BK Miyelani Holeni,

Congratulations on the outstanding achievement of earning your Master's degree! We are thrilled to hear that you have accomplished your lifelong goal. Graduating last week on Wednesday with a Master of Philosophy in Development Finance is truly remarkable.

Best wishes for a bright and prosperous future!

Good afternoon all, 

Dear Cheryl, Monique, Chantal, Michelle,  and Dario, on behalf of the Catholic Order  of the Knights of da Gama, we offer you and your extended family our sincere  condolences on the passing of our committed and faithful Brother Vic. 

For those of you who are not aware the Catholic Order of the Knights of da Gama,  we are a Catholic Order of men whose  vision it is to bring Jesus to communities in  Southern Africa. And our mission is to evangelise ourselves, our families and our  communities through active Christian service. As all here will testify, Brother Past  Supreme Knight Vic played an instrumental role in achieving these objectives. 

On a personal note, I met Vic sometime in 1990, and we both had seemed to have the  same outlook on our Order. Vic was passionate about our mission, his family,  and his community. Naturally, we hit it off  immediately and journeyed together ever  since, while making sure to have fun while doing so. We struck up a unique and special  friendship with Fr Peter Cullen, who eventually went on to become our National  Chaplain. Vic's way of connecting with others had a unique way of imparting  inspiration and enabling them to act with momentum. His catchphrase was "Just do  it!" And not only did he live up to it, but he inspired others to do the same. Myself included. 

Vic was a man of service and a humble,  steadfast leader.  

Brother Vic held many titles in the Order. Under his guidance, a wave of change in our  community was set in motion, a product of which is seen today. Vic was initiated into  Cl 11, St Joseph, Boksburg on the 18^th of February 1989. He was elevated to the Second Degree on the 5^th of October in the same year. And soon after, he advanced to  full knighthood on the 28^th of May 1990. Brother Vic rose up through the ranks to the office of Regional Grand Knight of the Eastern Highveld. Once on the Board of Directors, there was no stopping Brother Vic. He soon became Deputy Supreme Knight and later, Supreme Knight, attaining  the Order’s highest office. 

Vic was not a spectator. Instead, he was a  dedicated, hard-working Brother.  Once his term of office was completed as  Supreme Knight, he was nominated and  elected as president of the International  Alliance of Catholic Knights, known as  IACK. IACK is an alliance of 15 Orders of  the Knights from various countries around the globe. Installed as president in Dublin, Ireland, in 2011 he presided at two  meetings: one in Nigeria and the other in The Gambia. In that same year, Vic and his  family relocated to Cape Town, his hometown. He transferred to Council 26, Our Lady of Good Hope, Bothasig, where he continued to serve his council, region, and the board of directors as the Supreme Councillor for Membership Recruitment and Retention. He held this office and served without reservation until February of this year.  

Vic was an organiser of note and beyond committed.  

St Bruno Cl 52 Polokwane was the first  council that Brother Vic was instrumental in  establishing. It took a bit of effort and meant  travelling to Polokwane monthly for three  years. Vic went on to establish St Lawrence,  Council 53 in Mitchell’s Plain and to reestablish St Jude Cl 33 Uitenhage in the  Eastern Cape.  

When Pope John Paul II, now a declared  Saint, visited South Africa in September  1995, Brother Vic automatically volunteered his services to the organising committee. His role was to manage all 650 marshals as well as the security of the visiting Vatican contingent, which included the Pope and many other members of the  hierarchy of the Church. His contribution was not just limited to securing the Papal Mass, but included several venues visited  by the Holy Father for the duration of his  visit. 

Vic was respectful and reverent. 

The Order established a committee to  counter blasphemy. Focused on the  Reverence of The Holy Names they  produced stickers, posters, leaflets, and pledge cards promoting the Holy Name of  God and Jesus Christ. In 2009 Brother Vic and Brother Clive Leon presented arguments of opposition to ICASA relating to blasphemy on television and successfully  demanded an apology from a large retail outlet for supporting the UCT Rag Magazine, which funded the publication.  

Vic was a community man and his  Brother’s keeper.  

Aside from his ongoing recruitment efforts, Vic was an active member, and past  chairman. of the Box & Dine Committee. This was an annual black-tie event and  gentleman’s evening of amateur boxing held in Benoni City Hall – a project that  served to build a strong sense of community and raise much-needed funds for various charities. 

In addition to this, Vic was also the coordinator of Brotherline, a forum within  the Order used to communicate offers of employment and opportunities available for  Brothers and their family members seeking employment.  

Vic was a caring and considerate man. A friend to many. Vic was always very sociable and inclusive and went to great lengths to ensure people felt valued.  

As we have heard from the moving eulogies given today, it is undoubtedly evident that Vic gave of himself entirely to so many varied areas: whether it was a soccer coach or refereeing, a potjiekos judge,  contributing time to the Community Police Forum, his local parish, and the Order of the Knights of da Gama, Vic always gave of his  talents wholly and completely. Brother Vic never over-committed and under-delivered; instead, he delivered much more than one would expect. He always did so with  detailed and accurate planning, calmness, thoughtfulness, and always with a spirit of joy. And with that, he would always reflect and analyse what needed to improve, if anything. 

Brother Past Supreme Knight Vic, you have  served the brotherhood so well for 33 years. May you now rest in eternal peace, good and faithful servant.  

Thank you for the opportunity to be your Brother! Thank you for your friendship, for  all the memories, and all that we enjoyed  together. 

Anthony Beale

The funeral booklet picture shows PSK Vic wearing the Chain of Office of the Supreme  Knight as well as the special tie with the  emblems of the Order and the International  Alliance of Catholic Knights, of which later he was to become International President.

The Order was devastated to learn that the  cancer had returned to Brother Vic and that no further action could be taken to help him  recover. PSK Vic passed away on the 4^th of  March and will be deeply mourned by all  who knew him. 

The funeral service was a requiem mass  celebrated by National Chaplain  Archbishop Emeritus William Slattery and  concelebrated with three priests, at the  Good Shepherd Parish in Bothaville, Cape  Town, on Friday 11^th March. 

It was well attended by the Order in the  Western Cape as well as by SK Rob van der  Walt, DSK Errol Plaatjies and PSKK  Claudio Freschi, Anthony Beale and Robin  Lydall. 

Moving tributes were given by the family  and by a number of friends and  representatives of various organisations in  which Brother Vic was involved. At the end  of Mass the Knights performed the Valedictory Ritual in a fitting send-off to a  Brother who had given his all to the Order.  As part of the valedictory, the panegyric  was given by PSK Anthony Beale and it is  published below as it gives a wonderful account of Brother Vic’s life and work in  the Order. 

At the end of the service, led by a piper  playing Amazing Grace, the Knights  formed a guard of honour and accompanied  the hearse to the end of the block for a last  goodbye to our Brother Vic. May he now  rest in God’s eternal peace. 

Brother Vic with Past Supreme Knights of the Order, at the Durban convention in 2019, from  left, PSKK Vic Barra, Brian Sutcliffe, Noel Pistorius, Alan Diesel, SK Rob van der Walt,  Archbishop Gabuza, PSKK Claudio Freschi, Anthony Beale and Robin Lydall