The Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth ( la, Portus Elizabethen(sis)) is a

diocese 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 associ ...

located in the city of

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...

in the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

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 ...

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 coun ...

History

On July 30, 1847, an ecclesiastical territory was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope, Eastern District from the

Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

and adjacent territories. Later the Eastern Vicariate was itself subdivided three times. On 27 December 1847, Dr. Aidan Devereux was consecrated, in Cape Town, Bishop of Paneas and first Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern Vicariate, by Dr. Griffith, under whom he had worked for nine years. Through the Dhanis family of Belgium the new vicar Apostolic received the first considerable funds to start work. But his life was spent in the turmoil of wars, and was a struggle with poverty and the dearth of priests. His successor, Dr. Patrick Moran, had been curate of

Irishtown, Dublin Irishtown () is an inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the River Liffey, between Ringsend to the north and Sandymount to the south, and is to the east of the River Dodder. History Irishtown grew outside of Dublin, ...

, and arrived in the colony in November, 1856. He was a man of energy, and a strenuous opponent of the grant of responsible government. The

Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

appointed him first Bishop of Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1870. Next year, the Rev. James David Richards was consecrated bishop at

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. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...

, as titular bishop of Retimo, by the

Vicar Apostolic of Natal A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

, Dr. Allard. Dr. Richards had already spent twenty-two years in the country and, whether as a writer, or lecturer, or pastor, had left his mark in the land. He founded the ''Cape Colonist'', a paper which had campaigning views on purity in public life and on the native problems. In 1880 he brought to South Africa the first contingent of

Trappists The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

, as teachers. About two years before Dr. Ricards's death a coadjutor was appointed in the person of Dr. Peter Strobino, who, however, became an invalid soon after the death of Dr. Ricards. Dr. Strobino was succeeded in 1896 by his coadjutor, the Rt. Rev. Hugh MacSherry, formerly administrator of the

diocese of Dundalk 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 ...

in Ireland, who had been consecrated a few months before. Wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Eastern Vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope * June 13, 1939: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Port Elizabeth * January 11, 1951: Promoted as Diocese of Port Elizabeth

Special churches

* 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 denominations ...

is Cathedral of St. Augustine in Port Elizabeth. * The

Port Elizabeth Oratory The Port Elizabeth Oratory is a Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The Congregation serves the Catholic parish of St Bernadette in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth. The Oratory Father ...

serves the parish of St Bernadette in Walmer.

Bishops

* Vicars Apostolic of Cape of Good Hope, Eastern District (Roman rite) ** Bishop

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, South Africa. Rev. Patrick R. Griffith, who, in 1837 was consecrated the titular Bishop of P ...

, O.P. (1837.06.06 - 1847.07.30), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Cape of Good Hope, Western District ) ** Bishop Aidan Devereux (1847–1854.02.11) ** Fr. Michael Jones (1854.09.26), did not take effect and he was never consecrated bishop ** Bishop

Edward MacCabe Edward Cardinal MacCabe or McCabe (Dublin, 14 February 1816 – Kingstown, 11 February 1885) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 1879 until his death and a Cardinal from 1882. Biography MacCabe's father was a poor shopkeeper. Edwa ...

(1855.01.30), did not take effect; was appointed bishop at the time but was not consecrated until 1877; future Archbishop and Cardinal ** Bishop Patrick Moran (1856–1869.12.03) appointed Bishop of Dunedin, New Zealand ** Bishop James David Richards (1871.01.13 – 1893.11.30) ** Bishop Peter Strobino (1893.11.30 – 1896.10.01) ** Bishop

Hugh McSherry Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

(1896.10.01 – 1938.12.15), appointed Archbishop upon retirement * Vicars Apostolic of Port Elizabeth (Roman rite) ** Bishop James Colbert (1939.06.13 – 1948.12.09), Irish born (Cork) bishop ** Bishop Hugh Boyle (1948.12.09 – 1951.01.11 ''see below'') *

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

s of Port Elizabeth (Roman rite) ** Bishop Hugh Boyle (''see above'' 1951.01.11 – 1954.07.18), appointed Bishop of Johannesburg ** Bishop Ernest Arthur Green (1955.04.19 – 1970.12.27), South African born bishop (educated in Ireland) ** Bishop John Patrick Murphy (1972.05.06 – 1986.03.21) ** Bishop Michael Gower Coleman (1986.03.21 - 2011.08.20)) ** Bishop Vincent Mduduzi Zungu, O.F.M. (2014.02.02 -)

Coadjutor Bishops

(1896), as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic * Pietro Strobino (1891-1893)

References

GCatholic.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Elizabeth Roman Catholic dioceses in South Africa Religious organizations established in 1847 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century 1847 establishments in the Cape Colony 1847 establishments in South Africa Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Cape Town

History

Special churches

Bishops

Coadjutor Bishops

See also

References