01 Jun 2017
Locals in the community of Waterval, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, have been working together with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart to raise funds for a new church in their parish of Louis Trichardt.
Waterval residents at the site of the new Sacred Heart Church
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been working to make positive changes in the region since their arrival in 1950, with a primary focus on medical care, education, AIDS awareness and prevention, and care programmes for orphans and vulnerable youths. MSC missions in the area have made a real difference in the quality of life enjoyed by the local community, and today, our MSCs work with the people of Louis Trichardt to promote self-sufficiency with the prospect of a better and brighter future.
In Waterval, the local community began their own fundraising drive and were able to raise enough money to buy building materials and lay the foundations of their new church. The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart will provide the balance of funds needed to complete the building, and the new church will be named the Sacred Heart Church.
The tin shack where Waterval residents have celebrated Mass to date, alongside some of the building materials that will be used to construct the new Sacred Heart Church.
As construction begins, MSCs in the region are documenting the progress made with photographs of the build. In this small and close community, the promise of a new church is an encouraging one. Locals are extremely dedicated to their faith, and the significance of having a special place of worship is huge. To date, locals have been celebrating Mass in the tin shack pictured above; now, thanks to the combined efforts of the community and MSCs in the area, the population of Waterval can look forward to having a dedicated place of worship to call their own.
With local enthusiasm matched by the goodwill and generosity of mission friends and benefactors around the world, it’s clear to see the power that comes of unity – together, we can make a real and lasting difference.