New church provides more comfort, better accessibility.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (June 9, 2026) Salesian missionaries in Rundu, Namibia, completed the windows and glass for the new St. John Bosco Church thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The project will benefit more than 7,000 Catholics in the community. Currently, close to 1,000 are church members of this parish.
The St. John Bosco community is one of 15 Salesian communities in Rundu. Within three years of its development, Salesians were able to build two community houses, a school, parish offices and a parish hall, which had been used as the church prior to the new one being built. The new space provides more comfort and better accessibility to all who worship there.
The construction project has been rolled out in phases as funding becomes available. In 2018, the Catholic bishop took over the Cathedral Parish and asked Salesians to develop a parish on the outskirts of Rundu. In 2019, on the feast of St. John Bosco, a new parish was opened by the bishop and entrusted to the Salesians of Don Bosco to run it in perpetuity. The parish was dedicated to St. John Bosco. Since then, Salesians have been working to develop the parish and make it a home for the youth and the parish community.
Pauline Kanyetu, a parishioner, said, “Before the project, we didn’t have a church or even any hope that we may have one. We had no place to use for prayers and for Mass. During the rainy season, we were always soaked. With the construction and installation of windows and glass, we can now pray and praise God in a conducive environment. The windows have also brought beauty to the church and created the atmosphere for prayer.”
Salesian programs across Namibia are primarily focused on education. Salesian primary and secondary education in the country helps youth prepare for later technical, vocational or university study. Other programs help to support poor youth and their families by meeting the basic needs of shelter, proper nutrition and medical care.
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About Salesian Missions
Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.
