St Martin is a catholic church situated in the township of Esikhaleni in the KwaZulu-Natal east coast, the parish has a rich history in the south african catholic faith but more so in the history of esikhaleni itself for it is the first catholic parish built for the black people who were ostrisised from the white parishes during the days of apartheid
Below you can read through our complete history.
Umuntu okunguyena owaletha iBandla eliKhatholika lapha nguBaba uSamson Shisomunye Ntuli yena ongowokuzalwa kulendawo. Indlela owalingenisa ngayo yahamba kanje. Njenganoma umuphi umuntu osuke ekhula kufanele ahambe ayofuna umsebenzi eDolobheni eliseduze noma elikude ukuze athole imali phela. Naye-ke uBaba uNtuli waya eThekwini engumuntu ongasonti nhlobo. Akuzwakali futhi ukuthi wabe emazi yini uNkulunkulu.
Akwazeki-ke ukuthi efika eThekwini waqala kuphi ukusebenza kodwa khona wafunda amaklasi okuqala eSt Paul eGreyville engethemba ukuthi kwaba uMbhabhadiso, uKwamukela, uMqiniso noma nokunye-ke. Ngesikhathi esefika lapha kubo eSikhawini nalapho asekhona eThekwini wabe ebhekana nemibuzo kubantu bakuboendaweni bethi: “Ndoda uzomisa kanjani ngaleNkolo yamaRoma ngoba ayikho kini na?” Uthi-ke wayemane abatshele ukuthi kobonakala khona. Eselapha ekhaya eSikhawini, kwafika ukuthi ashadelwe nentokazi ekholwe eLuthela. Nalapho indaba yabanzimangoba phela umfundisi waseLuthela naye wayefisa ukuba ikholwa eliphansi kwakhe lishade ngendlela yakhona. Nokho uNtuli wanqoba ngoba wagcina eshade ngendlela yehlelo lakhe. Washada-ke noMaDube beshadela eHoly Cross eMoyeni. Bashadiswa nguFr Jacob, phela yiyona Mishani yamaKhatholika eyabe iseduzane endaweni. Emva komshado wabo abamanga lapho, baqhubeka bathandaza ekhaya labo. Yilapho-ke uFr Jacob waqala ukubahambela ekhaya ezobenzela amaMisa ngezikhathi ezithile.
Kwahamba kwahamba kwaqhamuka elinye iKhatholika elalinguMkhaladi igama lalo kungu Ernest Dunn eyiMenenja esitolo ngaphesheya koMzingwenya lapho sekukwaMaholoholo namhlanje. Nalapho uFr Jacob esehambile kwabe sekufika omunye okwabe kungu Fr Matthew naye owafika wayiqhuba indaba eza lapha ehamba ngehhashi esuka khona le eHoly Cross Mission, nokho-ke engezi manje kwaNtuli kodwa efikela khona esitolo kwaMdumeleni phela yena u Ernest Dunn. UNtuli athathe wonke umndeni wakhe awele nawo uye eMiseni esitolo leso. Uma kukhona iMisa besivalwa isitolo lize liphele anduba sivulwe futhi.
Zaphela-ke izinsuku zikaFr Matthew, kwabe sekufika omunye onsundu-ke manje uFr Andreas Ngidi waqhuba kanjalo naye. Emveni kwesikhathi eside uErnest Dunn wasuka esitolo. Lapho uFr Ngidi wanquma ukuthi yena ubona iMisa njalo uma efikile libesemzini kaNtuli. Nempela kwabanjalo. Nokho uNtuli waqala-ke ukuba abe nezuthelo manje. Kwafika umama wendawo kade egane kwenye indawo kodwa wabuyela kubo endaweni eseliKhatholika bahlangana noNtuli nomndeni wakhe bathandaza njalo ngamaSonto. Lowo mama igama lakhe kwabe kungu Nozibango Amanda uMaDube. NgamaSonto athile afike uFr Ngidi kanjalo.
Uhambile-ke ngokunjalo noFr Ngidi. Owalandela lapho kwaba uFr Valentina owabe engubhebhenene wentshebe, indoda eyabe incane ngesidumbu iyinde. Naye ewuhambela umuzi kaNtuli ngamaMisa ezikhathini ezithile zonyaka. UNtuli ubengenqeni ukumema noma ngubani ongumakhelwane amazise ngeNkonzo ezobakhona ekhaya. Umama uAmanda wafika nendodana egama layo kwabe kungu John. UJohn lo wabe ethanda ukuza noina uma ekhona ezothandaza khona kwaNtuli. Ngalokho sanda njalo isibalo phela nawo umndeni kaNtuli uyakhula, izingane zakhe uMbhabhadiso zaziwuthola khona ekhaya emva kokuba uFr okhona esazisiwe ngokuzalwa komntwana.
Kwenzekile ukuthi abanye ababeyizihlobo zakhe uNtuli emva kokushona komlamuwakhe bathanda ukungena eBandleni. UNtuli wabaduduza ngaleliBandla kodwa bona ekusukeni babekhonza eLuthela wonke umndeni wabo. Lapho uFr Valentina naye washintshwa kwafika abanye manje ababebathathu beshintshana ngokuhambela kwaNtuli. Bona-ke kwakungoFr Florian, Fr Raphael noFr Eustus. Waphenduka-ke lomuzi kamlamu kaNtuli uJames Jabhaliya Dube waba ngowamaKhatholika kwasala omdala kuphela. UVirginia, uDennis, uPaul uMonica, uRuth (Fr Monica) noChristian, babangamaKhatholika endaweni. UNtuli akamanga lapho waqhubeka esefundisa ngisho nabanye asebethanda leliBandla. Nezifiki ezinye zazo ezabe zivele zingamaKhatholika zafikela kwaNtuli zihlangane njalo ngamaSonto engekho belu umfundisi. Uma kungamaSonto amakhulu kukhukhulwe kuyiwe khona eHoly Cross Mission, kunzima nezinto zokuhamba zingelula ukutholakala kodwa kuhanjwa. Bangena-ke nabanye eBandleni bona bendawo engignabala o anti Sarah Dube, anti Phindile Sibiya, obaba Daniel Mbonambi, ozala uFr Bekezela R. Mbonambi, omama MaZulu Nkwanyana baningi nami engignasabakhumbuli kumanje.
Yezwakala imithandazo kababa uNtuli ngoba kwathi lapho izinto zishintshwa isiKhawini sayeka ukuhambela eHoly Cross sabesesihambela iSt Patrick Empangeni. Akubanga isikhathi esingakanani ngenxa yobandlululo iSt Patrick kwamele ukuba isuke endaweni yabamhlophe iye ezindaweni zabamnyama. Yavela indaba, izobakuphi lendawo na? UFr owabe esebenza eSt Patrick kodwa ekanise eFatima wabonisana nomnini pulazi uPiccione eduze naso lesositolo engike ngasisho kuqala esekunguMaholoholo, lapho uFr lowo amisa khona isikole samapulangwe esibizwa eMusi. UFr lowo kwabe kungu Aegid phecelezi uNgqi. Sabesibuye sisebenze njengeSonto lesisikole. Sonke-ke besiwela siyosonta kuso njalo ngamaSonto ukhona umfundisi noma akekho. Lapho besesiyiBandla eliKhatholika elikhulu manje sekuhlangana abasuka eSikhawini, eGobandlovu, eMpembeni, maBuyeni naseMkhobosa. Nalapho abafundisi bayashintshwa belu sesinabanye manjeabasuka eBuhleni naseHoly Cross oFr Lucas no Fr Goshake kanjalo ngamanye amaSonto amakholwa awodwa ngelinye ilanga abekhona umfundisi.
Ekuhambeni kwesikhathi izinto zashintsha, nanto-ke ilokishi liqala kwakhiwa nezikole eduze manje. Ngaleyondlela kwabonakala ukuthi iMusi ikude kungcono kucelwe esinye sezikole zokuqala futhi omphathi waso kade sikhonza naye khona eMusi, indawo yatholakala kalula. Namakholwa lokhu andile njalo ngenxa yalo ilokishi. Laphaya kunesikole uMzingwenya okuyilapho kwathi uma kusukwa eMusi kwasontelwa kuso. Ngalesosikhathi kwasekungu Fr Simon M. Ngcobo naye esuka eBuhleni lapho abezinze khona ngomsebenzi wakhe. Ngalesosikhathi uBaba uNtuli nomsebenzi wokuhola iBandla wabe ungasemningi sekukhona nomshumayeli uBaba naye kodwa ezinze eBuhleni.
Ngokubonakala ukuthi iBandla eliKhatholika liyanda umholi walo uMhlekazi Biyase wancoma ukuthi kwakhiwe isonto kulelilokishi. Yilapho okwaqaleka khona leParish ekhona manje iSt Martin de Porres. LeParish noma uFr Ngcobo wake wasontisa ehholo yalelisonto, akubanga sikhathi esingakanani ekhona naye washintshwa kwalandela uFr Aquilin M. Mpanza okunguyena elaze lavulwa ngokomthetho ekhona ngo 1980. Babakhona-ke abanye abafika babuye bahambe. Nokho ubaba uMpanza wake wahlala nalo esalibambile elihola iBandla eliKhatholika lapha eSikhawini, uFr. T. D. Magwaza walandela walifukula lelibandla, walisa phambili. Kuthe uma ehamba naye kwangena uFr. M.P. Nkosi ngo 2009.
Rev. Fr. Aquilin Mpanza 1980 - 1992
Rev. Fr. Thulani Magwaza 1992 – 2009
Rev. Fr. Msawenkosi Nkosi 2009 - 2015
Rev. Fr. Bonginkosi D. Xulu & Rev. Fr. Nhlanhla Mazibuko 2015- 2017
Rev. Fr. Bonginkosi D. Xulu & Rev. Fr. Xolani F. Zondi 2017- Ongoing