Past Priest

BIOGRAPHIES OF PRIESTS WHO SERVED THE PARISH OF ST THOMAS MORE

FR IAN LAURENSON OFM

Robert Laurenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 14 May 1934. He became a novice in the Province of the Immaculate Conception of the Order of Friars Minor in Great Britain on 6 September 1951. He took the missionary name Ian, and made his first profession the following year on 7 September 1952. Three years later, he was solemnly professed on 7 September 1955 and was ordained a priest on 22 March 1958. Soon after that he volunteered to join the Franciscan mission in South Africa where he remained until his death.

He was once the parish priest of St Peter and Paul in Newcastle and was later transferred to Christ the King in Evander. When the Holy See erected the Apostolic Prefecture of Volksrust under Mgr. Marius Banks OFM, Fr Ian was the secretary and the bursar of the Prefecture.

After Bishop Paschal Rowland was appointed to head the diocese of Dundee in 1983, Fr Laurenson was appointed as the diocesan secretary for a short time. He then left to become a full-time army chaplain in Bloemfontein. After leaving the army chaplaincy he became secretary and bursar of the Franciscan province of South Africa and moved to Pretoria, working in the parish of Maria Regina in Lyttelton. He was in charge of the national office of the Lenten Appeal for a while, later relocating to Durban and then Ladysmith as Franciscan provincial secretary and bursar. After falling seriously ill he underwent treatment and spent his last days in Nazareth House, Pretoria. Fr Ian passed away on Monday 14th May, 2012.

MGR VINCENT HILL

Mgr. Vincent Hill was born in 1931 in Kimberley, and was educated at the Convent and CBC, matriculating 1948. He began studies for priesthood at St John Vianney Seminary in Queenstown, 1949, and was ordained priest on 8 December 1955. His first pastoral assignment was at Bantule, from which he also served pastoral districts of Bronkhorstspruit and Groblersdal. Mgr Hill served five years at the Sacred Heart Cathedral under Mgr Fred Mason. He was active as choir-master and as assistant editor of the diocesan Keys magazine. He volunteered for service in the Minor Seminary at Modimong from 1963, which was transferred to Hammanskraal in 1964.

He succeeded Fr D Moetapele as rector until 1975.  Bishop Abel Gabuza was one of his students there. After the appointment of Archbishop George Daniel, Mgr Hill took over Holy Trinity parish in Olifantsfontein, with the Tembisa parishes of St Vincent and St Matthew. He was transferred back to Hammanskraal, to St Camillus’ parish, with its district in 1980. He was diocesan director for the Renew Programme, and then took over the Cathedral from Mgr Magennis, from 1994 –1997. In 1999 he took over St Thomas More parish in MONAVONI, until he exchanged parishes with Mgr Gabuza, and served Lyttelton until retirement in 2008.

BISHOP ABEL GABUZA

Mgr Abel Gabuza was born on 23 March 1955 in Alexandra, in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. After completing his secondary education at St Paul’s Minor Seminary in Hammanskraal, he entered the St Peter Major Seminary, also in Hammanskraal, where he completed his studies in Philosophy, before transferring to the National Major Seminary of St John Vianney to complete his theological studies. He was ordained a priest on 15 December 1984 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in the archdiocese of Pretoria. After ordination he served in the following ministries:

  • 1985 – 1987: Assistant parish priest at the parish of St Oliver, in Tweefontein, then at Kwa-Ndebele Homeland, and in that of St Charles Lwanga, in Soshanguve;
  • 1987 – 1988: Sent to continue his theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology, University of Berkeley, California (USA), earning a Master’s degree in Theology;
  • 1989 – 1990: Lecturer at St Paul Preparatory Seminary, in Hammanskraal;
  • 1991 – 1994: Rector of the same Preparatory Seminary, which was then transferred to Cape Town and changed its name to St Francis Xavier;
  • 1995 – 1996: Returned as parish priest of St Charles Lwanga, in Soshanguve;
  • 1996 – 1999: Parish priest of Maria Regina at Lyttelton;
  • 1999 – 2001: Vicar general of the Archdiocese of Pretoria;
  • 1999 – 2010: Parish priest of St Thomas More in Monavoni;
  • 2009: Apostolic Administrator of Pretoria.
  • 2010 – 2018: Appointed Bishop of Kimberley on 23 December 2010 and ordained bishop on 19 March 2011.
  • 2018: 09 December 2018 – Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Durban  and installed on 10 February 2019

ARCHBISHOP DABULA MPAKO

Archbishop Dabula Anthony Mpako was born on 6 September 1959 in the Eastern Cape (Diocese of Umtata). He joined the Secular Institute of the Servants of Christ the Priest founded by Fr André Blais OMI in June 1978 in the Diocese of UMzimkhulu, then began his priestly training in 1980 at St Augustine’s Major Seminary in Lesotho. He was ordained a priest on 28 June 1986 and incardinated in the Archdiocese of Pretoria. After ordination he held the following positions:

  • 1986 – 1987: Assistant parish priest to the Congregation of the Stigmatines;
  • 1987 – 1990: Lecturer and then rector at the St Paul’s Preparatory Seminary in Hammanskraal;
  • 1991 – 1994: sent to the US for further studies in Pastoral Theology at the University of Loyola.
  • 1994 – 1998: Rector of St Peter’s Major Seminary of Philosophy in Garsfontein;
  • 1999 – 2004: Pastor of the parish of Christ the King and St Mark in Mabopane, and Vicar Forane of the North-Western Deanery;
  • 2005 – 2010: Pastor of St Columba in Capital Park;
  • 2010 – 2011: Parish Priest of St Thomas More in Monavoni.
  • 2011 – 2019: Appointed Bishop of Queenstown on 23 May 2011 and ordained bishop on 06 August 2011.
  • 2019: Appointed as Archbishop of Pretoria on 30th April 2019 and installed on the 21st June 2019.