Rampeoane Hlobo SJ was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale at St Martin de Porres Church in Orlando West, Soweto on 25 October 2008.  He is the first Jesuit to be ordained in the Society of Jesus from Soweto.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

The parish church was packed with parishioners and visitors from far and wide, including Cape Town, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom.  More than forty priests concelebrated at the Mass, amongst them was Fr. David Smolira SJ, the Regional Superior of the Society of Jesus in South Africa, Fr. Paul Fletcher SJ, Assistant for Formation for the British Province of the Jesuits of which South Africa is a dependent region. He was also Rampe’s Superior during his studies in London.  Finally, Fr. Augustine Makhokolo OMI, he had baptised the ordinand and served as parish priest at St. Martin de Porres from 1972 until 1984.  In the church, the choir and altar servers outdid themselves.  The church floor was scrubbed and buffed, all the altar linen was pressed, by the head altar boy, and the flowers were a very bright mix of orange, yellow and white lilies, roses, and gladioli. 

Likano Hlobo reads the First Reading	Fr. David Smolira SJ lays hands	Tebogo plays the African drum

A ritual observed locally, but not part of the usual rite for Ordination, is the “presentation of the new priest” at the end of the official rite.  The people love to acclaim their new minister in an enthusiastic manner.  For Rampe this part of the ceremony was augmented by the elders of the clan who stood up to acclaim what had just taken place.   The Archbishop took it all in his stride.  After communion, a young adult of the parish dressed in a traditional Basotho blanket, and originally from the Free State, jumped up to act as a praise singer.  The ordination ended after two-and-half hours with Rampe bestowing his first blessing.

Fr Thomas Plastow SJ, the present parish priest described the ordinand's family as ‘a dynasty in this parish’ who had ‘brought Fr Rampe to this day’, a sentiment confirmed by the new priest himself in his words of thanks in which he expressed his deep gratitude to his extended family for the faith which they had planted in him. 

The prayerful presence of Fr Rampe's mother, the late Mrs Anna Hlobo, was strongly felt throughout the ceremony and her name was mentioned by Fr Rampe himself at the memorial for the dead during the canon as he concelebrated with the Archbishop.  

Archbishop Buti took advantage of the occasion and made a determined appeal to the local church that they should not rest on their laurels.  In his homily, he challenged families to foster more vocations.  He asked parents if they were willing to ‘give a son or a daughter to the priesthood or religious life’, and parental voices were raised in assent.   He amused the congregation expressing gentle scepticism by suggesting that the mothers were perhaps thinking of the cows for their daughters' lobolo!

He spoke directly to the young.  'Are you young people prepared to give of yourselves in a life of service and self-sacrifice?' he asked.   Assent was also expressed by the youth, though a little more tentatively than by their parents!  The Jesuits' large vocation poster, with its slogan 'What about you?' reinforced the Archbishop's message.

Ignatius the praise singer	Archbishop Buti Thlagale presents Fr. Rampe	Rampe's First Mass

Rampe entered the Society in 1993.  He was sent to Lusaka in Zambia for his novitiate before professing his first vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the Society two years later. This was followed by studies in South Africa, France and the United Kingdom.  During formation he was missioned to work in the Jesuit Refugee Service in Uganda, South Sudan, United Kingdom and South Africa. Whilst studying in London, he was involved with parish ministry at Saint Ignatius Church in Stamford Hill and with the planning of the Ignatian program for World Youth Day in Sydney (MAGiS08).  

After ordination, he will be involved in pastoral work as Assistant Parish Priest at Holy Trinity Church in Braamfontein and as a chaplain to the Universities of Witwatersrand and Johannesburg.