Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters Melville

Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters Melville We are contemplative Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters of Perpetual Adoration living in Melville, Diocese of Mariannhill, KZN, South Africa.

The monastery is located in Capuchin Way, Pumula (between Hibberdene and Port Shepstone) on the South Coast R102 Road.

Tomorrow on the 8th of September we celebrate the birthday of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church. As Queen of the Fr...
07/09/2026

Tomorrow on the 8th of September we celebrate the birthday of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church.

As Queen of the Franciscan Order, we Capuchin Poor Clares have a special love for Mama Mary. Our Lord entrusted his mom to Saint John on the cross with the words "Behold your mother" and he entrusted her to all of us. She is a gentle mother that loves all of her children even when we go astray.

What can one give as a present to such a special mother? It is said that every Hail Mary that we pray is a rose that we can offer to her and what better way than to offer these roses for the intentions of the children which she loves so much.

Let us take 15 Minutes tomorrow and say a Hail Mary for each of the persons in our lives that need prayer right now. We might not be able to help everyone, but we are able to pray for everyone.

50th Jubilee of Sister Ana Maria De Los Angeles OSC CapWe are overjoyed to have celebrated on Saturday, 29th of August 2...
31/08/2026

50th Jubilee of Sister Ana Maria De Los Angeles OSC Cap

We are overjoyed to have celebrated on Saturday, 29th of August 2026, the golden jubilee of religious profession of one of our Capuchin Sisters in Swellendam.

Four of our sisters from Melville traveled for this joyous occasion to our community in Swellendam as the two communities are also celebrating the special Jubilee Year of St Francis of Assisi this year.

The Holy Mass for the Golden Jubilee was celebrated by Bishop Noel Rucastle of the Diocese of Oudtshoorn. Several priests and religious sisters joined the joyous occasion and we give thanks for many visitors that travelled from afar to join.

We give thanks for the witness of Sr Ana Maria De Los Angeles for her 50 years of following the Lord as a Capuchin Poor Clare Nun and we pray for her and her vocation.

St Francis of Assisi and St Clare of Assisi, pray for us.

Diocese of Mariannhill - South AfricaMedia for Better World AfricaLeadership Conference of Consecrated Life - LCCL - South AfricaThe Catholic Diocese of OudtshoornSouthern Cross

Today, 11th of August, is the feast day of our foundress, St Clare of Assisi, so we give you a little peak into our encl...
11/08/2026

Today, 11th of August, is the feast day of our foundress, St Clare of Assisi, so we give you a little peak into our enclosed choir, from which we offer up prayers for the world, as we celebrate this special day.

St Clare of Assisi lived a hidden live of austerity and prayer but through our Lord's grace, she impacted many people during her lifetime and even now 800 years later, she is still instrumental as she prays for us from heaven.

Here are a few short facts about her life:

1. St Clare was born on the 16th of July 1194 in Assisi, Italy and was given the name Chiara Offreduccio. Her mother Orlano named her Chiara (Light) as she had a vision during prayer that she would bring forth a light to illumine the world.

2. St Clare came from a noble and wealthy family but at the age of 18 she ran away from home after encountering the way of life of St Francis of Assisi to live in poverty. Her sister Agnes followed her shortly thereafter and even her mother joined the convent after her husband died.

3. St Clare was the first woman to write a rule for her religious order, the Poor Clares, in the 13th century which was approved by Pope Innocent IV.

4. She saved her convent and sisters from the Saracens by holding up the Blessed Sacrament and praying for God's protection. She the heard a voice from the tabernacle which sounded like a child that said: "I will always protect you." The attackers were suddenly struck by terror and fled.

5. St Clare is the patron saint of television as she saw Holy Mass "live streamed" on the wall of her room on Christmas Eve when she was too ill too attend.

6. St Clare died on the 11th of August 1253 surrounded by her sisters. Her last words were: "Blessed be You, O God, for having created me." A procession of virgins appeared in her room, among them our Lady who then wrapped the soul of St Clare into a tunic of pure gold set with precious stones and took her soul to heaven.

7. St Clare wrote 4 letters to St Agnes of Prague which are very worthwhile to read for anyone that wants to better understand the contemplative life. St Agnes of Prague was a Bohemian princess who after refusing several marriages and giving up all her wealth and power, entered religious life as a Poor Clare. She founded the first Poor Clare monastery in Prague.

On this special feast day as we celebrate the day St Clare entered Heaven, we ask her to intercede for all of us in our particular needs. St Clare, pray for us.

of Mariannhill - South Africa

August Resource: Creating Holy Friendships with St Francis We continue to celebrate the special jubilee year of St Fra...
10/08/2026



August Resource: Creating Holy Friendships with St Francis

We continue to celebrate the special jubilee year of St Francis 2026! St Francis of Assisi and St Clare of Assisi were known to share a special friendship: a holy friendship that was grounded in their mutual love for the poor, crucified Christ and a deep desire to live according to the gospel.

We all need friends to grow in our faith. Friendships come in many forms and some are based on mutual interests (eg sports) but when that interest is no longer there due to circumstances, the friendships often fade. Other friendships are temporary based on our state of life at the time (eg. school, university or work) but when we move on to another stage in life, these friendships often fade too.

Holy friendships have a common goal: a desire to go to heaven and to take our friends with us! Many Saints are known to have been friends with other saints during their lives: St Francis and St Clare, St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francis Xavier, St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross and most recently St John Paul II and St Teresa of Calcutta, just to name a few.
"Iron sharpens Iron", as Scripture tells us!

St Thomas Aquinas defined love as "willing the good of the other" and this is a perfect guideline for any holy friendship. Our Lord gave us another one: "to be willing to lay down our lives for our friends". Would we be willing to lay down our lives for our friends? And when we look at our friendships, do we think that our friends would be willing to lay down their lives for us? Let us pray for our friends and for ourselves too.

Tomorrow (11 August) is the feast day of St Clare of Assisi, the founder of the Poor Clares. It is a very special day for us every year and we will celebrate it and pray for all of you. Let us ask St Clare to pray for us to find some holy friends for us so that we can help each other on our way to heaven.

of Mariannhill - South AfricaMedia for Better World Africa

Yesterday (30 July) was the Feast day of Blessed Solanus Casey, a humble American Capuchin Friar who was well known and ...
31/07/2026

Yesterday (30 July) was the Feast day of Blessed Solanus Casey, a humble American Capuchin Friar who was well known and beloved as the Friar who answered the door of his monastery and the comfort and healing he brought to many of the visitors.

Bernard Francis Casey, nicknamed Barney, was born in November 1870 and died on the 31st of July 1957. As a child he contracted diphtheria which permanently damaged his voice and he lost two sisters to the disease as well. Father Casey nearly did not become a priest, as he struggled in the seminary in Milwaukee where classes at the time were taught in either German or Latin which he did not know.

But our good Lord had great plans for Father Casey and while praying in front of the statue of our Lady, he heard a spiritual voice telling him to go to Detroit. He then joined the Capuchin Friars in Detroit and took the religious name Solanus after Saint Francis Solanus with whom he shared a love for the violin. He was often found playing the violin in the chapel for our Lord. He was ordained a priest in 1904 but due to his academic limitations during his studies, he was only ordained as a simplex priest. A simplex priest cannot hear confessions or preach at Holy Mass.

His ministry therefore could have been limited, but he found God's plan for him unfolding as he was assigned to be the doorkeeper of the Monastery. Slowly people started to flock to him for his prayers and advice and he enrolled many thousands of people into the Seraphic Mass Association. After a while he was asked by his superiors to keep track of the prayers answered for the people which he enrolled as there were so many people reporting back to be cured of illnesses and prayers answered.

In 1929 during the Great Depression, Father Casey also played a fundamental role in the formation of the Capuchin Soup kitchen at St Bonaventure's, as thousands of people needed food daily due to losing their jobs.

Father Casey struggled with eczema later in his life and his health deteriorated over a long period during which he never complained. The friars only knew how he was feeling based on the way he was walking up the stairs. Running if he felt well or slowly limping when his health was poor.

Father Casey died from erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the skin on 31st of July 1957. His last words were reportedly: "I give my soul to Jesus Christ." Father Casey was beatified by Pope Francis in 2017 and we are looking forward in hope to the day that he might be canonized a Saint.

We can learn from Father Casey a few valuable lessons:
- Although so many people came to him and miraculous healings were reported, he always remained a humble friar, living a life of quiet holiness
- One day he was teased by a fellow friar due to his wispy voice, but his only answer was: "God can hear me!" He focused on what and especially who was most important in his life
- And lastly, he always thanked God for all the blessings in his life, the blessings he received and the blessings that were still to come. His motto was: "Thank God ahead of time!"

Let us pray for the intercession of Blessed Solanus Casey in our lives and conclude with a quote by him which might be applicable to all of us: "We must be faithful to the present moment or we will frustrate the plan of God for our lives."

Blessed Solanus Casey, pray for us!

Two of our Franciscan Brothers have been staying at our Monastery and have completed their 30-day retreat in preparation...
31/07/2026

Two of our Franciscan Brothers have been staying at our Monastery and have completed their 30-day retreat in preparation for their Solemn Vows. They are depicted with us and our Chaplain, Fr Christopher Neville below.

We continue to pray for our brothers January Kasereka Saambili and Paul Kileya Kapinga and we pray for vocations to all three orders of the Franciscan Family.

St Francis, pray for us.

July Resource of our Franciscan Calendar for 2026 to honour the special Jubilee year of St Francis: making friends with...
20/07/2026



July Resource of our Franciscan Calendar for 2026 to honour the special Jubilee year of St Francis: making friends with Lady Poverty

St Francis of Assisi and St Clare of Assisi thought of poverty as essential in imitating the poor and crucified Lord Jesus Christ. St Francis talked about his "Lady Poverty" at all times and was especially fond of her. How can we in this month of July make friends with Lady Poverty to get ever closer to our Lord?

Maybe in this month we can concentrate on reducing waste in our lives. Whether this is wasting money, resources or our time, is an individual choice. Scarceness makes creative and we would like to share some ways of making the most of whatever little one might have:

- carrier nets of oranges make excellent kitchen scourers
- yoghurt and ice cream containers can be used as storage containers instead of throwing them away (or can be donated to soup kitchens which are often grateful to receive them to pass them on)
- even paint buckets can be used to grow spinach or herbs in them as one of our sisters shows us in her "little garden"

Maybe this month before throwing an item away, look at it and think: can I use this for something or pass it on to someone that might use it?

Poverty can come in many ways. Even our bodies get "poorer" over time and we need to find ways to accept it. St Clare of Assisi was ill for many years of her life but still spent her time making liturgical items like purificators from her bed which she sent to the poorest parishes. God loves us in our weakness and we are loved and cared for by Him from conception until natural death. Our suffering can be redemptive if we allow Him to use it.

Pax et Bonum, and pray for us as we pray for you.

of Mariannhill - South AfricaMedia for Better World Africa

On Friday, 10th of July 2026 we celebrated the Feast day of St Veronica Giuliani, a Capuchin Saint which is also the Fea...
17/07/2026

On Friday, 10th of July 2026 we celebrated the Feast day of St Veronica Giuliani, a Capuchin Saint which is also the Feast Day of our Abbess. Every year on the feast day of our abbess we present the work of our hands. The Capuchin nuns here at Melville have been working for weeks to present their offerings which include liturgical vestments and linen, rosaries and chaplets, bracelets, baked goods, plants from the garden, knitted and beaded items.

Every year this is a special occasion for us as we can thank our abbess for all that she does for us every day.
Please pray for us as we continue to pray for all of you.

of Mariannhill - South AfricaMedia for Better World Africa

June Resource: Repairing the house of the Lord with St Francis When St Francis stepped into a derelict church and saw ...
12/06/2026

June Resource: Repairing the house of the Lord with St Francis

When St Francis stepped into a derelict church and saw the St Damiano Crucifix in 1205, he heard a voice that told him:

"Francis, go and repair my house, which, as you see, is falling into ruin".

We are all called to build up the church as we are living stones (1 Peter 2:5) and the first step of any kind of activity should always be prayer. St Francis was a man of prayer and a deep spiritual life and like him, we should ground any activity in prayer first.

St Francis in his testament urged the friars to pray this prayer whenever they entered a church and it is a great reminder for us of his presence in the tabernacle whenever we enter a church also:

"We adore you,
Lord Jesus Christ,
in all your churches
throughout the whole world
and we bless you
because by your holy cross
you have redeemed the world."

Do we pray daily for the Catholic Church? And our Pope? And all our priests? And for all Christians? Because we are all the living stones that make up the church.

For June, to celebrate the Year of St Francis, it would be good to visit our Lord more in the tabernacle. Why not make time for a holy hour in front of the tabernacle? We could arrive half an hour early before Mass and stay a little longer if there is not enough time during the week. Or we could attend a weekday Mass and stay a little longer if the church is still open.

We are blessed here at Melville where our Lord is continually with us in the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the Altar. Let us make more time for visiting Him who is always waiting for us.

We would like to extend an invitation to all Junior Franciscan Girls of the ages of 16 and above to join us for one week...
08/06/2026

We would like to extend an invitation to all Junior Franciscan Girls of the ages of 16 and above to join us for one week during this special jubilee Year of St Francis. Pray with the sisters, learn more about St Clare and the life of the Capuchin Poor Clares in South Africa.

For more details contact us on 072 571 8700 or 063 116 2875

Franciscans Mariannhill DioceseYoung Franciscans - Durban RegionDiocese of Mariannhill - South AfricaDiocese of KokstadArchdiocese of DurbanUmzimkulu Diocese YOUTHMedia for Better World Africa

Address

Lot 300 Capuchin Way, Pumula, Melville
Port Shepstone
4230

Telephone

+27631162875

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