Karabo Ntanzi
More than 300 members of the Daughters of St Ann (DOSA), a sodality within the Catholic Church, met at Warrenton Cultural Resort to witness the transition from St Theresa to DOSA, under the theme: “Transformation into our personal and spiritual growth”. 188 members were admitted, and 44 aspirants were welcomed, all from the RC Diocese of Kimberley. Other members of DOSAs who hailed from the Archdiocese of Johannesburg and the Bloemfontein Metro were instrumental in the process.
The year-long process of transition was completed on Saturday, 2 August, when Bs Duncan Tsoke from Kimberley Diocese welcomed the daughters in the presence of Fr Karabo Mokaedi, the DOSA Spiritual Director. Mokaedi was accompanied by five Priests and two recently ordained Deacons, Fr Mlungisi Mabi and Fr Tshepo Maseko from Johannesburg Archdiocese. Members of the St Ann sodality from Kimberley went in numbers to support their daughters and family members from St Martin Lutheran Church in Corless Road.
According to Father Mokaedi, the transition was not easy from St Theresa to DOSA; as a result, they lost members. “St Theresa has been in existence for more than 40 years. Some members joined whilst in their 20s and are now in their 60s, making the transition challenging for them. Some did not embrace the transition and opted to leave the sodality, but we will pray for their return”, explained Mokaedi.
He said the reason from the transition was that St Theresa was only in the Kimberley Deanery; this limited the growth and exposure for members, whilst DOSA has footprints in all the Dioceses in the country.
Neliswa Vezi, DOSA Public Relations Officer from Johannesburg Archdiocese, said DOSA has been in existence in South Africa since 1986. It was founded by Archbishop Emeritus Buti Joseph Tlhagale of Johannesburg, who was a Parish Priest and the Spiritual Director for St Anne.
“He instructed the St Anne’s to bring their daughters who did not belong to any sodality in church. We admit female parishioners as long as they have received all the fundamental sacraments, i.e., baptism, communion and confirmation”, she mentioned.
Daughters of St Anne sodality was established in Italy in 1866. The sodality’s head office is based in Rome. Membership has grown into an international institute operating across multiple continents, including Europe, South America, Asia, the Middle East and South Africa. Their objectives are spiritual growth, family stewardship, and community service.
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