The history of the parishes in the Diocese of Eshowe
Louwsburg is a small village, situated about seventy kilometres east of Vryheid on the main road to Pongola. As a business centre it serves a large rural district made up of maize and cattle farms. The Benedictines began doing pastoral work in the area in 1926. Until 1932, the parish priest of Nongoma used to come to Louwsburg regularly and celebrate Mass for the Catholics. Afterwards Louwsburg was an outstation of Inkamana until 1951. In 1932, the Benedictines were offered a property in Louwsburg, but only on condition that they would not start a school for black children (cf. chronicle of Inkamana, January - June 1932). Bishop Spreiter eventually bought a 24-hectare plot outside town. By purchasing a few adjoining plots, the bishop increased the mission property to 35 hectares. It was only after the Second World War that plans to establish a mission were realized. The opening date was March 30, 1951, the day when Fr. Erasmus Betz arrived at Louwsburg. One half of the house was used as presbytery, the other as a chapel. In 1959, Bro. Bartholomew Keil (1922-1991) built a small church. It was blessed by Bishop Bilgeri on April 24, 1961.
The mission station in Louwsburg remained small although, in the early fifties, there were plans to develop the mission. Bishop Bilgeri intended building a clinic or even a hospital in the town. The government had already given the green light for this when the whole project was abandoned. Taking all pro's and con's into consideration it became clear that it would have been rather difficult for the Benedictines to staff and maintain a hospital in Louwsburg. Pastoral work was also beset with problems. Sectarian movements were very active and created an atmosphere in the region which was openly anti-Catholic. It was not easy for the priest to make converts under these circumstances. "Baptisms do not occur often here," reports the parish priest of Louwsburg. "I was able to baptize only a few children of Catholic parents and a few seriously ill patients...Parents hardly ever call the priest when a child is very ill or close to death because this is also not customary among Protestants" (chronicle of Louwsburg, 1953, pg. 431). The parish had never more than one hundred and fifty Catholics.
As long as Fr. Erasmus Betz was the parish priest of Louwsburg he tried to develop the 35-hectare farm by planting black wattle trees and maize. He also kept a few cattle and a horse (cf. chronicle of Louwsburg, 1951, pg. 259). The income was enough to make the mission self-sufficient. When the mission personnel in the Diocese of Eshowe became increasingly scarce, Bishop Mansuet Biyase decided to withdraw the priest from Louwsburg and to entrust the parish once more to the care of Inkamana. The Catholic mission in Louwsburg was closed down in May 1976.
Parish Priests of Louwsburg
Assistant Priests at Louwsburg
Benedictine Brothers at Louwsburg
This page was last updated on 24.10.06 17:51:47
