Missionary history

Originally Cimbebasia was included in the immense vicariate apostolic made up of Senegambia, French Guinea

French Guinea

French Guinea was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the independent nation of Guinea....

 and Portuguese Guinea

Portuguese Guinea

Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...

, which had been erected in 1842 and of which Bishop Barron was appointed first vicar Apostolic.

The Congregation of Propaganda separated Cimbebasia on 3 July 1879 from this vicariate and made of it a prefecture Apostolic. The Holy Ghost Fathers

Holy Ghost Fathers

The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...

 were placed in charge of the new field, and Father Duparquet of the same congregation was appointed first prefect Apostolic.

The new mission was, however, still very large, being made up of three distinct regions: the northern part, which included the territory of the Amboella and Gangela and was under the influence of Portugal; the southern part, composed of Ovamboland

Ovamboland

Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...

 and Damaraland

Damaraland

Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, and Windhoek in the south....

, coming under the control of Germany; and Bechuanaland.

After having tried to found stations in all these different territories, the missionaries decided to concentrate their efforts on the northern part of the prefecture. The superior general of the congregation therefore requested the Holy See to confide to other institutes the remaining sections of the vicariate.

Consequently, Propaganda Fide placed the northern part of the vicariate, under the name of the Prefecture of Upper Cimbebasia, in charge of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost on 1 August 1892, while the German territory was called the Prefecture of Lower Cimbebasia, and given to the Oblate Fathers of Mary. Bechuanaland was then united to the vicariate of the Orange Free State.

Prefecture Apostolic of Upper Cimbebasia

The Prefecture of Upper Cimbebasia was bounded on the north by the Kassai River, on the east by the 22nd degree of longitude east

22nd meridian east

The meridian 22° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....

, on the west by the upper course of the Kunene

Kunene

Kunene may refer to:*Kunene Region, in Namibia*Kunene River, in Angola and Namibia*Kenny Kunene, a South African Businessman*Mazisi Kunene, a South African poet and historian...

, and on the south by the degree of latitude determined by the lower course of the Kunene. This degree of latitude also formed the boundary line between the Portuguese and German possessions in Southern Africa.

Under the direction of the prefect Apostolic, 20 priests and 8 Brothers of the Holy Ghost Fathers

Holy Ghost Fathers

The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...

 laboured for the evangelization of this territory, aided by 40 catechists and 5 Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph of Cluny.

There were 7 stations: Kakonda, Bailundo, Bihe, Katoko, Kassengue, Massaka, and Kuniama; 28 flourishing schools containing 1600 boys and 1100 girls, of whom 374 boys and 123 girls having their home at the schools. The Catholic population numbered about 10,200, of whom 9000 natives. During 1903 and 1904 there were 806 children and 491 adults baptized.

Prefecture Apostolic of Lower Cimbebasia

It was bounded on the north by the degree of latitude determined by the lower course of the Kunene River; on the east by the 22nd degree of longitude east

22nd meridian east

The meridian 22° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....

; on the south by the 23nd degree of south latitude

23rd parallel south

The 23rd parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 23 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane, about 50km north of the Tropic of Capricorn...

, in such manner that the town of Rehoboth

Rehoboth

-Places:In the Christian Bible*Rehoboth , the name of three Biblical placesin Australia*Rehoboth Christian College, Perth, Western AustraliaIn Israel*Rehoboth, the conventional English name for Rehovot, IsraelIn Namibia*Rehoboth, Namibia...

 was included in the Vicariate Apostolic of the former Orange Free State

Orange Free State

The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...

, next the Orange River Colony

Orange River Colony

The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after this nation first occupied and then annexed the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War...

; on the west by the Atlantic. The region was under the colonial control of Germany.

The prefecture was erected by a decree of Propaganda Fide of 1 August 1892, which divided the earlier prefecture of Cimbebasia.

The Oblate Fathers of the Immaculate Mary had charge of the mission under the prefect Apostolic, who resided at Windhoek

Windhoek

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...

, the principal station.

Other mission stations were: Little Windhoek, Nobra, Swakopmund, Usakos, Aminuis, Tpukiro, Omaruru and Okumbabe.

In the early 20th century the Catholics numbered about 1000, some 800 being Europeans. The labourers in the evangelization of this field were: 20 priests, 17 brothers, and 11 Missionary Sisters of St. Francis. There were 11 schools with 500 pupils, and 2 orphanages with 108 orphans.

On 1921.01.10 it was renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Cimbebasia.

On 1926.05.11 this was promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Windhoek, on 1994.03.14 finally promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Windhoek.