Anglican Communion News Service

Our former intern at the ACO London, Siphiwe Sithole, now back in Johannesburg, gives us an account of the Festival Liturgy offered last Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's consecration as a Bishop in the Church of God, in the splendour of St Mary the Virgin Cathedral, in the heart of the city.

Special for ACNS

16 July 2001

By Joe Mdhlela

The warm glint in his eyes, and the boyish mannerism, are still part of Desmond Mpilo Tutu's make-up. The Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, the Most Revd Desmond Tutu, was at his splendid best when a gathering of about 3 000 worshippers descended upon the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin in Johannesburg in South Africa to pay tribute to him and his ministry on his 25th anniversary of his consecration as bishop of the Anglican church.

With the simplicity of a boy, and a gentleness that has characterised his life, Archbishop Tutu kept his audience gleefully happy, with story after story, and breaking the solemnity of the three-hour church service with his infectious humour.

But if the Archbishop Emeritus broke the seemingly heaviness of the service through his witticism, the beautiful music that accompanied the Liturgies of the Word and Eucharist, took us close to the Pearly Gates of heaven. There was the beautiful rendition of Jesu, joy of man's desiring by J.S Bach, Ombra mai fu by Handel. And there was also Imilonji kaNtu, singing their hearts out for the man they love and admire. And of course there was the audience that responded with spontaneity and jubilation to the music, and some of the traditional African music accompanied by the drumbeat. The scene was just spectacular, and many of Dr Tutu's friends had come to thank God for this 1984 Nobel Peace laureate who contributed so immensely to the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa.

Yet, even in his homily, Father Timothy Stanton C.R., did not fail to remind the audience that it had not been all smooth sailing for Desmond Tutu because as a small boy of 13, he contracted tuberculosis which almost killed him, but thank goodness he survived the life-threatening disease.

The Anglican prelate was influenced by the social conscience of Father Trevor Huddleston, C.R., that remarkable priest of the Community of the Resurrection who, as rector of Christ the King Church in Sophiatown in the 1950s, openly defied the apartheid regime. Archbishop Tutu himself went on to become the "voice of the voiceless" in a country that had banned all political organisations including the African National Congress and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania.

Thanking God for Archbishop Tutu's ministry both as former general secretary of the South African Council of Churches and as an influential leader in it, Fr Timothy said the bishop's theology greatly shaped the events that were to put an end to the oppressive system in the country.

If there were any doubts that Archbishop Tutu was indeed a great and humble servant of God, the fact that he used Afrikaans in the celebration of the Holy Mass, must have given a hint that for him reconciliation is an ongoing process that must be lived out in all forms of life, including as a celebrant of the Mass.

At the end of it all, all his friends who came from all part of the world paid tribute to this remarkable Anglican prelate. There was the Revd Canon John Peterson, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, who spoke with praise for his ministry. In his remarks Canon Peterson, speaking on behalf of the world-wide Anglican Communion, said, "We thank you for truly being a friend, a friend who laughs, a friend who cries, a friend willing to carry our burdens." (See ACNS for full text).

There was also Mr Joachim Chissano, the State President of Mozambique, who praised Dr Tutu for his courage to challenge the apartheid regime.

Archbishop Tutu's ministry has touched millions of people. In the end, should we not all be thanking God for a man of Archbishop Tutu's stature, and showing appreciation for his ministry and humility? I believe we should.

Editors note: Any reader wishing to send a tribute to the Archbishop Emeritus can do so through ACNS. Some of your comments will be drawn together for an article in Anglican World magazine.