Pretoria’s Mother Church Celebrates 104 Years

by Daluxolo Moloantoa · January 9, 2025

Most Holy Redeemer Church, located in Mmakau to the northwest of Pretoria, commemorated the Sunday of the Epiphany by celebrating its 104th anniversary. This significant occasion was attended by a considerable number of invited guests, some travelling from as far as Johannesburg and other parishes in the Pretoria area.

The Sunday of the Epiphany holds particular importance for the church.

In his diary entry of May 3, 1921, the founding priest, Fr De Hovre, recounted an eventful evening: “Upon returning home to St Teresa’s mission in Bantule Location, I discovered a group of seven men gathered near my residence. They had journeyed from De-Wildt, now known as Mmakau, in search of the ‘True Church’ in Pretoria, as they expressed.

This encounter occurred on the feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1921. I perceived this as a sign of Providence. My bicycle proved invaluable as I made numerous trips to the village to engage with the community.”

Eventually, the local community constructed a stone church, which was blessed and inaugurated by Bishop Charles Cox OMI, who served as the vicar-apostolic of Transvaal from 1914 to 1924. This church, dedicated to the Most Holy Redeemer, became the first African Catholic mission within what is now the Archdiocese of Pretoria. Often referred to as “Pretoria’s Mother Church”, it has been instrumental in establishing over sixty parishes throughout the North-West deanery of the archdiocese, including those in nearby Garankuwa, Mabopane, Lady Selbourne, Lethlabile, and as far as Atteridgeville. Among its many notable contributions, the Most Holy Redeemer mission was where Fr Joseph Verot OMI published the first Catholic hymns and prayer book in the local Setswana language.

The establishment of the mission occurred in 1921 when six royal council members from the Bakgatla-ba-Mmakau clan journeyed to Pretoria to petition the Church for the establishment of a presence in their village. The council members included Mr E Motsepe, Mr A Tseleng, Mr E L Mokgoko, Mr B Teeme, Mr J Nthabu, Mr D Tseleng, and Mr B Ramaboa, who undertook a three-day walk to reach St. Teresa Church in Bantule, located to the west of Pretoria.

In 1962, the mission was honoured to host Cardinal Batista Montini of Milan, who would later become Pope Paul VI in 1963. Additionally, Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited the mission during her tour of South Africa in 1988.

Following the celebratory Mass on Sunday, parishioners and guests gathered for photographs in front of and inside the historic stone church, which is now used minimally due to the construction of a new church building by Stigmatine priest Fr Michele D’Annucci CSS in 1996.

After the photography session, lunch was graciously hosted by a descendant of the six council members at her residence near the church.

For a video commemorating the occasion, please visit the Facebook page linked here:

https://web.facebook.com/1249710753/videos/1108205397977279/