The establishment of the Indigenous Catholic Clergy in South Africa: 1919-1957

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine whether Roman Catholic policies, as laid down in four separate encyclicals, were taken seriously in the mission fields, in South Africa in particular. In order to reach a conclusion, the article provides an overview of these encyclicals and a brief examination of the number of priests ordained during the period 1919 to 1957. It goes on to consider the events leading to the establishment of the minor seminary at Ixopo and the subsequent major seminary at Pevensey, both in the erstwhile province of Natal. Although by 1957 local clergy were being trained in South Africa, numerous difficulties were encountered in establishing an indigenous Catholic clergy.