The SA Bishops in 1976

The January edition of The Southern Cross features an article on the 70th anniversary of Pope Pius XII establishing the Catholic Hierarchy of Southern Africa. It is illustrated with this colourised photo of the Southern African bishops on the occasion of the silver jubilee of the Hierarchy on February 8, 1976. We are publishing it here to identify the 40 men and two women who made up the SACBC bishops, staff and advisers in 1976.

Front row (from left): Bishop G van Velsen (Kroonstad), Archbishops G Daniel (Pretoria), John Garner (Emeritus of Pretoria), A Poledrini (Apostolic Delegate), Cardinal Owen McCann (Cape Town), Archbishops JP Fitzgerald OMI (Bloemfontein), Hurley OMI (Durban), Bishops H Boyle (Johannesburg), E Schmid CMM (Mariannhill), P Butelezi (Umtata).

Second row from front: Fr N Coughlan (Durban, Secretary), Fr H Carstens OP (Kroonstad, Vicar Capitular), Bishops S Naidoo (Auxiliary of Cape Town), J Murphy (Port Elizabeth), U Murphy CPC (Botswana), B Dlamini (Auxiliary of Mariannhill), J Durkin MSC (Louis Trichardt), A Reiterer MSFS (Witbank), J Rosner SAC (Queenstown), M O’Shea (Ingwavuma), Fr A Wilden (Bethlehem, Vicar Capitular).

Standing behind second row: Bishops J Minder (Keimoes-Upington), E Hecht (Kimberley), R Koppmann (Windoek), D Vertraete (Klerksdorp), E Schlotterback OSFS (Keetmanshoop), Sr Ann Cogan OP (Secretary), Bishop M Zwane (Swaziland), Fr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa (Secretary, with light jacket), Sr Brigid Flanagan OP (Secretary), J De Palma SAC (De Aar), Mgr M Banks OFM (Volksrust), Bishops M Gottschalk SAC (Oudtshoorn),  Le Roy (Pietersburg), E Biyase (Eshowe), Fr C Gebashe (Umzimkulu), Bishops E Baaj SCJ (Aliwal North, standing behind Fr Gebashe), P Hallett CSsR (Rustenburg), Fr D Scholten OP (Secretary-General)

Back: Frs Finbar Synott OP (Secretary), Jan Haen CSsR (Secretary), Brian Gaybba (Theological Adviser).

The original photo:

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