Anthony Pascal Rebello,

Society of the Divine Word The Society of the Divine Word (), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men. As of 2020, i ...

(18 March 1950 – 4 May 2024) was a Kenyan Roman Catholic prelate of

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

n ancestry who served as Bishop in

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

, from 2021 until his death in 2024. He was appointed bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Francistown on 5 July 2021. He was installed in Francistown on 4 September 2021. He died in office on 4 May 2024 at the age of 74 years.

Early life and education

He was born in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, the capital city of Kenya on 18 March 1950. He was of Goan ancestry, from

Fatorda Fatorda is a suburb of the city of Margao in Salcete, Goa. Fatorda has been originally home to the traditional Scheduled Tribe/ Scheduled Caste population. The Catholic Gawda community has a very large presence in Fatorda. However, due to the ...

, Goa,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He entered the

(SVD) in 1969. He took his perpetual vows as a member of the Society of the Divine Word in 1976. He was ordained a priest of that Society on 10 May 1977 in India.

Priest

On 10 May 1977 was ordained a priest of the

(SVD) at a location in

, India. In 2003 he migrated to Botswana as a missionary of the SVD society. He served as parish priest of the ''Holy Cross Mogoditshane Parish'' in Gaborone Diocese in Botswana.

Bishop

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed him Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Francistown, Botswana in the Ecclesiastical Province of Pretoria, South Africa on 5 July 2021. He was consecrated and installed at the ''Our Lady of the Desert Cathedral'', in

Francistown Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 inhabitants and 147,122 inhabitants in its agglomeration at the 2022 census. It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gabo ...

, on 4 September 2021. The Principal Consecrator was Archbishop

Franklyn Atese Nubuasah Franklyn Atese Nubuasah S.V.D., (born 7 July 1949), also Frank Atese Nubuasah, is a Ghanaian-born Roman Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone, Botswana since 2019. Before that, from 2 October 20 ...

, Bishop of Gaborone assisted by Archbishop

Dabula Anthony Mpako Dabula Anthony Mpako (born 6 September 1959) is a South African prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria, Archbishop of Pretoria on 30 April 2019. His installation was celebrated on the follow ...

, Archbishop of Pretoria and Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells, Titular Archbishop of

Marcianopolis Marcianopolis or Marcianople (Greek: Μαρκιανούπολις), also known as Parthenopolis was an ancient Greek, then Roman capital city and archbishopric in Moesia Inferior. It is located at the site of modern-day Devnya, Bulgaria. The a ...

Death

Bishop Anthony Pascal Rebello died suddenly on the morning of Saturday, 4 May 2024, while on a prayer walk in Tati Siding, in the Diocese of Francistown. He was 74 years of age.

References

Succession table

External links

Botswana: Bishop Rebello Laid To Rest; Eulogized As A Man of Deep Spirituality And Devotion To The Blessed Mother
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebello, Anthony Pascal 1950 births 2024 deaths 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Botswana Bishops appointed by Pope Francis People from Nairobi Roman Catholic bishops of Francistown Pontifical Urban University alumni