in South Africa celebrates Vatican II

(Vatican Radio) 50 years ago, Blessed John XXIII announced that he would be opening the windows of the Church to let in fresh air by calling an Ecumenical Council.

At Vatican II, the Church recognised that it carries out its Mission ‘in the Modern World’ not by fleeing from it, but by engaging with it:


The Catholic Church in South Africa decided that this anniversary should not only be a celebration for the Church but also a golden opportunity to deepen our understanding of what the Church is celebrating.

Hence “Hope&Joy” has come together to combine the resources of a wide range of agencies and organisations and provide accessible adult education for Catholics.

“Hope&Joy”’s programme aims to revive the Church’s long tradition of popular education and provide inspiring resources across a range of media for the 3 countries of the Southern African Bishops’ Conference and hopefully beyond.


To do this “Hope&Joy” created a network that enabled organisations to work together and benefit by association. Network members have worked together for the past year and a half to create individual elements such as booklets, leaflets, columns in newspapers, one-off lectures, videos, training courses, parish events, radio programmes, etc. Each of these, linked by the name and logo ‘Hope & Joy’ which will appear on every activity in the programme regardless of which organisation initiates it. Thus, the different elements, although run by various Catholic agencies, were parts of a much bigger whole.


The man behind the “Hope&Joy” initiative is Raymond Perrier, director of the Jesuit Institute in South Africa”. Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni, he explains that as the intiative itself finds completion in Vatican II’s anniversary, it was conceived to help prepare the Church in South Africa for the anniversary itself.

Listen to the interview…

Perrier says what they set out to do was a consistent process of educating people in preparation for the anniversary.

He says they have "drip-fed" the information provided by a wide range of organisations, using a multitude of new media...