The Archdiocese of Cape Town (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Sedis Archiepiscopalis Capetownensis'') is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical jurisdiction or

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 associated ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

located in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, in the south-western region of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The principal church of the

and the location of the archbishop's

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

is the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of St. Mary of the Flight into Egypt, which also serves as the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

for the archdiocese.

History

The Archdiocese of Cape Town has a rich history that dates back to its establishment as the

Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of Cape of Good Hope (and adjacent territories) on June 18, 1818, by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

. It was formed by splitting off territories from the then- Territorial Prelature of Mozambique and the Diocese of Tomé. On April 4, 1819, it expanded its territory by gaining land from the suppressed Apostolic Prefecture of New Holland. Over the years, it underwent several changes in its territorial boundaries. In 1834, the Apostolic Vicariate of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land was established, resulting in a loss of territory. Additionally, on June 6, 1837, the Apostolic Vicariate of Mauritius was formed, further reducing the Archdiocese's territory. 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. On 3 August 1874, it lost territory to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Cape of Good Hope, Central District. It was renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Cape Town on 13 June 1939.

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

elevated it to the rank of a

metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis, metropolitanate or metropolitan diocese 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. Eastern Ortho ...

on 11 January 1951. On 18 August 1986, it lost territory to establish the Mission sui juris of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha off its Atlantic Coast.

Extent

The Archdiocese of Cape Town encompasses a vast geographical area, which is divided into 73

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es. Each parish is mandated to have its own pastoral council and finance council. Representatives from these parish councils, along with members of other bodies, collectively constitute the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. This council's primary responsibility is to provide advice to the archbishop on specific matters. The archdiocese covers a total area of 30 892 square kilometers and is home to a population of 3 324 539 people, with 215 187 adhering to the Catholic faith. The administrative hub of the archdiocese is known as the Chancery and is situated at 12 Bouquet Street in Cape Town. Geographically, the archdiocese is centered around the

city of Cape Town The City of Cape Town (; ) is a Metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality that forms the metropolitan municipality (South Africa), local government of Cape Town and surrounding areas. As of 2022 it has a population of ...

and encompasses the southernmost tip of the African continent. It is bordered by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to the west, the southern boundaries of the Van Rhynsdorp district to the north, the western boundaries of the

Calvinia Calvinia is a regional town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa named after the French people, French religious reformer Jean Calvin. The town falls under the Hantam Local Municipality which forms part of the Namakwa District Municipalit ...

, Ceres,

Tulbagh Tulbagh (), previously named Roodezand, then Land van Waveren later in 1804 named after Cape of Good Hope Governor Ryk Tulbagh, is a town located in the "Land van Waveren" mountain basin (also known as the Tulbagh basin), in the Cape Winelands ...

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

, Robertson, and

Swellendam Swellendam () is the third oldest town in South Africa (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch), a town with 17,537 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 provincial heritage sites, most of them buildings of Cape D ...

districts to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south. The civil districts within the

ecclesiastical jurisdiction Ecclesiastical jurisdiction is jurisdiction by Clergy, church leaders over other church leaders and over the laity. Overview Jurisdiction is a word borrowed from the legal system which has acquired a wide extension in theology, wherein, for examp ...

of the

include Cape, Wynberg, Simon's Town, Bellville, Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Caledon, Bredasdorp, Malmesbury, Piketberg, and Clanwilliam.

Province

The

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

comprises the Metropolitan's own archdiocese and the suffragan sees : * Roman Catholic Diocese of Aliwal * Roman Catholic Diocese of De Aar * Roman Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn * Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Elizabeth * Roman Catholic Diocese of Queenstown.

Bishops

Ordinaries of Cape Town

Apostolic Vicars of Cape of Good Hope and adjacent territories

* Edward Bede Slater (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) *

William Placid Morris William Placid Morris OSB (29 September 1794 – 18 February 1872) was a London-born Roman Catholic bishop. Morris was ordained a priest of the Order of Saint Benedict on 29 June 1817 and was assigned to missionary work in London, first at the ch ...

(1831.08.09 – 1837.06.06), later Apostolic Vicar of

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

(Mauritius) (1837.06.06 – 1840); remained Titular Bishop of Troas (1831.08.09 – 1872.02.18) * Patrick Raymond Griffith, 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, (''see above'' 1847.07.30 – 18 June 1862) *

Thomas Grimley Thomas Grimley (1821–1871) was an Irish-born priest and educator who served as Bishop of Cape Town, South Africa. Grimley was born in Skerries, County Dublin, in 1821. He was ordained in 1846 by Archbishop Paul Cullen and then worked as a ...

(18 June 1862 - 1871.01.29), Titular Bishop of Antigonea (1860.12.18 – 1871.01.29); succeeding as former

Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of Cape of Good Hope, Western District (1860.12.18 – 1862.06.18) * John Leonard (1872.10.1 – 19 February 1908), Titular Bishop of Charadrus (1872.10.01 – 1908.02.19) * 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 (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 (''see above'' 1939.06.13 – 1949; died 1951) * Owen McCann (1950.03.12 – 1951.01.10 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Stectorium (1950.03.12 – 1951.01.11)

Metropolitan Archbishops of Cape Town

* Owen 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 is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

of S. Prassede (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 Bishop (Catholic Church), bishops of the Roman Catholic (term), Roman Catholic Church in Roman Catholic Church in South Africa, South Africa ...

(1967 – 1974) * Stephen Naidoo (1984.10.20 – 1989.07.01); previously Titular Bishop of Mammilla (1974.07.01 – 1974.08.02);

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of Cape Town (1974.07.01 – 1984.10.20), Titular Bishop of Aquæ Flaviæ (1974.08.02 – 1984.10.20) * Lawrence Patrick Henry (1990.07.07 – 2009.12.18), previously Titular Bishop of

Cenculiana Cenculiana was a Roman era town in Roman North Africa. Cenculiana, in today's Tunisia, is also the seat of an ancient episcopal see of the Roman province of Byzacena. The Bishop was a suffran of Carthage.Joseph Bingham, ''Origines Ecclesiasticae ...

(1987.04.27 – 1990.07.07) & Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town (1987.04.27 – 1990.07.07) * Stephen Brislin (2009.12.18– 2024.10.27), also President of Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (2012.08 – 2016.10), President of Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (2013.02 – 2019.02); previously Bishop of

Kroonstad Kroonstad ( in Afrikaans) is a town in Free State, South Africa, consisting of the following suburbs: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, Koek ...

(South Africa) (2006.10.17 – 2009.12.18),

of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello (2023.09.30 – ) * Sede vacante (2024.10.28 - ...)

Coadjutor Vicars Apostolic

(1860–1862) * John Rooney (1886–1908)

Auxiliary Bishops

* Reginald Cawcutt (1992–2002, died 2022) * Sylvester Anthony John David (2019 -) * Lawrence Patrick Henry (1987–1990), appointed Archbishop here * Stephen Naidoo (1974–1984), appointed Archbishop here

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Francisco Fortunato de Gouveia, 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

References

External links

Official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Town, Archdiocese Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town Religious organizations established in 1818 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century 1818 establishments in South Africa A