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Abbot Francis Pfanner

Abbot  Francis  Pfanner and the Mariannhill Mission

The founder

Abbot Francis was born on the 21st September 1825 at Langen in Austria. His father was a farmer so he was able to attend local schools. His father wanted him to be a priest but he went to the University of Innsbruck to study philosophy. While he was studying there he had a call from God and he changed his field of study to Theology in Brixen. He moved to Yugoslavia as a spiritual advisor of the nuns. In September 1863 he left for Germany where he was accepted formally as the member of the Trappist. That was where the name Father Francis originated. He went to many places to do mission work until he finally received a call from Bishop Ricards where he had to go to South Africa to perform the mission work.

" This paragraph has been prepared by Thamsanqa Sibiya, motivated and typed by Ntombizanele Mzotho(961064572) and Hycintha Magubane(961080662)".

Mariannhill Mission

The fundamental cause of the origin of Mariannhill was based on Religion and Politics. There is an argument which says the Roman Missionaries came to South Africa because of the fact that the South African governor  Sir George Grey requested them to come to South Africa so as to convert the Natives to Christianity. The thing is that he was threatened by the Africans, so by introducing Christianity he hoped that they could see  Western Civilization as something which would bring improvement to their lives. In nineteenth century Africans were  viewed as too primitive and barbaric.

In July 1880 the Trappists arrived in South Africa. Their leader was Francis Pfanner. They first arrived in the first in the Cape Colony at Port Elizabeth, the they went to Dunbrody for months.  In this place the climate was not suitable for them so they decided to move and they arrived in Natal on the 27 November 1882. They wanted and good land to settle. The government had a policy of granting land to missions in Natal. The Trappists were different from other missionaries who were accepting land from the government, they wanted to purchase their own land. The government gave them the land at St. Michael in Pietermaritzburg to occupy. They were not satisfied about that land they said it was too far from the harbor. " In December 18 father Franz did not like St. Michael but wanted to buy a farmer called Zeekoegat near Pinetown."   Zeekoegat was a farm near uMhlathuzana river which had many people living near it.

When Francis Pfanner decided to stay at Zeekoegat farm he called his colleagues and he named the place Mariannhill derived from "Virgin Mary and St. Ann to whom Pfanner said to have a great devotion". This was not the end but the beginning of the great work.