The Department for Formation, Life, and Apostolate of the Laity of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) hosted a workshop for treasurers of sodalities and lay associations at the Lumko Institute and Retreat Centre in Benoni.

Rooted in the recommendations of the Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, the August 29 to 31 workshop focused on accountability, transparency, and evaluation—principles essential for a synodal Church that is faithful to its mission and trustworthy in its stewardship.

The sessions were facilitated by the Financial Administrator of St. John Vianney Seminary and a lecturer in Canon Law, Fr. Tebello Moeti, who guided participants through Book V of the Code of Canon Law, which regulates the administration of the Church’s temporal goods.

The Coordinating Secretary of the SACBC Department for Laity, Fr. Nhlanhla Mchunu, explained in an interview with the SACBC Communication Office that the initiative was born out of the bishops’ call during their August 2024 plenary session for stronger formation of lay leaders.

He said that according to the SACBC 2017 statutes, “the department for laity is mandated to design programs and initiatives for the ongoing formation of the lay faithful.”

According to Fr Mchumu, the three-day workshop responds directly to the spirit of Pope Saint John Paul II’s 1995 post-synodal apostolical exhortation Ecclesia in Africa, issued after the 1994 Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops held in the Vatican.

Fr. Mchumu highlighted Pope Saint John Paul II’s reflection on the rich Christian heritage in Africa. “This is in accordance also with the spirit of Ecclesia in Africa, a post-synodal Apostolic exhortation, where the Pope questions what resources the African continent has? And the resources that our continent has are the people of God; hence we need, as a church, therefore in Africa, to tap into these resources. “

The three-day workshop combined theological reflection with practical training. Daily Mass and night prayer framed the sessions, while the main teaching blocks focused on themes such as Guardians of Grace: the correlation between stewardship and the temporal goods of the Church, why financial transparency matters, and The Ladder of Accountability in the Church. Group discussions and case studies allowed participants to explore concrete challenges in financial administration at diocesan, inter-diocesan, and parish levels.

In interviews with the SACBC Communication Office, participants expressed their appreciation for the formation received. Susan Dire, treasurer of the Inter-Diocesan Sodality of St Anne, said: “We were taught a lot about transparency and how to report finances properly… When we return home, we will call workshops for treasurers in our sodalities so that everyone can apply the same standards.”

Meanwhile, Marieke Vrugtman, the national treasurer of the South African branch of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service (Charis), highlighted the deeper theological lesson.

“We learned that we are managers of the money of the Church, of the goods of the church. We are not owners, so the money’s not ours to do with what we want. We are just stewards, managers… Then the transparency and the accountability come in and also knowing the theological part of what is behind, why we have to be accountable and transparent,” said Vrugtman.

The workshop concluded with participants committing to cascade their learnings into their communities, ensuring that the principles of transparency and accountability will take root at the grassroots level.

In the interview with the SACBC communication office, Fr. Mchunu expressed satisfaction with the success of the event, saying the department is “very happy with this first step.”

“As a department, we are very happy that we have arranged this workshop, which was a success. So, we are now looking forward to the implementation or even further discussion at a grassroots level about what transpired over the weekend,” he said.