St Padre Pio Centre of Pretoria came to reality by the initiative of br. John Corriveau, General Minister, OFM Cap as a formation house of lay brothers of Africa. The building of the Padre Pio Formation House began in June 1998, and was formally blessed and opened in March 2000. Soon after, a formation team was established and lay brothers, from all Capuchin circumscriptions in Africa, were admitted. The formation program was led and subsidized directly by the General Curia of the Order. The centre gained further importance when it hosted the Damietta Peace Initiative in 2005. As a result, the centre became very symbolic and hub of all the efforts that are made to realise the ‘Cosmic Fraternity’ at the level of Africa.
The Damietta Peace Initiative, the first idea of an African Franciscan Peace initiative, came as a result of two papers: “The Challenge of Nonviolence” and “Cosmic Kinship- The Unifying Principle for the new Africa”. These two papers were delivered by Fr. Donal O’Mahony OFM Cap at a study Day for Capuchin provincials from sub-Saharan Africa in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, May 2002. The invitation came from the President of the East African Capuchin Conference, Fr Sean Cahill OFM Cap. In one of the papers Fr Donal said: ” It is in the realm of ethical and moral values that Africa must point itself toward if it is to build a more human, more peaceful and more environmentally sustainable continent. He then introduced and developed the Franciscan values of non-violence, reconciliation and ‘cosmic Fraternity’. Acknowledging that any solutions must primarily rest with Arican people themselves, yet, Franciscans with their unique continental- wide connections must think creatively how these values might trickle down to a village level. Could every Capuchin Friary and every domicile of the entire Franciscan family, he wondered, become “places” where the Gospel and the Globe are brought together for all peoples? From these ideas rose a Peace Project, to be later called, the ‘Damietta Peace Initiative’. The project formally found an office at St Padre Pio Formation House, Pretoria in 2005, and functioned from there for several years. The idea and impact of the project still resonates positively among the other peace-making ministries.
Unfortunately, both initiatives didn’t continue as they were planned for various changing circumstances. In 2014, the house evolved into a Retreat and Spirituality Centre which has become very popular and well attended by various Christian Groups.
August 14, 2025
By Br. Anstey Kay
Secretary of the Custudy of South Africa