31 Jan 2019

It is without doubt that Mookane community feels robbed of a son whose family whole heartedly allowed to follow his calling to spread the Gospel.

The Catholic Church organised a mass at the Setlalekgosi’s at Mookane on January 30 in honour of the departed Bishop Boniface Setlalekgosi.

Father Kenneth Mokgothu of St Patrick’s Catholic Mission in Mahalapye said the Roman Catholic Church and the community of Mookane came together to console the Setlalekgosi family after losing their beloved son, parent and spiritual leader.

“Bishop Setlalekgosi chose the path of serving Christ whole heartedly. I believe it was not an easy decision to make and was even harder for the family to accept their son’s decision. When a son is born into a family, his parents hope that he grows into a responsible man, find a partner, get married, have children and grow the name of the family,” he said.

“I believe the parents of Bishop Setlalekgosi were hoping for him to follow the conventional path, bear offsprings and grow the Setlalekgosi legacy, but that was not to be and instead chose to serve God,” stated Father Mokgothu.

He said Bishop Setlalekgosi served the church diligently with love and passion.

In mourning his departure, Father Mokgothu encouraged the Setlalekgosi family and the Roman Catholic to seek refuge in Christ.

He said the life of Bishop Setlalekgosi was worth a celebration for he had left behind a legacy.

As a devoted servant of God, Father Mokgothu said Bishop Setlalekgosi was dedicated to his calling that he continued serving even in retirement.

To the Setlalekgosi family, he was a parent, guardian, a pillar of strength and a custodian of the family legacy, he said.

The Catholic Church, he said, was indebted to the Setlalekgosi family and the community of Mookane for nurturing a seed to ultimately grow into a leader of Bishop Setlalekgosi’s caliber.

“It was through your support and guidance that the young man from a rural settlement of Mookane grew into a substantial figure that sacrificed his desired personal life to serve the nation,” he said.

Father Mokgothu recollects a time when Bishop Setlalekgosi was based in Francistown and would immerse himself in community projects.

One of the notable community projects that he was involved in was the establishment of Setlalekgosi Junior Secondary School, which he saw as the church’s contribution in developing education.

Father Mokgothu said back then, Bishop Setlalekgosi was working closely with his predecessor Bishop Urban Murphy.

Following Bishop Murphy’s passing in 1981, Father Mokgothu remembers that the Catholic Church was not at pain in finding his replacement and Bishop Setlalekgosi succeeded him in 1982 and led the church until his retirement in 2009.

Bishop Setlalekgosi, he said, served well and had done enough in teaching Christianity. As the Catholic Church family, we will remember his service to the nation and will cherish his memories for many years to come,” he said.

“May be in terms of contributing tangible resources, one might think he has not done enough. Bishop Setlalekgosi was here to serve the nation spiritually and his work was focused on serving the spiritual being,” said Father Mokgothu.

A representative of the Setlalekgosi family, Ms Lenah Gabatshwane (younger sister to the late Bishop) said “I beleive God will give us another leader of Bishop Setlalekgosi’s caliber.”

Ms Gabatshwane cherished the good memories of her brother.

Speaking on behalf of the village leadership, Kgosi Gaselemogwe Molefi said the community of Mookane was affected by the death of their son and spiritual father.

“He was born to serve Christ,” said Kgosi Molefi.

Despite his devotion to the church, Kgosi Molefi said Bishop Setlalekgosi was fully involved in community activities of Mookane, attended social activities in the village and even paid special visits to the kgotla.
His life, he said, was wholly rooted in serving the nation through Christ.

“We are proud to have given birth to a child solely assigned to serve Christ.”

Kgosi Keodibetse Keitumetse said the community of Mookane saw Christ through the guidance of Bishop Setlalekgosi.

A an elderly Catholic, Mr Tidimogo Bakwena said Bishop Setlalekgosi’s parents used to stay at Mmaphashalala and the Bishop was raised like any other child, doing household chores.

He recalled that during school holidays, Bishop Setlalekgosi and his siblings would walk from Dibete to Mmaphashalala.

“Transport was scarce, they would travel by train or other mode of transport from Kgale to Dibete, and endure the long journey to Mmaphashalala by foot,” he said.

He said the Setlalekgosi family was lured by his father to relocate to Mookane where they went into farming. ENDS