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Founder and Director - Father Stan Brennan OFM

Fr. Stan Brennan was born in County Roscommon, Ireland in 1929, the seventh in a family of ten with three sisters and six brothers. He joined the Franciscans in 1948 and was ordained in Rome in 1956.

After asking to be sent somewhere where he could help the poor and disadvantaged he came to South Africa in 1958, first to the Seminary in Pretoria but after six years he again asked to be allowed to work with the poorest of the poor.

He was assigned to Stirtonville on the East Rand which was indeed desperately poverty stricken, a parish of migrant mineworkers. Beginning with the building of a church, St Francis Parish Church, he has since worked tirelessly for over 41 years to uplift his community with education, skills and compassionate intervention and assistance wherever the need arose. In the beginning he was supported by his Franciscan Brothers, family and friends, then sought assistance farther afield from large companies and corporates.

During the apartheid years he fought many battles for the continuance of his programs, many of which were against the political thinking of the time. Nowadays the battles are mainly financial. The needs are legion and money is short.

Fr Stan passed away on 6 July 2012. May he rest in peace. The centre welcomes Fr Jeff OFM as chaplain to the hospice who will continuing to work with the poor.