The Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg is documenting the lives of Domitilla and Danny Hyams, the founders of the NGO Little Eden, who might become the city’s first saints. In a crypt in St Thérèse Catholic Church, close to the CBD of Edenvale, lie the remains of a couple who might just one day become Johannesburg’s first saints. Domitilla and Danny Hyams died a little over a decade ago, but in that time, there has been growing support for the husband and wife to be canonised by the Catholic Church.
It is rare for couples to be made saints, but the Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg has taken up the cause. It is a process that might take decades, maybe even centuries. Already, teams of investigators have been crisscrossing South Africa and the world in search of witnesses who knew the Hyams.
“We are not just looking for evidence of someone who was good in general. The [proposition] is that they have lived a life that we believe to be a holy life. What we are looking to prove are theological virtues, and here we are speaking about faith, hope and charity,” explains Father Phuti Makgabo, who is involved in the canonisation process and is a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.
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It is a process that will involve a detailed scrutiny of lives lived and a wait for miracles. And in the end, there is no guarantee they will be declared saints. There could even be a situation where one is canonised and the other is not.
“Currently, what we are involved in is with the first phase, which we call the diocesan phase, meaning it is the work that is done at the diocesan level, where the person belonged,” explains Makgabo. The couple are being investigated individually, and where possible, witnesses and documentation are being sought that pertain to all facets of their lives. As Domitilla was born and raised in Italy, the team has had to travel to the country to gather information.
“We have interviewed around 25 to 30 people, and we are looking at interviewing at least 100 people in total,” says Makgabo, who hopes that this first phase will be wrapped up later in 2026. The next phase will see the Archdiocese’s findings sent to the Vatican, where they will be evaluated.
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