Mariannhill 1882-1982 – Umlando Omfishane
Lendawo kanye nomsebenzi weze-Vangeli osisabalele emagumbini omhlaba iyohlala ithintene negama li-kaAbbot Franz Pfanner owabe eyindela eliTalabhisi. Wazalwa ngo-September 20, 1825, ngumlimi waseLangen, eduze kwaseBregenz ewlaseAustria. Walizwa ibizelo lokuhamba ayosakaza iVangeli khona esafunda eSiminary aseBrixen. Abakhulu bakhe kabamkhutha-zanga kulokho ngenxa yempilo eyabe ibuthka. Ngo-1863 Ufata Pfanner wazinqumela ukungena esigodlweni sama Talabhizi eMariawald, eJalimani. Nempilo yakhe yaba ngconywana.
UFata Pfanner namaTalabhisi angu 30 balandela isicelo sikaBishop Ricards wase-Mpumalanga Koloni, bafika bahlala eDunbrody ngaseBhayi. Isimo esibi sabayekisa lendawo.
Ukuze afeze izinjongo zakhe zokusakaza iVangeli ngezindela zakhe zesigodlo iPrior Pfanner wathola inkululeko enkulu kuMhlekazi C. Jolivet wesifunda saseNatal.
Umfundisi Pfanner wahamba epulazini i-Zeekoeigat ngasePhayindane, walithenga ngoDecember 20, 1882. Lendawo ingenele phakathi ezweni uma usuka eThekwini. NgoDecember 26 no 27 ama Talabhisi ayemaningi abeseyithatha lendawo “yesithembiso”. AmaTalabhisi ayethandaza imithandazo eyizibipho zawo khona ematendeni nasemithwalweni. Eseculile amaculo ayingcwele, abe esefingqa imikhono asebenza egenca izihlahla, ecaba amahlathi, ethule engakhulumi. Ayelungisa indawo yokulima nokwakha. Masinya indawo yathola igama layo elithi: Mary-Anne-Hill. UNina kaJesu, uMaria, noninakhulu u-Anna, baba ngabammeli bazo izindela.
AmaBhulata ayengabantu abazi izinhlobo ngezinhlobo zemisebenzi. Ngokuphazima kweso amaBhulata ayesenamashabhu nezindlu zokuhlala okwesikhashana. Emva kwesikhashana saqala ukwakhiwa isigodlo uqobo lwaso.
Waba mkhulu umbhidlango nomdlandla wama Talabhisi okungangokuthi iMarainnhill yaba ya-abbey ngo-1885, uFata Pfanner waba ngu-abbot wokuqala wale-abbey. UAbbot Franza wayethi uma ehamble phesheya abuye nemali, namaBhulata, kanye nabasizi bezimishini, nezintombi ezaba yingqalabutho zeNhlangano yamaSistele aseMariannhill abizwa ngokuthi ngawaGazi Eliligugu kakhulu (1885).
Lesi sithombe sika_abbot Franz wsathathwa ngo-1892 sikhombisa kahle ukuthi u-Abbot wayengumuntu owabe enamandla. U-Abbot Franz washonela e-Emmaus ngoMay 24, 1909. Wangcwatshwa emathuneni ase-Mariannhill. Ngawo lowonyaka isigodlo kanye nezimishini zaseMariannhill zahlikaniswa nomhlangano wama Talabhisi ngolawulo lukaPhapha. Imariannhill yaba nenhlangano yabeFundisi abanezifungo ezijwayelekile nje, abakwazi ukuxhumana kulala namakholwa, basakaze Ivangeli nakulabo abangakakholwa.
Isigodlo kanye nesonto lakhona akusekho ngaphansi kwamaTalabhisi, kodwa kuseyindawo yokuthandaza nokusebenza. Umbhoshongo wesigodlo kanye nezindlu zokuhlalal izindela kukhanga kakhulu ezweni lase-Ningizimu Afrika. Isonto loMbhishobhi iSt. Jospeh’s eMariannhill lingelamakholwa akhona, kanti liyasetsheniswa futhi ngumphakathi ohlalal khona eMishini.
Selokhu kwathi nhlo iSt. Francis College yabe idume ngemfundiso yayo enzulu, nangijuqeqesha kwayo abafana namantombazana ampisholo. Ngo-1976 eMariannhill kwavulwa iKhanyisa Pastoral Institute lapho kuhlanganela khona izithunywa zeVangeli namakholwa phaqa bevela kuwo wonke amagumbi aseNingizimu Afrika bezoqeqeshelwa umbhidlango wamakhono kwezokwalusa nezoku-fundisa inkolo.
Isibhedlela iSt.Mary’s Hospital iminyaka ngeminyaka selapha iziguli ezimpisholo nezimhlophe. Ngaphandle kokuba khona kwabapriste bomdabu umsebenzi weVangeli ungakhinyabezeka. U-Abbot Franz nabalandeli bakhe bathumela eRome izinsizwa ukuba siyofundela ubupriste, kwaku-ngapholi maseko efikile kulelizwe lakithi, wayengekho umbishobhi owayesake wakucabanga lokho kulelizwe. Nampo-ke labo bapriste. Ngo-1900 u-Abbot Franz wugubha umkhosi wakhe wejubhili legolide engumpriste. Wahalaliselwa eMariannhill ngesasasa elikhulu njengo-abbot futhi wakhona wokuqala, nomqambi weMariannhill.
Source: Mariannhill Centenary booklet, published by the Mariannhill Mission Institute, 1982