Msgr Phomane: Son of Mthatha becomes Shepherd of Bethlehem

By Sister Margaret Mary SU – In his 14th year as a priest of the Diocese of Mthatha, Monsignor Motlatsi Meshack Phomane is appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bethlehem.

It was April 14, 2026, at the biennial conference of  The Pastoral Conference of the Xhosa Region (PCXR) at St Luke’s Centre, when Pope Leo XIV announced the appointment of the then Fr Motlatsi Meshack Phomane, who at that time was parish priest of Mount Nicholas Parish in Libode, as Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bethlehem.  No one had seen it coming, especially among the people of the Diocese of Mthatha.

What made the moment even more remarkable was where the announcement was made. St Luke’s Centre is the very place where Monsignor Phomane’s journey to the priesthood began in 2004. Twenty-two years later, the announcement of his episcopacy was made on the same ground where his vocation first took root.

For the Diocese of Mthatha, it was a “wow” moment in every sense. It had only been a month since Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka left for the Archdiocese of Cape Town. It is during this Sede Vacante period of the diocese, where everyone is praying for and anticipating a new shepherd of Mthatha, that God revealed other plans He had for one of Mthatha’s own sons.

Monsignor Phomane himself was caught off guard. “It is something I never expected,” he said. Perhaps that is precisely the point. This is exactly how God calls his people, not through our own plans and timelines, but through a mystery that unfolds in ways we could never have imagined for ourselves. No one studies or is formed to become a bishop, and yet the leadership of the Church comprises bishops. What a mystery indeed. It is in such mysteries that one realises how God’s Grace shapes us as life progresses. The formation of these our shepherds is directly from the Good Shepherd Himself, though he does it discreetly, carefully and perfectly until it is time to reveal His chosen one. This time around, Monsignor Phomane is among the chosen ones of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd.

His journey

Monsignor Phomane has always been a man who responds to what he observes around him. His most important life decisions have never been about personal ambition; they have always been connected to answering a need.

As a young man, he had the desire to become a priest. However, looking at his family’s situation, he felt he had to put that desire aside and work to provide for them. He worked faithfully and diligently for six years at Chemical firms in Durban. Yet something remained unfulfilled. The call had not gone away; it had merely been waiting.

From boyhood, he had observed that his home parish of St Andrew’s in Tsita had no resident priest for nearly four years. He saw the need and that stirred in him the desire to become a priest. He understood, in that moment, that more priests were needed, though he could not have known that his answer to that need would take him far beyond his own parish.

The decision to leave his work in Durban was then confirmed by an unexpected grace. During a pilgrimage to Kevelaer in the Diocese of Mariannhill, his eyes were drawn to a procession of priests and bishops at a liturgical celebration. That image reminded him of what he had been putting off, and he knew it was time.

Interestingly, when Monsignor shared with his mother that he had decided to go to the seminary, her response was not surprise, it was joy. She told him she had been praying for exactly that, and that God had finally answered her prayer. His vocation was not only his own. It was carried in a mother’s prayer long before he acted on it.

On the other hand,  the Catholic Diocese of Bethlehem and Bishop Jan de Groef in particular had also been praying for a shepherd. Thus, now as a priest, Monsignor Phomane responds to this need, and now arrives in Bethlehem not just as a bishop, but again as an answered prayer. First to his mother and now to an entire diocese. This is a reminder that the small steps, the quiet yeses, and the little developments we go through are rarely without purpose. Every opportunity to grow is worth embracing and it may well be preparing us for something far greater than we imagined, as it is in the case of Monsignor Phomane. 

Monsignor’s journey has been marked by a unique and quiet determination in the face of what might appear as delay. He started primary school at the age of eleven, later than most. He entered the seminary older than the typical candidate, and in his first year, he had to combine first and second year philosophy modules and still passed with good grades, regardless of the pressure. What looked like a delay was, in truth, a formation. The Lord was preparing him at his own pace.

Monsignor Phomane was ordained a deacon in September 2011 and a priest on June 30, 2012, by Archbishop Sipuka. It is in his fourteenth year of priesthood that the Lord now calls him to shepherd the Diocese of Bethlehem.

Alongside his pastoral ministry, Monsignor Phomane pursued further studies, each time in response to a need he observed in the diocese. He completed a course in Business Management through the University of South Africa (UNISA), a Licentiate in Canon Law through the Catholic University of East Africa(CUEA), and is currently completing an Honours Degree in Translation Studies, also through UNISA.

These studies were taken up to be of service to the Diocese of Mthatha. And yet, as has been the pattern in his life, what was intended for one place has prepared him for a wider mission. The wisdom he gathered to serve Mthatha, he now carries to Bethlehem.

A Son of Mthatha, a Gift to the Church

The Diocese of Mthatha is a place where one grows regardless of its size. The system of the diocese forms its people well. With this, the diocese is confident that Monsignor Phomane, shaped by its parishes, challenges, synodal journey, and people, is ready for what lies ahead.

Amongst other ministries, he has been part of the synodal process in Mthatha from its early stages, and he carries that spirit of listening and walking together into his new role. His gifts in administration and technology are also well-suited to the demands of leading a diocese in today’s world.

To every young person who cannot yet see how their dreams might be realised, especially in a world where life challenges so often stand in the way, Monsignor Phomane’s story carries a message of hope. Delays are not denials or dead ends. God sees, and God prepares.

The Diocese of Mthatha is proud. Through the person of Monsignor Phomane, the diocese feels seen and noticed by the Divine. Indeed, 2026 has so far been special for the Diocese of Mthatha.

The Catholic Diocese of Bethlehem has indeed gained a good, enlightened and wise shepherd filled with discipline, commitment and authenticity in doing God’s Work.

The Diocese of Mthatha congratulates Monsignor Phomane and wishes him all the graces he is in most need of.