Elandshoek Community Rejoices as New Church Opens its Doors

By Zibonele Mncwango – For a considerable extended period, a small farming community of Elandshoek, about 45km out of Mbombela, Diocese of Witbank, had been celebrating holy masses at a local school. Thanks to their devotion and dedication, their faith has culminated in a beautiful place of worship.

The majestic new building of the church called St Patrick stands as a testament to their perseverance in celebrating Mass and worshipping at Entabamhlophe Combined School, and a beacon of hope, especially for two distinct Catholic donors who had been wishing to give back to God by donating land as well as building a church.

One donor is an elderly widow, Gogo Martha Mhlongo, who had yearned to fulfil the wishes of her late husband to donate the land which they had acquired through sweat, working on the farms.

Another patron is Mr Patrick Nwobu, who had for a long time also desired to sponsor any construction of a church in any Catholic parish.

Despite the temporary setting which had become normal at Entabamhlophe Combined School, Gogo Mhlongo remained faithful to her late husband’s wish, although sad that he did not live long enough to witness their dream come true.

Upon her late husband’s passing, Gogo Mhlongo approached the local St Peter’s Catholic Church, Mbombela Parish Priest and informed him about the land, which has since provided a dedicated space where the family of faith now come together for worship.

Gogo Mhlongo says she is grateful to the other donor (Mr Nwobu) who has spent his money to fulfil her late husband’s dream. She says the land and the building now neither belong to the Mhlongos nor the Nwobus, but has suitably become a holy place of God.

Holy House of God

“The site no longer belongs to us, but it is now a Holy House of God. I pray that God will bless my children such that they will love this church and accept it as a home where they will find the real love,” says Gogo Mhlongo.

On the other hand, this was Mr Nwobu’s third attempt to sponsor the construction of a church after the first two initiatives at his Nigerian home parish were unsuccessful. Similarly, he had also hungered to donate to fund the construction of any House of the Lord, regardless of the limited resources.

Mr Nwobu did not simply construct a building, but he presented a state-of-the-art, spacious Place of Worship with stained-glass windows, offering a significant upgrade from the previous school class. The church boasts a beautiful building, luxurious ablution facilities as well as the wall fence.

“The building of the church came by the work of faith. It was my desire to build a House for God. We are all Christians, and we are all called to participate in the project of evangelisation, which is the call of duty for all Christians. The Elandshoek Church came like a miracle, my ambition was to give such a gift to God.

“It is not easy for one person to build a church and to think if God will accept it after making such an attempt for the third time, I believe it was God’s plan that this gift should come here and benefit the people from this area, and I believe God has accepted my thanksgiving,” says Mr Nwobu.

He says the leadership from St Peter’s Catholic Church, Mbombela Parish, was also supportive and accepted his plans, hence the milestone.

“The Bishop accepted the plans, the Parish Priest (Father Bheki Shabalala), the Parish Pastoral Council prayed and supported this project. The miracle started when the Mhlongo family donated land. When Gogo Mhlongo revealed the plans to donate the land for the church, I was filled with joy because I saw the opportunity to fulfil my desire.

“Now that the House of God is available for the community of Elandshoek, they must now develop their faith and come closer to the Lord,” says Mr Nwobu.

Bishop Xolelo Kumalo Consecrates St Patrick’s Church

Speaking at the consecration of the church, Bishop Xolelo Kumalo of Witbank Diocese said he was very thrilled and thankful to God and the people who had been the givers.

“I am happy that as Africans, we are now able to do things for ourselves, we are now starting to become a real church, instead of waiting for somebody else from somewhere to do things for us. In actual fact, we can now expand from what the missionaries did for us.

“This simply means that everything is possible; we just need to have goodwill, and we need to be united and support everything that is done for the greater glory of God, as it has happened here.

“We have been given the talents and gifts by the Holy Spirit, we should use them. This is not the church of the priest or the bishop, but it belongs to all of us.

“We are thankful to the Mhlongo family that they were willing to give to God instead of selling and getting some money. I believe that God has clapped for the old man (the late husband of Gogo Mhlongo) who first wished to donate this land,” says Bishop Kumalo.

During the consecration, the air was filled with hymns of praise, heartfelt prayers and an expression of profound gratitude. Indeed, a small community of Elandshoek has been blessed.

This was visible even from the whole parish when other faithful came to donate towards the fencing, the opening ceremony, as well as church artefacts.