In 1954 four Benedictine Sisters of St. Alban from Germany, Diessen am Ammersee, were called to be Missionaries in South Africa in the Diocese of Eshowe in Kwa-Zulu-Natal. Until 2013, the main ministry in Eshowe was the care for and education of children at Little Flower Primary School, a school and boarding for Coloured Children during Apartheid (in South African terms children of mixed race).

In 1984, the Diocese of Witbank was looking for Sisters who could run their newly build Old Age Home for poor people in Elukwatini, a rural part of Mpumalanga Province. Three Sisters (two professional nurses and a retired teacher) followed this request and started Gugulethu St. Benedict’s Home for the Aged. A Benedictine Convent was built next to the old age home in 1994 and more Sisters joined the community.

In 2025, seven Sisters are praying and working at St. Benedict’s Convent (five from South Africa and two from Germany).

As Benedictine Sisters, we start our day at 6 A.M. with the Office of Reading and Morning Prayer, followed by a time for reflection. At 7 A.M. we celebrate Holy Mass, whenever our Parish Priest can join us or when we have the privilege to welcome visiting priests. If no priest can celebrate with us, we conduct a priest-less service with Holy Communion.

After breakfast, every Sister contributes to the work of the community based on her strengths: serving guests, cooking, gardening, laundry, cleaning, shopping, administration, pastoral work, and crafts work (knitting, making rosaries, beads-word, decorating candles, etc.).

At 11.45 A.M. the community meets for midday prayer followed by lunch and time to rest, after which work continues. At 5 P.M., we gather in our Chapel for half an hour of adoration followed by evening prayer and a time for spiritual reading. Our library is well equipped thanks to the books from AIM USA.

After supper, there is time for recreation before ending our day with night prayer.

The responsibility for the 79 residents in our Old Age Home (which is a nonprofit organisation) has been handed over to lay-management. One Sister is still a member of the Board of management, and another ministers to the residents with catechesis and prayer.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, one Sister is leading an online prayer-group called “Women of Faith.” This group occasionally meets in person, especially during Advent and Lent.

She also started to work part-time as a coordinator of the Catholic Mental Health Ministry in the parishes of our deanery.

Recently the number of people who want to spend a quiet time at our convent has grown. They join us in praying with the community, having a retreat and supporting our mission.

As our convent is situated in a deep rural area with a high rate of unemployment, we are committed to assist the poor by welcoming them and listening to them, as well as providing them with meals, school uniforms, stationary, computer courses, short-term trainings, and transport help. South Africa is the country with the highest inequality between rich and poor, a high rate of crime, and severe problems with substance abuse. It is still the country with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS.

Mass stipends mainly from Germany and from AIM-USA, help us to assist our priests as our Diocese and especially our Parish struggles financially. The Catholic Church in South Africa is small in numbers (approximately 3 million Catholics in a Population of 63 million). 

We are a small Benedictine Community with most Sisters above 70 years of age. As Sister Theresa would say, “not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

The worldwide Benedictine Family and especially BECOSA (Association of Benedictine Communities of Southern Africa), where we are connected with the Benedictine Sisters and Monks in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and now also Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, assisted by AIM, gives us not only a sense of belonging but also great support and inspiration.  

As pilgrims of hope, we strive to continue our ministry of prayer and presents, hospitality and sharing so that in all things God may be glorified.