The Lesser Feast of Manche Masemola, Martyr
Learn more about today’s Feast
Page numbers listed are from The Book of Common Prayer.
Opening Sentence, page 103
Officiant: O God, make speed to save us.
People: O Lord, make haste to help us.
All: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm 118:8–14, page 761
8 It is better to rely on the Lord *
than to put any trust in flesh.
9 It is better to rely on the Lord *
than to put any trust in rulers.
10 All the ungodly encompass me; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
11 They hem me in, they hem me in on every side; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
12 They swarm about me like bees;
they blaze like a fire of thorns; *
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
13 I was pressed so hard that I almost fell, *
but the Lord came to my help.
14 The Lord is my strength and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Reading: Matthew 19:13–15
Little children were being brought to Jesus in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
Reflection: Manche Masemola, Martyr
It is believed that Manche Masemola was born around 1913, in Marishane, South Africa. She grew up with her parents, two older brothers, a younger sister named Mabule, and a cousin named Lucia. She was not sent to school, but worked with her family on their farm.
Her family was not Christian, but rather followed traditional local religious practices. The Christian community in their region was very small, and was looked upon by most people with much suspicion.
In 1919 Fr. Augustine Moeka of the Anglican Community of the Resurrection established a mission at Marishane. Manche Masemola and her cousin Lucia first heard Moeka preach as a result. She was eager to learn more, and began to attend worship services and classes at the mission twice a week.
Soon she expressed a desire to be baptized, but her parents tried to forbid her. When their prohibitions failed to dissuade her, she was beaten. On a number of occasions, Manche Masemola remarked to Lucia and Moeka that she would die at her parents’ hands and be baptized in her own blood. Then, on or near February 4, 1928, her mother and father took her away to an isolated place and killed her, and buried her by a granite rock on a remote hillside. She was about fifteen years old.
Although she was not yet baptized, the church has historically recognized catechumens who died before they could be baptized as being baptized by their desire for baptism. In 1935 a small group of Christians first made a pilgrimage to her grave. Larger groups followed in 1941 and 1949. Now, hundreds visit the site every August. In 1975 her name was added to the calendar of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa.
Manche Masemola is one of the twentieth-century martyrs whose statues are displayed at Westminster Abbey. More than 40 years after her daughter’s murder, her mother was also baptized into the church in 1969.
The Prayers, pages 106-107
Officiant: Lord have mercy.
People: Christ have mercy.
Officiant: Lord have mercy.
All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Officiant: Lord, hear our prayer;
People: And let our cry come to you.
Officiant: Let us pray.
Almighty and Everlasting God, who kindled the flame of your love in the heart of your faithful martyr Manche Masemola: Grant to us your servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in her triumph may profit by her example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Intercessions and Thanksgivings
Dismissal, page 107
Officiant: Let us bless the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Officiant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.