Johannesburg Couple Who Built Home for 300 Could Be Saints

A couple who dedicated their lives to caring for people with intellectual disabilities could become Johannesburg's first Catholic saints. Domitilla and Danny Hyams founded Little Eden Society in 1967, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg is now documenting their extraordinary lives for possible canonization.

Their love story began in the chaos of World War 2. Danny Hyams, a Johannesburg native, was captured at the Battle of Tobruk and sent to a POW camp in Italy. When he escaped in 1943, a 25-year-old Italian woman named Domitilla helped hide him from the Nazis for 20 months.

After the war ended, Danny proposed and returned to South Africa to finish his studies. In 1947, he came back to Italy to marry Domitilla and brought her home to Johannesburg.

Twenty years into their marriage, Domitilla noticed the struggle of a friend caring for a severely disabled child. She felt called to help and began caring for three girls with intellectual disabilities in her home. According to current CEO Ann Coetzee, Domitilla had a vision of Jesus appearing without hands, which she interpreted as a call to be Christ's hands on Earth.

From those three girls, Little Eden grew into two facilities caring for 300 children and adults today. The oldest resident is 71, and the youngest is just four years old. About two-thirds arrived after being abandoned by their families.

Why This Inspires

The Hyams devoted themselves to those society often overlooks. Their work continues today, providing lifelong care for people with genetic conditions, fetal alcohol syndrome, and trauma. These residents aren't just patients but cherished family members who receive dignified care until they pass away.

The canonization process is thorough and could take decades or even centuries. Father Phuti Makgabo explains that investigators are looking for evidence of theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. The team has interviewed up to 30 witnesses so far and plans to reach at least 100, traveling as far as Italy to gather testimonies about Domitilla's early life.

It's rare for married couples to become saints together, and there's no guarantee both will be canonized. The archdiocese hopes to complete the first phase of investigation by late 2026, after which the findings will go to the Vatican for evaluation.

Danny and Domitilla both died just over a decade ago and are buried together in a crypt at St. Thérèse Catholic Church in Edenvale, five minutes from the Little Eden facilities they built. Their legacy lives on in every resident who finds love, dignity, and a true home at Little Eden.