CAPE TOWN, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is the ancient vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope, western district, originating in 1847 from the division of what was then the single mission of the Cape, with several successive amputations of territory. It is entrusted to the secular clergy, and a cosmopolitan staff works there, amid no small difficulties, which, moreover, are common to all the missions of southern Africa.

The territory extends over 39,892 sq. km., and has about 600,000 inhabitants, of whom 3/5 are in the capital, C. T., alone; there are very few Orthodox, but Protestants predominate, more than 550,231, and 10,000 are Muslims, while the pagan natives number barely 5,000. According to the statistics of 1947: the priests number 72, a few from all the Congregations: about half are secular. The brothers number 39 and the sisters 353. Catholics number 28,700, catechumens 394. There are 30 convents, 50 schools of various grades with 12,176 pupils, 2 hospitals, 3 dispensaries, 3 orphanages, 4 "hostels." The mission publishes the weekly The Southern Cross, in many thousands of copies circulated throughout southern Africa.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: GM, pp. 271-72; MC, pp. 66-68; Catholic Directory of South Africa, Cape Town 1948, pp. 18-50.

Giovanni B. Tragella

@incollection{ec3_cape_town_vicariato_apostolico, author = {Tragella, Giovanni Battista}, title = {Cape Town, vicariato apostolico di}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {III}, pages = {662}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/cape-town-vicariato-apostolico-di} }

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Cape Town, Apostolic Vicariate of

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