History Of Catholic In Botswana

The Botswana people always had that inmate sense of the divine common to all humanity: they believed in a Supreme Spirit of Modimo, and an after-life and venerated their ancestors. It was not till the early 19th century that they heard the message of Christian revelation and love and it was first brought to them, in those distant days, by the London Missionary Society’s two famous Scots – Moffat and Livingstone. In the wake of their early and painstaking endeavours, many others were to come but this brief review has to concern itself with the work of the Catholic missionaries in this country.

The Catholic Church has celebrated 88 years of existence in Botswana after it has been introduced by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I) Priest from Germany. In 1951, the Passionist Fathers from Ireland accepted to work in the Bechuanaland. To this effect four Passionist Priest left Dublin for the new missionary grounds and arrived on the 7th February 1952. These were Frs. Theodore Matthews CP, Carthage Power CP, Urban Murphy CP and Norbet Morris CP.