In this year, Maronite Patriarch Elias Howayek, sent Fr. Emmanuel Fadle to South Africa from Kfar Haoura-Elzawye, North Lebanon. It was a historical year for the entire Maronite community in South Africa – Fr. Fadle was the first Maronite priest to walk on South African soil. After time as a student in Rome and Paris, he began serving the South African community on both spiritual and social levels.

He converted a building in Johannesburg into a church and residence. On Sunday, 26th May 1907, Catholic Bishop William Miller, Vicar Apostolic of Transvaal, consecrated this building in a Solemn Mass attended by the entire community. Afterwards Fr Fadel did a speech in French thanking the Bishop for hosting him at the chancery since his arrival and for taking care of the Maronite community in his vicariate, then he spoke in Arabic to the congregation thanking them for their support and generous donations towards purchasing this place.

After spending around three years in South Africa he left. On his return to Lebanon he died on 27th July 1909, a victim of the ill-fated ship, SS Waratah, which sunk at Transkei off the mouth of the Xora River not far south of Hole in the Wall, in Wild Coast between Durban and East London. After 90 years its wreckage was positively found and identified on 23rd June 1999 by Emlyn Brown (Viva Lewey, Thunder from a clear sky, p.38)