AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Appointment of the Bishop of Kimberley

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI on 23 December, 2010, appointed as Bishop of Kimberley (South Africa), Mons. Abel Gabuza, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Pretoria.
Mons. Abel Gabuza, was born on 23 March, 1955, in Alexandra, in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. After completing his secondary education at St Paul's Minor Seminary in Hammanskraal, he entered the Major Seminary of St Peter, also in Hammanskraal, where he completed his studies in philosophy, before transferring to the National Major Seminary of St John Vianney for complete his theological studies. He was ordained a priest on 15 December 1984 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Pretoria, in the same archdiocese. After ordination he served in the following ministries: 1985-1987: Assistant Parish priest at the parish of St Oliver, in Tweefontein, then at Ndebele Homeland, and in that of St Charles Lwanga, in Soshanguve; 1987-1988: Sent to continue his theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology, University of Berkeley, California (USA), earning a Masters in Theology; 1989-1990: Professor at St Paul Preparatory Seminary, in Hammanskraal; 1991-1994: Rector of the same Preparatory Seminary, which was then transferred to Cape Town and changed its name to St Francis Xavier; 1995-1996: returned as parish priest of St Charles Lwanga, in Soshanguve; 1996-1999: parish priest of Mary Queen at Lyttleton; 1999-2001: Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Pretoria; 2001-2009: parish priest of St Thomas Moore, in Monavoni; since 2009: Apostolic Administrator of Pretoria.
The Diocese of Kimberley (1951), is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein. It covers an area of 123,083 sq.km and a population of 1,968,000 inhabitants, of whom 121,050 are Catholics, distributed in about 250 small communities throughout the Archdiocese. There are 24 diocesan priests, seven Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, five Apostles of Jesus, three Missionaries of St Paul and a Fidei Donum priest. There are also four permanent deacons, seven seminarians and 25 nuns. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 28/12/2010)