Archbishop Buti Tlhagale

“To the priests, religious and people of the Diocese of Johannesburg, I have been called to serve you. I kindly request you to allow me to serve you. I kindly request that you help me to serve you“. Installation Homily, 29 June 2003

His Grace was appointed Archbishop of Bloemfontein on 13 January 1999 and ordained and installed Archbishop of Bloemfontein on 10 April 1999. He was transferred to the Diocese of Johannesburg on the 8th of April 2003, with the title Archbishop-Bishop of Johannesburg. He was installed as Bishop of Johannesburg on the 29th of June 2003, at Ellis Park Rugby Stadium. On the 5th of June 2007, when the Diocese of Johannesburg became an Archdiocese, he was appointed the First Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

He matriculated at Inchanga High School, near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
In 1967 he entered the novitiate of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at Villa Maria, Quthing, Lesotho.
In 1968 he entered the Mater Jesu Scholasticate in Roma in Lesotho, where he obtained a BA Degree in 1967 at the University of Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland in 1972.
He studied Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome between 1972 and 1976.
He was ordained to the Prieshood by Archbishop Fanyana Butelezi in 1976 and worked in the Soweto community, servicing at Our Lady of Fatima in Dube, 1979 – 1984, Our Lady of Mercy in Emdeni, 1984 – 1989, Christ the King in Orlando East, 1989 – 1999.
Archbishop Buti Tlhagale has been a visiting lecturer at St Joseph’s Scholasticate in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal. He taught philosophy at St Peter’s Major Seminary in Hammanskraal and has written extensively on Theology, Inculturation and Labour matters.
He worked in the Justice and Peace Department of the South African Council of Churches in 1979 – 1980.
He served as Secretary General of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) , 1995 – 1999.
He was ordained Archbishop of Bloemfontein in 1999 and appointed Bishop of Johannesburg in 2003.
He was Grand Chancellor of St Augustine College of South Africa, the Catholic University in Victory Park, Johannesburg.
On June 5, 2007, The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, raised the Diocese of Johannesburg to the status of a Metropolitan Archdiocese and appointed the Most Reverend Buti Joseph Tlhagale, OMI, as its first Metropolitan Archbishop.

Appointment date: Appointed Archbishop of Bloemfontein on 13 January 1999. He was installed as Bishop of Johannesburg on 29 June 2003, with the title Archbishop-Bishop of Johannesburg. On 5 June 2007, when the Diocese of Johannesburg became an Archdiocese, he was appointed the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Ordination date: 10 April 1999 as Archbishop of Bloemfontein

Coat of Arms and Motto: Called to serve

Predecessors:
- Auxiliary Bishop/ Bishop Reginald Orsmond Diocese of Johannesburg 1983 – 2002
- Archbishop Joseph Fitzgerald OMI – Bishop of Johannesburg 1976 – 1983
- Archbishop Peter Fanyana Butelezi OMI Auxiliary Bishop of Johannesburg 1972 – 1975
- Bishop Hugh Boyle 1954 – 1976 Bishop of Johannesburg
- Bishop William Patrick Whelan OMI Bishop of Johannesburg
- Bishop David O’Leary OMI 1925 – 1958 Vicar Apostolic of the Transvaal
- Bishop Charles Cox OMI 1914 – 1924 Vicar Apostolic of the Transvaal
- Bishop William Miller OMI 1904 – 1912 Vicar Apostolic of the Transvaal
- Bishop Charles Jolivet OMI 1874 – 1903 Vicar Apostolic of Natal
- Bishop JF Allard OMI 1850 Vicar Apostolic of Natal
History of the Diocese:
Discovery of gold and early Johannesburg churches. The history of the archdiocese of Johannesburg begins with the discovery of gold. In 1886 gold was discovered on the farm ‘Langlaagte’ and soon after President Kruger declared the fields a “public digging”. The immediate effect of this was the arrival of hundreds and then thousands of prospectors who came to seek their fortunes. Almost overnight, a vast tented camp sprung up, known as Ferreira’s Camp. As the population increased, visits were made by Oblate priests from Pretoria and arrangements were made to say Mass for the Catholics among the prospectors. On 20 th February 1887 Fr Leopold Trabaud recorded in his diary: “I said the first Mass that has ever been celebrated on this plateau, open veld up to the present. A reed hut, the bakery of the camp, is put at my disposal by Mr Whelan of Bloemfontein. There were thirty-three Catholics present.” The exact site of this first Mass is lost to us, but it took place somewhere to the west of the present-day City Hall building, now occupied by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. A few months after the first Mass was said, Fr Monginoux travelled from Pretoria to take up residence on the goldfields. His diary entry noted: “the town they are building is to be called Johannesburg.” Early conditions continued to be primitive, and subsequent Masses were said in a variety of different places, one Sunday a storeroom, the next a stable. However, the tented camp progressed very quickly into an orderly city with buildings made of wood and iron. Thanks to the generosity of the miners, Fr Monginoux was able to procure land and build the first Catholic church in Johannesburg. He acquired a stand on the corner of Fox and Small streets and in August 1887 a small church with a three roomed dwelling for the priest on one side and a temporary convent and school room adjoining was opened. Fr Stephen Hammer OMI was appointed the first parish priest. The neighborhood around this site was still bare veld. Very soon these buildings proved inadequate, and the decision was taken to allow the first church building to be taken over completely by the school and to build a new church. Land was acquired on the corner of Main and von Wielligh streets and the new church was opened in 1891.

The establishment of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg
In 2003, Archbishop-Bishop Buti Tlhagale was installed as Bishop of Johannesburg and on 5 June 2007, when the Diocese became an Archdiocese, he was appointed the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. Despite its late arrival on the missionary scene, the Catholic church has shown remarkable signs of growth in the twentieth century. Long seen as a foreign church, it has now gained influence in all sectors of society. At least 8% of the South African population is Catholic and about 80% of its members are Black. In the Archdiocese of Johannesburg today the Catholic population is 918 456 out of a total population of 9 220 00016.
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