The College of the Transfiguration in
Makhanda, Eastern Cape
Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana Loc ...
, is the only
provincial
Provincial may refer to:
Government & Administration
* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country
* Provincial city (disambiguation)
* Provincial minister (disambiguation)
* Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
residential college of the
Anglican Church of Southern Africa
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...
, offering a
contextual approach to theology studies.
The college opened in 1993, following the amalgamation of the colleges of St Bede's,
Mthatha
Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...
and St Paul's,
Grahamstown
Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London, Eastern Cape, East London. Makhanda is the lar ...
. Although the buildings and location were inherited from St Paul's, the college's growth has been marked by the spirit, motives and perceptions that sustained both former colleges.
Respected LGBT activist, pharmacist and Pastor; Rev. Vuyolwethu Chulayo, now a pentecostal pastor, briefly studied at The College of the Transfiguration
Before 1993
![Harriet Mason St Bede's College in South Africa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Harriet_Mason_St_Bede%27s_College_in_South_Africa.jpg)
St Bede's College in
Mthatha
Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...
was founded in 1879 by
Henry Callaway, the first bishop of the
Diocese of St John. The purpose of the institution was the "training of young natives, and colonists as clergy and teachers." At that time the primary task was to train clergy and catechist for the diocese. A shift happened in the mid-twentieth century when the college was given some provincial recognition as a result of a synod of bishops in 1955. Pressures brought to bear by the apartheid regime, and other institutional factors, resulted in the consideration of different schemes of amalgamation as early as the seventies. The college was temporarily closed in 1983 and the premises were leased to the University of
Transkei
Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...
for a year, before being re-opened in 1985. At the time of its closure in 1992 the college had an influential role in the
Anglican Church of Southern Africa
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...
.
St Paul's College in Grahamstown was founded in 1902, by Bishop
Charles Cornish
Charles Edward Cornish (9 October 1842 – 14 July 1936) was an Anglican bishop in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Early life
Cornish was born to Charles Lewis Cornish (then Dean of Exeter College, Oxford) and Eleanor Monro in London, ...
. The initial idea of a college came from Bishop
Allan Webb,
Bishop of Grahamstown
The Bishop of Grahamstown is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Grahamstown in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.
The Bishop's residence is Bishopsbourne, Grahamstown
List of Bishops of Grahamstown
Diocesan bishops
# John Armstrong, D ...
. He brought a vision of theological education with him, having been vice-principal of
Cuddesdon Theological College
Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay min ...
, Oxford. The hostel was opened for the reception of theological students in 1902. In 1910 work began on a new west wing to increase its capacity. The college also officially became a Provincial college. Between 1929 and 1931 further alterations took place. Cullen House was purchased in 1933. The college went through difficult times during both world wars as numbers declined, even closing for five months in 1943. Extensive additions were again made in the 1950s, with the Espin Wing and new chapel being dedicated in 1957. The Burnett wing was completed in 1962. Like St Bede's, St Paul's was affected by fluctuating numbers. It was also faced with the particular pressures of apartheid as it sought to be racially mixed. At the time of its closure in 1992 the college was about eighty percent "black".
When the St Bede's and St Paul's were closed, the site chosen for the new college for the
Anglican Church of Southern Africa
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...
was the old campus of St Paul's. The amalgamated college was initially called "
Peter Masiza
Peter (Petrus) K. Masiza (c 1840 - 1907) was the first black Anglican priest ordained in South Africa.
Early life
Masiza was born in Shiloh, near Whittlesea, Eastern Cape in about 1840. He grew up in the Moravian Church.
In 1871 Peter's bro ...
College", after the first ordained black priest in the province. Subsequent research showed that the name was problematic and the "College of the Transfiguration" was chosen, influenced by the then, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...
.
List of wardens of St Paul's College
*c.1911 - Canon Edward Mason,
brother of Agnes Mason
*... others
*1965-1976 Canon John N Suggit
Post 1993
List of rectors of COTT
* 1993 - Canon Luke Lungile Pato
* 2000 - Canon Livingstone Ngewu
* 2007 - The Rev. Janet Trisk (acting)
* 2008 - Canon Bill Domeris
* 2011 -
Barney Pityana
Nyameko Barney Pityana FKC GCOB (born 7 August 1945) is a human rights lawyer and theologian in South Africa. He is an exponent of Black theology.
Biography
Pityana was born in Uitenhage and attended the University of Fort Hare. He was on ...
* 2015 -
Vicentia Kgabe
Right. Rev Dr Vicentia Refiloe Kgabe is an Anglican Bishop of Diocese of Lesotho in the Anglican Church of South Africa and academic teaching Practical Theology.
Early life and education
Born in Soweto, Kgabe attended schools in Soweto, she ...
*2022 - Percy Chinganga
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Authority control
Anglican Church of Southern Africa
Anglican seminaries and theological colleges
Anglicanism in South Africa
Buildings and structures in Makhanda, Eastern Cape
Education in the Eastern Cape
Seminaries and theological colleges in South Africa
Educational institutions established in 1993
1993 establishments in South Africa
Anglican buildings and structures in Africa