Michael Gower Coleman (19 April 1939 – 17 December 2011) was the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

bishop of the

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 ...

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 ...

. Born in

Mafeking Mafikeng, officially known as Mahikeng and previously Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa. Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast of Cape Town and west of Johannesburg. In ...

in 1939. He was educated at Laerskool Zeerust, Transvaal and at Christian Brothers College in Kimberley. After working for a year in Zambia he entered

St John Vianney Seminary, Pretoria St John Vianney Seminary, Pretoria, South Africa, is the National Seminary for the Roman Catholic Church in South Africa. The institution is a training facility and House of Formation under the auspices of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' C ...

as a student for the Diocese of Port Elizabeth at the invitation of Bishop Ernest Green. As well as his clerical trainnig in the seminary, he also obtained a BA in Philosophy degree through the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1963. Coleman was named bishop of the Port Elizabeth diocese in 1986 resigning on August 20, 2011. The Right Reverend Gower died shortly after stepping down, on December 17, 2011.Port Elizabeth
South African Catholic Bishops Conference.

References

1939 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in South Africa People from Gqeberha 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in South Africa Roman Catholic bishops of Port Elizabeth University of South Africa alumni {{SouthAfrica-reli-bio-stub