The Australian Church Record: REACH South Africa

On a recent holiday to Cape Town, Mark Earngey interviewed Presiding Bishop of CESA, Des Inglesby over a ‘Red Cappucino’ (a coffee with Rooibos, rather than caffeine).

Bp. Inglesby, can you begin by telling us a little of the history of the Church of England in South Africa (CESA)?

The first Church of England service on record in South Africa was conducted by a Naval Chaplain in 1794. After the British occupation of the Cape in 1806, congregations were formed and churches were built.

In 1847, Robert Gray was appointed as the first Bishop of Cape Town, an appointment which was to have significant consequences for the Church of England already in the Cape Colony. As a result of the Anglo Catholic movement (1833), two Anglican churches came into existence in South Africa. The Church of the Province of South Africa (now known as ACSA Anglican Church of South Africa) was founded by Bishop Gray in 1870.

From 1870 until 1932, Bishop Gray’s successors had no difficulty in acknowledging the existence of the Church of England in South Africa (CESA), both in theory and in practice. The dual position came to an end in 1932 when Archbishop Francis Phelps was consecrated. He was not consecrated in the Church of England in England. He was solely a CPSA / ACSA Bishop.

To read the entire article in the May 2013 issue of The Australian Church Record, click on this link and scroll down to the middle of page 6. You will need a PDF reader to read the article.