Parish History
August 1961 Foundation & Blessing St John Fisher Catholic Church Lynnwood was opened and blessed by Archbishop John C Gardner. Msgr. Francis Ward was appointed as the first parish priest. At this time, Mass was celebrated with the priest's back to the congregation and communion rails were in place. 1966 — 1969 Sacred Art & Societies Donations & Windows Wooden carving of Our Lady (donated by non-Catholic friends of Msgr. Ward). Stained glass window near the pulpit installed. Painted glass windows on the south wall depicting the Seven Sacraments. Six copper candlesticks donated by the Beddingfield family (Nelspruit). Parish Groups Dorena Shaw started the Catholic Women’s League (CWL). Dave Shaw started the St Vincent De Paul Society (SVP). December 1969 The Mullan Era: Building the Hall Father Raymund Mullan was appointed. During his tenure, the Parish Hall was constructed through fundraising and donations. Altar & Tabernacle: The wooden altar was replaced with green marble. The mosaic on the tabernacle by Leo Theron was installed. Artistic Contributions: Stained glass by the Rouse family and Gwenda Michael. Stations of the Cross designed by Maria-Louise Mullan. 1981 — 1993 Fr. Ken Spargo Following a one-year retirement service by Fr. Cyril Schulpen (1980), Father Ken Spargo took office in 1981, serving until his death on April 30, 1993. 1993 — 2013 Expansion & Jubilee Msgr. Marc de Meuleneure was appointed in December 1993. This era was marked by significant property acquisition and modernization. Purchased the school house and council ground. Built the Garden of Remembrance. Converted the double garage into a flat. Moved the baptismal font to the altar. Purchased the pipe organ from the University of Pretoria. Fr. Brian Du Cann (married priest) joined to assist. Supported the building of the Zwaavelpoort parish. August 2011: Celebrated the Parish Golden Jubilee. May 2014 — Present Renewal & The "New Era" After a brief period with Fr. Craig Laubscher, Father Bogdan Wilkaniec (SChr) was appointed. He introduced weekday morning Masses, the daily Rosary, and the Haggadah Meal. Major Improvements & Renovations • New Tabernacle from Poland installed. • Paintings by Zenon Rozycki donated. • Security system installed by ITEC (Chris Botha). • Confessional restored by James McBride. • Pre-School buildings renovated (2016). • Grotto for Our Lady built (Easter 2017). • Car park and "Palm Park" completed (2018). • New office equipment and database established. 🏅 Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice In 2018, Father Bogdan received the Papal Award, celebrated in January 2019 with the Apostolic Nuncio and Archbishop William Slattery. March 2020 Pandemic Closure The parish was closed at the end of March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, marking a temporary pause in our physical gatherings but not in our faith. St. John Fisher Catholic Church • Lynnwood • Pretoria
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