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History

Pinelands Catholic Church History

Priests of the Parish

  1. Fr. Luke O’Reilly (1928-1929) (Parish Priest of Maitland)
  2. Msgr. John O’Rourke (1929-1935) (Parish Priest of Mowbray)
  3. Fr. Edward Graham (1936) (Parish Priest of Mowbray)
  4. Fr. Owen McCann (1939-1940) (Assistant priest at Mowbray)
  5. Fr. Edward (Ned) Kiernan (1944 – 1953)
  6. Fr. Frank McManus 1946 (July-December) (Supply Priest)
  7. Fr. Michael Hulgraine (1950)
  8. Fr. Brian Power (1954 – 1960)
  9. Fr. Anthony Seba (1960 – 1988)
  10. Fr. Paddy Thornton    (1988 – 1995)
  11. Fr. Rory Murphy (1995 – 1996)
  12. Fr. Rodney Hall (1996 – 1997)
  13. Fr. Jurgens Bezuidenhout (1997 – 1998)
  14. Msgr. Clifford Stokes (1997 – 1999)
  15. Fr. Keith Lambert (1998 – 2000)
  16. Fr. Terry Gorman (1999)
  17. Fr. Martin Daly SDB
  18. Fr. Keith Lambert SJ (1999-2000)
  19. Fr Douglas Wiseman (2000 – 2014)
  20. Msgr. Andrew Ivo Borello      (2014 – 2020)
  21. Fr. Christu Amal Raj SAC (2019 -2022)
  22. Fr. Charles Prince (2022-)

A School is Born

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The Hall and classroom enabled the parish to launch a school for children in Sub A, B and Standard 1. The Pallottine Sisters wished to take charge of the school but being nursing sisters, they arranged for one of their sisters to go from Germany and train in England. Sister Vera returned to take up the reigns of the school.

The school served as a feeder school for Springfield. A school bus transported the children for years from Pinelands to Springfield.

Later, the Dominican Sisters took over the running of the school until they were forced to close almost all their schools due to lack of resources.

Meanwhile the Parish has promoted few vocations to priesthood, diaconate and a religious sister.
Fr. Kees Thonissen Capuchin Ordained in 1987
Fr. Thomas Plastow SJ Ordained in 1999
Fr. Zane Godwin Ordained in 2000

Deacon Desmond Lai Lan was ordained to Permanent Diaconate –2008
Mother Theresa Missionary of Charity Sister: Sister Charbel Marie MS (The daughter of John and Pauline Kane)

Pastor Appointed

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The parish priest continued to live in the cottage in the grounds of the hospital. On Thursday, a “housewives” Mass was celebrated in the parish church. At the weekend the church was used in the normal way. On other days, the church was opened and closed by a parishioner on his way to and from work. Mr McCoy did this until the Presbytery was ready.
This arrangement ended with the appointment of Fr. Anthony Seba. From 1963, the parish had a fulltime pastor and the hospital had a fulltime chaplain. The interior of the original Christ the King Church built in 1949.
0n 19th January 1986, Stephen G. Naidoo, CSsR, Archbishop of Cape Town, solemnly dedicated (consecrated) the church and the altar to the honour and glory of God under the title of Christ the King. Relics of St. Charbel Makhlouf and St. Francis Xavier were placed in the altar