CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF MERCY
This year Mercy House turns 20. The purchase of our house was a direct outcome of the genocide in Rwanda, which caused thousands of refugees to flee south, many arriving in South Africa anxious and helpless, with nothing. That was in 1994, when there were not yet any organisations to help nor places for them to stay. I, Diana Beamish, wanted to help and found them at a squatter camp on a disused ERPM mine called Angelo. It could not have been a more unsuitable place, with drunkenness, sex-for-sale, fighting as daily occurrences. The need for accommodation for the refugees was urgent. I approached the two Comboni Fathers I knew at the time, Father Jo Sandri and Father Henry. It was they who gave me the money to rent a house in 8th Avenue, Mayfair for a year. In July 1996 six refugees moved in, carrying only one plastic bag each, containing all that they possessed in this world. Because of the huge numbers in need, this house proved to be far too small, so we looked for a larger house. I could not find any organisations interested in helping, so finally my aunt, Thora Mitchell, and I put together all our savings and bought the present Mercy House. On 8 July 1996, a small group of refugees moved in.
There was not even any furniture in the house, nor did we have money to buy any! This is what you call faith!
There was not even any furniture in the house, nor did we have money to buy any! This is what you call faith!Since then, it has been a roller-coaster ride of seeing the work unfolding. Our history has been simply amazing and we ask any readers interested to read up the header on our ruler bar above entitled ACHIEVEMENTS, to understand this fully, or to read a fuller account in the book entitled: Tracing the Divine. It has been an awe-inspiring and humbling journey and we praise God for what He has done through us, his instruments. May all who have helped in building this edifice be richly rewarded and blessed.
To celebrate our birthday in this the Year of Mercy, we will have a Holy Mass at Mercy House at 10.00 a.m. on public holiday, 16th December 2016 with none other than the same Comboni Father (now Bishop) Jo Sandri as our celebrant. He is delighted to be able to come. We invite all our local friends to join us in this Mass of thanksgiving, and those far away, be with us in spirit and pray many more blessings on our work.