KIMBERLEY, Diocese of. - The territory that today constitutes the Diocese of K. was detached on 4 June 1886 from the Apostolic Vicariate of Natal because it was too distant from the see of Maritzburg. Thus was created the Apostolic Vicariate of the Orange Free State, and the apostolate among the population, especially in Griqualand following the discovery of diamond mines in 1869, became more effective. There were also many Irish Catholics. On 12 January 1890 the western part of Griqualand, hitherto belonging to the Apostolic Prefecture of Cimbebasia, was also assigned to II. Other boundary modifications occurred on 28 January 1891 and in subsequent years. On 28 November 1918 the vicariate assumed its present name. On 26 November 1923 the Apostolic Prefecture, later the Diocese of Kroonstad, was detached from it, and on 30 March 1930 territories were annexed from the Apostolic Vicariate of Transvaal.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate have always worked there. The mission at Mafeking, entrusted to the Fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, failed in 1886. When the vicariate was erected, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate had already begun their missionary work in various centres. In 1899 the war against the Boers caused serious damage to the mission.
The area covers 400,574 sq. km. and includes the central part of the Orange Free State with Bloemfontein, Griqualand with Kimberley, Bechuanaland and the districts of Rustenburg and Marico. The western and northern zones consist of the Kalahari Desert. The rest is poor in water and more suited to pastoralism. The indigenous people belong to the Bantu race and are divided into various tribes. Besides English and Afrikaans, the indigenous languages spoken are Sechuana, Sesotho, Xhosa and Zulu.
The European population is 142,948 and the non-European population is 548,701. There are 30,087 Catholics, of whom 25,851 are indigenous, 3,108 foreign, 1,398 mixed-race, and 344,424 catechumens. There are 37 missionaries, all Oblates; 41 lay brothers, 150 sisters, 40 Catholic schools, 8 churches, 56 chapels. There are 2 hospitals with 125 beds, 8 pharmacies, 1 orphanage with 137 boys, 1 home for the elderly with 44 residents. There are 52 elementary schools with 665 pupils; 1 secondary school with 123 pupils, 5 high schools with 1,438 pupils, 3 vocational schools with 20 pupils.
On 11 January 1951, with the establishment of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in the Union of South Africa, the Apostolic Vicariate of K. was elevated to a diocese, and the southern districts of Bloemfontein, Tweespruit and Dewetsdorp were detached from its territory to form the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein. This city is the capital of the Orange Free State and is the seat of an Anglican archbishop. Within its territory there are 6 churches, 12 primary stations, 26 secondary stations, and 2 high schools. There are numerous other schools. There are 12 priests, and their number is soon to increase, assisted by brothers and sisters from various institutes.