Recent History Timeline

• 1931 - Northern part of Bechuanaland made part of Bulawayo Vicariate
• 1944 - Tati Company gave 2 plots of land for new Church
• 1946 -  Attempts to start new church are not successful and efforts abandoned for now
• 1952 - Fr. Urban Murphy appointed parish priest for all of Bechuanaland from Francistown
• 1953 - Boniface Setlalekgosi appointed as Catechist
• 1954 - First church started and blessed by Bishop Schmitt from Bulawayo
• 1957 - First Primary school opens in Francistown
• 1957 - Fr. Urban Murphy made a Monsignor with Francistown as ecclesiastical capital
• 1963 - Fr. Boniface Setlalekgosi ordained and only second Motswana to do so
• 1964 - First secondary school in Tati District, Mater Spei opens with 35 students
• 1966 - Botswana gains independence with new capital to be in Gaborone
• 1966 - Msgr. Urban Murphy made a Bishop of the new Diocese of Gaborone
• 1981 - Bishop Urban Murphy passed away
• 1981 - Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) create District of Botswana as a society territory
• 1981 - First SVD priests arrive – Frs. Victor
  Noronha, Anthony Rebello, Frank Nubuasah and
  Peter Madden
• 1982 - Frs. Victor and Peter assigned as Parish Priest and co- pastor at Our Lady of the Desert Church
• 1982 - Frs. Frank and Anthony assigned to Maun mission
• 1982 - Now Msgr. Boniface Setlalekgosi made Bishop of Gaborone
• 1998 – Vicariate of Francistown established by Papal Bull
• 1998 – Fr. Frank Nubuasah made a Bishop of the
  new Vicariate of Francistown