A short history leading up to the ‘Birth’ of The Church of the Immaculate Conception Pinetown
| March 1852 | First Vicar-Apostolic, Bishop J.F.M. Allard OMI arrived in Natal |
| 1853 | First parish priest in Durban, Fr Jean-Baptiste Sabon OMI |
| 1879 | Catholic soldiers arrive in the military camp in Pinetown |
| 1881 | Soldiers fall under Fr Baudry at St Josephs Church in West Street Durban |
| December 1882 | The Trappists, led by Fr Franz Pfanner settled in Mariannhill |
| June 1883 | Arrangements made for Trappists to celebrate Mass at the military camp |
| March 1887 | Father Franz Pfanner bought 5 acres of land from the Reverend John Crompton for the sum of £79.8.10 In order to provide a chapel in the shortest possible time, Father Pfanner bought a small 3-roomed corrugate iron house, transporting it just as it stood, placing the front part on a low stone wagon while a few wheels were attached to the back. It was then drawn through the streets by oxen. The new Mission became known as Loretto”. For many years the only permanent Catholic residents were members of the Frara, Fregona and Lassak families |
| 1902 | Mission land expropriated and the small wood and iron church was moved to a site in the vicinity of the Crompton street bridge |
| 1905 | Fr Henri Delalle, new Vicar-Apostolic visited Pinetown and met with a few families to discuss plans for a parish |
| 1909 | Fr Charles Serriere OMI appointed to look after Catholics of all races in Clairmont (now Montclair), Malvern and Pinetown and fund raising began |
| 1911 | Fr August Chauvin purchased a piece of land from Anthony R. Pillay, a school teacher, for £100. Sale was registered on 28.11.1913. This was to become Chapel Street |
| 1919 | Fr Pierre Vernhet OMI was appointed first resident parish priest in Pinetown, but still no permanent Church |
| 1922 | The old wood and iron church and the land on which it stood was sold and a new church was built in Chapel Street. The church was blessed by Bishop Henry Dlalle OMI on 7 May 1922 |
| 1935 | Fr Vernhet became ill and never resumed work in Pinetown |
| 1936 -1937 | Fr Wiest or Fr Senechal from Bellair and Shallcross served Pinetown |
| 1937 | Church bell acquired by Fr Theodore Wiest (now used at Immaculate Conception) |
| 1938 – 1942 | No parish priest during the war years |
| 1942-1948 | Fr Leo Byrne, parish priest, purchased the large site on the corner of Maurice Nichols and Underwood Roads for £4250 in 1958 |
| 1960 | Fr McDade took over Pinetown parish, followed by: 1967, Fr John McGrath; 1974, Fr Eldred Leslie; 1978, Fr Zdenek Cizkovsky |
| 1978 – 1985 | Plans for the building of Immaculate Conception and moving from Chapel Street made by Fr Zdenek Cizkovsky |
| 1985 | New church, Immaculate Conception was consecrated on 6 October, 1985 |
| 1991 | Fr Pierre Lavoipierre succeeded Fr Zdenek who returned to Poland |
| 2004 | Fr Justin Stirton succeeded Fr Pierre Lavoipierre who retired |
| 2015 | Fr Michael Nadaraju succeeded Fr Justin who moved to Durban North parish |
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