![Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Cape_Town.jpg)
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cape Town ( la, Archidioecesis Civitatis Capitis) is a Latin
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, in the south-western part of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
The archdiocese's
motherchurch and its archbishop's see is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of
St. Mary of the Flight into Egypt, who is also the archbishopric's
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
.
The archdiocese is headed by the Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Reverend Archbishop Stephen Brislin and is assisted by The Right Reverend Sylvester David OMI, the Auxiliary Bishop.
History
It was erected as the
Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope (and adjacent territories) on 18 June 1818 by
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...
, on territories split off from the then–
Territorial Prelature of Mozambique
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maputo ( la, Maputensis) is the Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan Episcopal See, See for the Ecclesiastical province of Maputo in Mozambique.
History
* 21 January 1612: Established as a ''prelature nullius'' from ...
and
Diocese of Tomé.
On 4 April 1819, it gained territory from the suppressed
Apostolic Prefecture of New Holland
The Apostolic Prefecture of New Holland was a short-lived (1816–1819) Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction in colonial Australia.
History
James Dixon (priest), Fr James Dixon, the first Catholic priest permitted to minister in Australia, wa ...
.
It repeatedly lost territory, to establish: in 1834 the
Apostolic Vicariate of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land
The Archdiocese of Sydney ( la, Archidioecesis Sydneyensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church. Its episcopal see is Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Erected in 1842, the archdiocese is the metr ...
and again on 6 June 1837 to establish the
Apostolic Vicariate of Mauritius.
It was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope, Western District on 30 July 1847, losing territory to establish the
Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope, Eastern District
Apostolic may refer to:
The Apostles
An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission:
*The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles
* Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...
.
On 3 August 1874, it lost territory to establish the
Apostolic Prefecture of Cape of Good Hope, Central District
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn ( la, Oudtshoornen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Oudtshoorn in the Ecclesiastical province of Cape Town in South Africa.
On 4 May 2020, Noel Andrew Rucastle, a priest of the Archdiocese of ...
.
It was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Cape Town on 13 June 1939.
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
elevated it to the rank of a
metropolitan archdiocese
A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces.
...
on 11 January 1951.
On 18 August 1986, it lost territory to establish the
off its Atlantic Coast.
Extent
The geographical area of the Archdiocese of Cape Town is divided up into 80
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
es. Each parish is obliged to have its own pastoral council as well as a finance council. Representatives from these parish councils – as well as of other bodies – together form the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, whose task it is to advise the archbishop in certain matters.
In total the archdiocese covers an area of 30 892 square kilometres with a total population of 3 324 539 people, of whom 215187 are Catholics. The administrative centre of the archdiocese is called a
chancery and is located at 12 Bouquet Street in Cape Town.
Its postal address is P O Box 2910, Cape Town, 8000. The telephone number for all departments in the chancery is (021) 462–2417; the fax number is (021) 461-9330 and the e-mail address is infoatcatholic-
ct.org.za
The archdiocese is centred on the city of Cape Town and includes the southernmost tip of the continent of Africa; its area is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean,
on the north by the southern boundaries of
the Van Rhynsdorp district, on the east by the western boundaries of the Calvinia,
Ceres, Tulbagh, Worcester, Robertson and Swellendam districts, and on the south by the Indian Ocean.
The civil districts within the ecclesiastical area of the archdiocese are the districts of Cape, Wynberg, Simon's Town, Bellville, Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Caledon,
Bredasdorp, Malmesbury, Piketberg and Clanwilliam.
The Most Reverend Stephen Brislin is the Archbishop of Cape Town:
Born in Welkom on 24 September 1956.
Schooling at St Agnes' Convent, Welkom andCBC, Welkom
Seminary: Philosophy at St John Vianney, Pretoria and Theology at the Missionary Institute, London
Ordained a priest on 19 November 1983.
Ordained Bishop of Kroonstad on 28 January
2007.
Installed as Archbishop of Cape Town on 7 February 2010, on the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt, the patronal feast of the Archdiocese of Cape Town.
Context
The Catholic Church throughout the world is
divided into administrative units called dioceses. Each diocese is headed by a
bishop. In some cases (as in South Africa) those dioceses which are of greater importance are called archdioceses and are headed by an archbishop. In South Africa there are five
such archdioceses, one of which is Cape Town. Each diocesan bishop in the world (ecclesiastically called an ordinary to
distinguish him from other bishops who work in an administrative capacity) is responsible directly to the Pope. In order to facilitate and co-ordinate various matters of national interest such as seminaries, the bishops of South Africa are associated into the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC). This conference is affiliated to two other such conferences: IMBISA (the Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa) and SECAM (the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar).
A representative of the Pope was appointed in 1922 as the Apostolic Delegate. In 1994 the Holy See (the diocese of Rome and the Papal administration) and South Africa established diplomatic relations, setting up an Apostolic Nunciature for the Holy See in Pretoria and a South African Embassy in the Vatican.
To help him administer the Archdiocese of Cape Town, the Archbishop has appointed two vicars general.
A chancellor is appointed in each diocese, whose task it is to act as a notary or
someone who authenticates any official document which the archbishop might issue.
To help in the ministry of the various departments of the Archdiocese of Cape
Town, a number of priests have been appointed as vicars or heads of those
departments. Together with an equal number of other
priests elected by the priests serving in Cape Town, these constitute the presbyteral council, and it is from this body that the
archbishop chooses his consultors or advisors.
In order to co-ordinate the pastoral function of the various parishes in Cape
Town, five deans have been elected by the priests as their spokesmen in certain
matters. The body of deacons constitutes the Council of Deacons and the Archbishop appoints a
co-ordinator as a liaison between himself and the deacons.
Province
The
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
comprises the Metropolitan's own archdiocese and the
suffragan sees
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...
:
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Aliwal
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Aliwal ( la, Alivalen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Aliwal North (Joe Gqabi District Municipality) in the Ecclesiastical province of Eastern Cape in South Africa.
History
* June 12, 1923: Established as ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of De Aar
The Roman Catholic Diocese of De Aar ( la, De Aaren(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of De Aar (Pixley ka Seme District Municipality) in the Ecclesiastical province of Cape Town in South Africa.
History
* March 24, 1953: Established as Ap ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn ( la, Oudtshoornen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Oudtshoorn in the Ecclesiastical province of Cape Town in South Africa.
On 4 May 2020, Noel Andrew Rucastle, a priest of the Archdiocese of ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth ( la, Portus Elizabethen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Port Elizabeth in the Ecclesiastical province of Cape Town in South Africa.
History
On July 30, 1847, an ecclesiastical territory was ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Queenstown
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Queenstown ( la, Queenstovnen(sis)) is a diocese located in the town of Queenstown in the Ecclesiastical province of Cape Town in South Africa.
History
* 1928: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Queenstown ...
.
Bishops
''all
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...
''
Ordinaries of Cape Town
; ''Apostolic Vicars of Cape of Good Hope and adjacent territories''
*
Edward Bede Slater, O.S.B. (1818.06.18 – 1831; died 1832),
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Ruspæ (1818.06.18 – 1832.07.15)
*
Dr. William Placid Morris,
Order of Saint Benedict
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as OSB), are a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church following the Rule of Saint Benedic ...
(O.S.B.) (1831.08.09 – 1837.06.06), later Apostolic Vicar of
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
(Mauritius) (1837.06.06 – 1840); remained Titular Bishop of
Troas Troas may refer to:
Places
* The Troad, historical name for a region in the northwestern part of Anatolia
* Alexandria Troas, a Hellenistic and Roman city in Anatolia
* Troaș, a village in Săvârșin Commune, Arad County, Romania
* Troaș, a r ...
(1831.08.09 – 1872.02.18)
*
Patrick Raymond Griffith
Patrick Raymond Griffith OP, (15 October 1798 – 18 June 1862) was an Irish Dominican priest, who served the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cape Town ( la, Archidioecesis Civitatis C ...
,
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
(O.P.), Titular Bishop of
Paleopolis (Asia Minor) (1837.06.06 – 1862.06.18) (6 June 1837 – 1847.07.30 ''see below'')
; ''Apostolic Vicars of Cape of Good Hope, Western District''
*
Patrick Raymond Griffith
Patrick Raymond Griffith OP, (15 October 1798 – 18 June 1862) was an Irish Dominican priest, who served the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cape Town ( la, Archidioecesis Civitatis C ...
, O.P. (''see above'' 1847.07.30 – 18 June 1862)
*
Thomas Grimley (18 June 1862 - 1871.01.29), Titular Bishop of
Antigonea (1860.12.18 – 1871.01.29); succeeding as former
Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Cape of Good Hope, Western District (1860.12.18 – 1862.06.18)
*
Dr. John Leonard (1872.10.1 – 19 February 1908), Titular Bishop of
Charadrus
Charadrus or Charadros ( grc, Χάραδρος) was a town on the coast of ancient Cilicia, between Platanus and Cragus, according to the Stadiasmus. Strabo, who writes it Χαραδροῦς, describes it as a fort with a port below it, and a ...
(1872.10.01 – 1908.02.19)
*
Dr. John Rooney (1908.02.19 – 1925), Titular Bishop of
Sergiopolis (antea Resapha) (1886.01.29 – 1927.02.26); succeeding as previous Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Cape of Good Hope, Western District (1886.01.29 – 1908.02.19)
*
Bernard Cornelius O'Riley (1925.07.15 – 1932.06.06), Titular Bishop of
Phoba (1925.07.15 – 1956.07.21)
*
Franziskus Hennemann
Francis Xaver Hennemann Societas Apostolatus Catholici, S.A.C. (27 October 1882 – 17 January 1951), was a Titular Bishop in South Africa.
Biography
Hennemann was born in Germany in Holthausen (Schmallenberg), Holthausen (Schmallenberg). The ...
,
Pallottines
The Pallottines officially named the Society of the Catholic Apostolate ( la, Societas Apostolatus Catholici), abbreviated SAC is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1835 by the Roman C ...
(SAC) (1933.06.30 – 1939.06.13 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of
Coptus (1913.07.16 – 1951.01.17); previously djutor Vicar Apostolic of Cameroun (Cameroon) (1913.07.16 – 1914.11.07), succeeding as Vicar Apostolic of Cameroun (Cameroon) (1914.11.07 – 1922.06.26), next
Apostolic Prefect
An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...
of
Cape of Good Hope, Central District (1922.06.26 – 1933.06.30)
; ''Apostolic Vicars of Cape Town''
*
Franziskus Hennemann
Francis Xaver Hennemann Societas Apostolatus Catholici, S.A.C. (27 October 1882 – 17 January 1951), was a Titular Bishop in South Africa.
Biography
Hennemann was born in Germany in Holthausen (Schmallenberg), Holthausen (Schmallenberg). The ...
, S.A.C. (''see above'' 1939.06.13 – 1949; died 1951)
*
Owen McCann
Owen McCann (26 June 1907 – 26 March 1994) was a South African cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and journalist. He served as Archbishop of Cape Town from 1950 to 1984 (the first year as Apostolic Vicar) and was elevated to the cardinal ...
(1950.03.12 – 1951.01.11 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of
Stectorium
Stectorium or Stektorion ( grc, Στεκτόριον) was a town of ancient Phrygia, in the Phrygian Pentapolis between Peltae and Synnada, inhabited during Roman and Byzantine times. Pausanias believed that Mygdon's tomb was located here.
It w ...
(1950.03.12 – 1951.01.11)
; ''Metropolitan Archbishops of Cape Town''
* Dr.
Owen (Cardinal) McCann (''see above'' 1951.01.11 – 1984.10.20; died 1994), also President of the
Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (1961 – 1974),
Cardinal-Priest
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
of
S. Prassede
The Basilica of Praxedes, Saint Praxedes ( la, Basilica Sanctae Praxedis, it, Basilica di Santa Prassede all’Esquillino), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an early medieval titulus (Roman Catholic), titular church and minor basi ...
(1965.02.25 – 1994.03.26), President of the
Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference
The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) is an episcopal conference consisting of all the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in South Africa, Botswana, and Swaziland, and their equivalents under canon law (apostolic vicars, a ...
(1967 – 1974)
* Dr.
Stephen Naidoo
Stephen Naidoo, C.Ss.R. (29 October 1937 – 1 July 1989), was a South African Redemptorist and archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop of Cape Town from 1984 to 1989.
Biography
Born in 1937 in Cape Town in an Indian immigrate ...
,
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...
(C.SS.R.) (1984.10.20 – 1989.07.01); previously Titular Bishop of
Mammilla (1974.07.01 – 1974.08.02);
Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town (1974.07.01 – 1984.10.20), Titular Bishop of
Aquæ Flaviæ (1974.08.02 – 1984.10.20)
* Dr.
Lawrence Patrick Henry
Lawrence Patrick Henry (27 July 1934 – 4 March 2014) was a South African Roman Catholic archbishop.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Henry was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town in 1962. In 1987, he was a ...
(1990.07.07 – 2009.12.18), previously Titular Bishop of
Cenculiana (1987.04.27 – 1990.07.07) & Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town (1987.04.27 – 1990.07.07)
* Dr.
Stephen Brislin
Stephen Brislin (born 24 September 1956) is a South African prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.
He was ordained as a priest on 19 Nov 1983 in the Diocese of Kroonstad, South Africa, and became Bishop of Kroonstad on 28 Jan 2007.
He has ser ...
(18 December 2009 – ...), also President of Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (2012.08 – ...), President of Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (2012.10 – ...); previously Bishop of
Kroonstad
Kroonstad (Afrikaans directly translated "Crown City") is the third largest city in the Free State (after Bloemfontein and Welkom) and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from Gauteng. Maokeng is an area within Kroonstad, and is occasionally used ...
(South Africa) (2006.10.17 – 2009.12.18)
Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic
*
Thomas Grimley (1860-1862)
*
John Rooney (1886-1908)
Auxiliary Bishops
*
Reginald Cawcutt (1992-2002)
*
Sylvester Anthony John David, O.M.I. (2019-)
*
Lawrence Patrick Henry
Lawrence Patrick Henry (27 July 1934 – 4 March 2014) was a South African Roman Catholic archbishop.
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Henry was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town in 1962. In 1987, he was a ...
(1987-1990), appointed Archishop here
*
Stephen Naidoo
Stephen Naidoo, C.Ss.R. (29 October 1937 – 1 July 1989), was a South African Redemptorist and archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop of Cape Town from 1984 to 1989.
Biography
Born in 1937 in Cape Town in an Indian immigrate ...
, C.SS.R. (1974-1984), appointed Archishop here
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
*
Francisco Fortunato de Gouveia
Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''.
Nicknames
In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...
, appointed Bishop of Oudtshoorn in 2010
*
Ernest Arthur Green, appointed Bishop of Port Elizabeth in 1955
*
Noel Andrew Rucastle, appointed Bishop of Oudtshoorn in 2020
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in South Africa
The Catholic Church in South Africa is part of the worldwide Catholic Church composed of the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, of which the South African church is under the spiritual leadership of the Southern African Catholic Bish ...
References
External links
Official site
catholic-ct.org.za
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Town, Archdiocese
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town
Christianity in Cape Town
Religious organizations established in 1818
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century
1818 establishments in South Africa
A