AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA-Appointment of the Bishop of Queenstown

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI on May 23, 2011 appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Queenstown (South Africa) Rev. do Dabula Anthony Mpako of the clergy of Pretoria, the pastor of St. Thomas Moore, in Monavoni.
Rev.do Dabula Anthony Mpako, was born in Eastern Cape (Diocese of Umtata), on September 6, 1959. In June 1978, he joined the Institute secular Christ the Priest, founded by Fr. André Blais, OMI, in the Diocese of Umzimkulu, and then began his priestly training in 1980 at St. Augustine Major Seminary in Lesotho. He was ordained a priest on June 28, 1986 and incardinated in the Archdiocese of Pretoria. After ordination, he held the following positions: 1986-1987: Assistant Parish of the parish entrusted to the Congregation of the Stigmatine; 1987-1990: Trainer and then Rector at the Preparatory Seminary St. Paul in Hammanskraal; 1991-1994: sent to the U.S. for further studies in Pastoral theology at the University of Loyola; 1994-1998: Rector of the Philosophical Major Seminary St. Peter's, in Garsfontein; 1999-2004: Pastor of the parish of Christ the King and St. Mark, in Mabopane, and Forane Vicar of the North-Western Deanery; 2005-2010: Pastor of St. Columba, in Capital Park; from 2010: Parish of St. Thomas Moore, in Monavoni.
The Diocese of Queenstown, built in 1951, has an area of 25,000 sq.km. and a population of 2,200,000 inhabitants, of whom 52,000 are Catholic. There are 30 parishes, 22 priests (11 diocesans and 11 religious), 26 nuns, four major seminarians and 10 permanent deacons. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 05/23/2011)