Archdiocese of Johannesburg

The Archdiocese of Johannesburg () is the a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the metropolitan see of an ecclesiastical province.

History

• June 4, 1886: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Transvaal from the Apostolic Vicariate of Natal
• September 16, 1904: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Transvaal
• April 9, 1948: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Johannesburg
• January 11, 1951: Promoted as Diocese of Johannesburg
• June 5, 2007: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Johannesburg

Special churches

• The cathedral is the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg.
• Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Moroka Soweto

Leadership

Vicars Apostolic of Transvaal

• William Miller, O.M.I. (September 17, 1904 – May 2, 1912)
• Charles Cox, O.M.I. (July 15, 1914 – July 14, 1924)

Vicars Apostolic of Johannesburg

• David O'Leary (Bishop), O.M.I. (May 13, 1925 – November 25, 1950)
• William Patrick Whelan, O.M.I. (November 25, 1950 – January 11, 1951 see below)

Bishops of Johannesburg (Roman rite)

• William Patrick Whelan, O.M.I. (January 11, 1951 - July 18, 1954), appointed Archbishop of Bloemfontein
• Hugh Boyle (July 18, 1954 – January 24, 1976)
• Joseph Patrick Fitzgerald, O.M.I. (January 24, 1976 – July 2, 1984), personal title of archbishop
• Reginald Joseph Orsmond (July 2, 1984 – May 19, 2002)
• Buti Joseph Tlhagale, O.M.I. (April 8, 2003 – June 5, 2007), personal title of archbishop

Archbishops of Johannesburg

• Buti Joseph Tlhagale, O.M.I. (June 5, 2007 – October 28, 2024)
• Stephen Brislin (October 28, 2024 – )

Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic

• William Patrick Whelan, O.M.I. (1948–1950)

Auxiliary Bishops

• Peter Fanyana John Butelezi, O.M.I. (1972–1975), appointed Bishop of Umtata
• Zithulele Patrick Mvemve (1986–1994), appointed Bishop of Klerksdorp
• Reginald Joseph Orsmond (1983–1984), appointed Bishop here
• Duncan Theodore Tsoke (2016–2021), appointed Bishop of Kimberly

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Peter John Holiday, appointed Bishop of Kroonstad in 2011
• Luc Julian Matthys (priest here, 1961–1976), appointed Bishop of Armidale, Australia in 1999
• Thomas Graham Rose, appointed Bishop of Dundee in 2008

Coat of Arms

By a decree of the Archbishop of 14 March 2025, the Archdiocese assumed a new Coat of Arms independent of its Archbishop. It is blazoned: "Azure, overall a pallium Argent charged with four crosses patée Sable, within a bordure Or, in chief a ChiRho Or encircled by a crown of the same, in dexter a Marian symbol MA of the same, in sinister a pick-axe and a shovel saltirewise of the same."

Statistics

According to the Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2022 (Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2022, published in 2024), as at 31 December 2022, the statistics for the Archdiocese are:

• Area: 14,517 km²
• Population: 1,139,200 Catholics (12.8% of 8,900,250 total)
• Pastoral Centres: 131 parishes, 1 mission
• Personnel: 176 priests (46 diocesan, 130 religious), 64 deacons, 455 religious (165 brothers, 290 sisters), 12 seminarians

Historical Statistics

Recent Number of Seminarians

Suffragan dioceses

• Klerksdorp
• Manzini
• Witbank

See also

• Catholic Church in South Africa

References

External links

• Official website
• GCatholic.org
• Catholic Hierarchy