Latest News

Back to School Service

On Sunday 5 February the Cathedral welcomed those who teach and those who learn, and parents too, from all over the city, for the annual Back to School service, to pray for the school year ahead, and promise to give of their best. Choirs taking part came from St Andrew’s College, the Diocesan School for Girls and Nombulelo Senior Secondary School, as well as the Cathedral Iimvumi and the Makhanda Kwantu Choir, together with the David Wynne Music School String Orchestra, and the Cathedral Director of Music, Kutlwano Kepadisa, was the conductor. During the service the new Principal of Good Shepherd Primary School, Mr Thulani Wana, was inducted into his post with prayer. The address was by the Cathedral Chancellor Melany Adonis, who is also Chaplain to Good Shepherd School.

Listen to ‘Sizohamba nayo‘, led by the  combined choirs, and the choirs singing ‘An Awesome God‘.

Bishop Ebenezer to retire at the end of July 2023

Bishop Ebenezer Ntlali has announced that he will be retiring as Bishop of Grahamstown with effect from 31 July 2023. To read the full announcement, click here. Bishop Ebenezer was consecrated and installed as Bishop of Grahamstown on 20 September 2008, so he has served as our Bishop for over 14 years. We give thanks to God for his ministry among us, and pray for him and his dear wife Noncedo as they prepare to leave the Diocese.

Ordination of Priests 10 December

It was with great joy that the Cathedral was once again able to host an Ordination service on Saturday 10 December, when Ebenezer Ntlali, Bishop of Grahamstown, ordained 13 priests from all over the Diocese of Grahamstown. These included Siphokazi Njokweni and Luyanda Fete who are licensed at the Cathedral. We give great thanks to God for this wonderful occasion, and pray for blessings on the ministries of the new Priests. For more pictures, see our Gallery.

Advent Carol Service

On the evening of the First Sunday of Advent, 27 November, the Cathedral Consort presented a service of Advent Carols. They sang the traditional Advent Sentences, each of which begins with “O…”. Listen to them singing “O Rex Gentium“. Among unusual Advent carols they sang ‘E’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come‘ by Paul Manz, and ‘Bethlehem Down‘ by Peter Warlock. The Consort was directed by the Cathedral Director of Music, Kutlwano Kepadisa, whose hair was appropriately coloured for the season!

Admission of Church Officers

The Cathedral Parish Councillors were admitted to their office by Dean Mzinzizi Dyantyi on Sunday 20 November at the 9:30 Eucharist Service. They promised to serve the parish faithfully, were anointed and prayed for.

Seen here are Katie Appollis, Rodney Bridger, Mzwandile Bikitsha, Ian Meiklejohn and Nomakwezi Gabavana. Thembi Mjola, Wendy Mfazwe and Churchwarden Renaldo Burger were unable to be present, and were admitted in absentia.

Remembrance Sunday Evensong

On Sunday evening, 13 November, the Cathedral Consort sang a Choral Evensong in remembrance of those who have died in war. The The Canticles were by Thomas Weelkes (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis), and the Responses by Smith of Durham. The Anthem was ‘Greater love hath no man’ by Anne Dudley. For further recordings, see our Video page.

The preacher was John Jackson, whose thought-provoking homily can be read here.

Mothers’ Union Day of Prayer for the Clergy

Sunday 6 November saw the Mothers’ Union of Grahamstown Archdeaconry honouring their clergy with a Day of Prayer in St George’s Hall, Makhanda. At the 9:30 service in the Cathedral a number of MU members were presented with Certificates for having served 25 years – or longer!

A gathering followed for prayers, music and song in the beautifully decorated Hall, in which parishioners joined with the clergy and MU members. The keynote speaker was the Diocesan MU President, Mama Anna Mangaliso. The meeting concluded with a delicious lunch. More pictures can be seen in our Gallery.

Makana Choir School AGM

The Makana Choir School AGM on Sunday 16 October was attended by 15 choristers and parishioners, who stayed after the 9:30 Eucharist service. The following were elected to the Choir School Committee: Chair: Glyn Lloyd-Jones; Secretary: Jessica Lloyd-Jones; Parent Representative: Phumla Cagwe. Cathy Meiklejohn kindly agreed to combine the roles of Treasurer and Fund-raiser for the time being, until she has trained a new Fund-raiser to take her place. Also elected to the Committee were the Revd Melany Adonis and Jonathan Hughes. Maggy Clarke, who had been Secretary of the Committee since the inception of the Choir School in 2009, stepped down from the Committee and was warmly thanked. The following are ex officio Committee members: The Director of Music (Kutlwano Kepadisa), the Dean (Mzinzisi Dyantyi), the Choir Chaplain (the Revd Siphokazi Njokweni) and the Head Choristers, who at present are Ambesa Cagwe and Siyolise Sandi. To read Glyn Lloyd-Jones’s Chairman’s Report, click here.

Archdeaconry Confirmation

We waited so long! Now, we praise God, the Cathedral was again able to host an Archdeaconry Confirmation service. On the afternoon of Sunday 11 September 2022 Ebenezer Ntlali, Bishop of Grahamstown, confirmed candidates from the parishes of St Augustine’s, St Clement’s and the Cathedral. Some of the candidates had begun their Confirmation Preparation in 2020 – but then Covid intervened!

Cathedral candidates with Bishop Ebenezer and Canon Melany Adonis who prepared them for Confirmation: Uvuyo Mvaphantsi, Kaede Bridger, Sadie Bartis, Zakhirah Pillay, Alulutho Ntapane and Bayanda Mthetho.

Death of former Churchwarden

Michael Whisson, a former Churchwarden and Lay Minister at the Cathedral, who recently moved to Cape Town with his wife Adrienne, died on Sunday 14 August. We give thanks to God for Michael’s life of service in many fields, academic, civic, and in this Cathedral. Prayers are asked for Adrienne and all his family.

On leaving the Cathedral parish, Michael had made a point of following our former Chancellor of the Cathedral, Claire Nye Hunter, and joining her congregation at St Thomas’s Rondebosch. So it was Claire who ministered to Michael and the family during his last days. A Requiem Mass for Michael was held on Wednesday afternoon, 24 August at 14h30 in St Thomas’s Church. The Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Thabo Makgoba, presided, and the preacher and officiant was the Revd Dr Claire Nye Hunter. The service was live-streamed, and can still be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/groups/345127422184986

Organ Scholar ‘organises’ Organ Crawl

Our enterprising Cathedral Organ Scholar, Jonathan Hughes, has been inspired by the number of interesting and historic pipe organs in the city of Makhanda, and has arranged a series of recitals with short talks, to take place on alternate Saturday afternoons.

The first afternoon of the ‘Organ Crawl’ series on Saturday 20 August was a tremendous success. Despite cold weather and pouring rain, an interested crowd turned out to visit the 1872 Gray and Davison organ in St Bartholomew’s Church and the pre-1837 Hill chamber organ in Wesley Church. They heard the history of the instruments, and enjoyed short recitals by Christiaan Carstens, organist of the N G Kerk in Humansdorp, retired Professor Albert Troskie who has written scholarly works on the organs of South Africa, and Jon Hughes himself.

To hear Jon playing the third movement Sonata No. 5 by Felix Mendessohn-Bartholdy on the St Bartholomew’s organ, click here. To hear Christaan Carstens playing the Wesley Church organ, click here. 

The next episode of the Organ Crawl took place on Saturday 3 September, beginning at the N G Kerk and continuing at Trinity Presbyterian Church.