09/09/2026
A Seed That Grew: The Story of the Catholic Women’s League at St Rose of Lima.
Sometimes, the greatest things begin with a simple conversation.
In the late 1990s, the late Mme Sheila McKenzie of Sacred Heart Cathedral approached the late Fr Leo Phehello D’Aes OMI with an idea, to expand the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) within the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein.
It was an idea that could easily have remained just that: an idea.
But Fr D’Aes OMI knew who to approach.
He approached Mme Constance Thoopa, a devoted member of the St Ann Sodality at St Rose of Lima Parish.
Mme Thoopa understood immediately that the call to serve was bigger than herself. She also knew that she would not be able to participate fully in both St Ann and the Catholic Women’s League. Instead of keeping the idea to herself, she identified a number of women and shared with them what had been placed before her.
Among those women was Mme Julia Monnane.
Mme Thoopa would drive Mme Monnane to meetings with Mme Sheila McKenzie, where they were introduced to the vision, purpose and work of the Catholic Women’s League.
That support from Mme Thopa gave these women the courage to believe that perhaps this new ministry could take root at St Rose of Lima.
And it did.
In 2001, nine women were enrolled into the Catholic Women’s League by the late Fr Leo D’Aes OMI.
From those nine women, Mme Julia Monnane became the first African Archdiocesan President of the Catholic Women’s League.
Twenty-five years later, the story is still being written.
Of the original nine women enrolled in 2001, only three remain with us on this journey today: Mme Julia Monnane, Mme Flora Nkhatho and Mme Ntswaki Mohlomi.
The others have since been called home by the Lord.
Their absence is deeply felt, but their contribution remains part of the foundation upon which the Catholic Women’s League continues to stand.
A legacy of women who said yes:
On Sunday, 6 September, St Rose of Lima Parish did more than celebrate with Mme Monnane.
The parish celebrated a legacy.
It remembered the late Fr D’Aes OMI, who recognised the potential in Mme Thopa and approached the right person to plant the seed.
It remembered Mme Thoopa, who, although she was simply faithfully carrying out her ministry at the time, unknowingly became an important link in a story that would reach far beyond those first meetings.
And it honoured Mme Monnane and Mme Nkhatho, two women who continued walking the journey from those humble beginnings in 2001.
From Mme Julia Monnane, leadership was handed over to Mme Mantu Masoetsa, followed by Mme Poppy Zola, and today the Catholic Women’s League in the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein is led by Archdiocesan President Mme Mpho Ntema.
What began with nine women has now grown to more than 20 branches across the Archdiocese.
That is the beauty of a seed.
You may plant it without knowing how far its roots will travel.
You may water it without knowing how tall it will grow.
And sometimes, you may never live to see the tree it becomes.
A seed, God and the Holy Spirit
Perhaps that is the greatest lesson in the story of the Catholic Women’s League at St Rose of Lima.
Mme Sheila McKenzie planted an idea.
Fr D’Aes OMI carried that idea forward.
Mme Thoopa received it and shared it.
Nine women said yes.
Mme Monnane and others continued the journey.
And God, through the Holy Spirit, took that small beginning and made it far greater than anyone could have anticipated.
One can only imagine Mme Sheila McKenzie smiling down from Heaven.
One can imagine Fr D’Aes OMI resting with pride, knowing that the seed he helped plant continued to grow.
And perhaps Mme Thoopa, who at the time was simply faithfully living out her ministry, can look back and realise just how significant her decision was to share that idea with other women.
Then there is Mme Julia Monnane, a woman who has walked this journey for 25 years. A woman who has given herself to the work of the League and continues to inspire, even now that walking on her own is no longer as easy as it once was.
Her journey is a reminder that leadership is not always about how fast we can walk.
Sometimes it is about how far we have walked, who we have carried with us, and what we leave behind for those who come after us.
The journey of the Catholic Women’s League has certainly not been easy.
There have been challenges, losses, changes in leadership and seasons when the road was difficult.
But the women kept moving.
And as they move forward, they do so carrying the spirit of the St Rose of Lima Parish motto:
“Phehello e hlola mathata.”
The story of the Catholic Women’s League is therefore not simply a story about a league.
It is a story about faith, obedience, service, courage and legacy.
It is the story of women who said yes to something whose full potential they could not see.
And it is a reminder to all of us:
A seed may be planted by human hands, but God and the Holy Spirit can take that seed and make it grow into something far greater than we ever imagined.
May the women who planted this seed continue to inspire generations of Catholic women to come.
And may the Catholic Women’s League continue to grow, serve and lead, always remembering where the journey began.
