The vast district of Mount Fletcher was populated by Sotho-speaking Lehana people as well as by some Hlubi clans. In August 1923 a church site for Farview was granted, just opposite the mission ground along the road leading to the store.

The church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, was blessed on the 5^th of May 1924. In the same year Fr Jaeckel could proudly note that he obtained the following church sites: High Hill Rocks at Makwatlana, One at Thabaneng in Qumbu district, one at Thaba Khubelu, one at Polile in Ncwanywa Location, and one at Esilindini in Zibi Location. Building of churches at Makanyanang started in July 1923, at Polile in June 1924, while a school was built at Thaba Khubelu in September 1924 and another for the people at Likhasa in 1925.

Bishop Hanisch expressed the wish to have a better priest house at Farview and even sent money towards the building costs, but it took the best part of 2 years to have the house completed; only in June 1940 could the priests take possession.

Fr. Tsepo Tsalong had also built the Priest house with Jacky Da Silva. A simple Flat had replaced the spacious stone Priest House of long ago. In its place the new building had been erected, rather badly though with many cracks.

Besides the large church at Far View there is a big Outstation church, called St. Joseph. It celebrated recently the 50-year jubilee. Holy Trinity, a decent little church built by Fr. Tsepo Tsalong. Two little churches (mud structures) Nazareth and St. Mary’s. And there is St. Canisius, a mud structure which was collapsing. It was replaced by a decent stable building that had been started by the village people themselves and been completed by the Diocese and the Parish, a model we envisaged for the new village chapels to come.

Hostel

Long ago Fr. Canisius Moleko, who had been Parish Priest at Farview for many years, had used a house near the Convent where there is now the water tower­­, to accommodate some poor scholars. That house burned down. It was then that Sisters took the initiative to build up the beautiful Girl’s Hostel and ran it for a number of years quite successfully. The boys had been accommodated at the old stone priest house.

The Sisters still had hope in the future and elevated their Convent with another floor. To have water available Br. George had to lift up the water tower. But that ended suddenly in 2004 when the Sisters saw they could not manage any longer as vocations were not coming up as they had hoped.

When Fr. Majingolo came, he started to accept scholars again, whilst Fr. Stefan had intended to make use of the Hostel as a Pastoral Centre. Fr. Teboho Makoro increased the number of scholars and started to run a Hostel again. Fr. Stefan, following Fr. Makoro extended it further to fill it up to capacity. A number of renovations and extensions had been done.

For More information on this parish please refer to:
1. Transkei For Christ by Fr Marcel Dischl CMM, copyright 1982
2. Chronicle of Mthatha Diocese by Fr. Winfried Egler of 2020

1. Fr Canisius Pfingstmann OCR: 1910 – 1912
2. Frs Roman Heinze and Arsenius Tercko OCR: 1912 – 1914
3. Fr Marcellin Bruno OCR: 1914 – 1917
4. Fr Bonaventure Jaeckel C.M.M.: September 1919 – 1929
5. Fr Alberich Reinhard C.M.M.: 1929 – 1931
6. Fr Franz Graskemper C.M.M.: January 1932 – February 1935
7. Fr Bonaventure Jaeckel C.M.M.: February 1935 – March 1936
8. Fr Roman Martin C.M.M.: March 1936 – January 1952
9. Fr Frassati Ketterle C.M.M.: February 1952 – March 1953
10. Fr Aegid Haussner C.M.M.: December 1953 – November 1960
11. Fr Canisius Moleko: December 1960 – 1990
12. Fr Clemens Truttmann C.M.M.: May 1990 – May 1994
13. Fr Tsepo Tsalong: 1994 – 2004
14. Fr Leuta: 2004 – 2005
15. Fr Monwabisi Majingolo: June 2006 – October 2008
16. Fr Teboho Makoro: 2008 – January 2012
17. Fr Stefan Mandl C.M.M.: January 2012 – August 2017
18. Fr Joachim Pinji C.M.M.: June 2017 – 2021
19. Fr Faustin Mapwar C.M.M.: 2021 –

Priest Incharge: Fr. Faustin Mapwar C.M.M.
CellPhone: 073 895 5630
Email: bashuth@yahoo.fr

Address
Dengwane Village
Mount Fletcher
4770

Postal Address
P.O. Box 198
Mount Fletcher
4770