Archbishop of Cape Town:
• Born in Welkom on 24 September 1956.
• Schooling at St Agnes’ Convent, Welkom and CBC, Welkom
• Seminary: Philosophy at St John Vianney, Pretoria and Theology at the Missionary Institute, London
• Ordained a priest on 19 November 1983.
• Ordained Bishop of Kroonstad on 28 January 2007.
• Installed as Archbishop of Cape Town on 7 February 2010, on the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt, the patronal feast of the Archdiocese of Cape Town.
• Awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Pastoral Leadership by the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas, USA on 5 May 2023.
• Announced as a Cardinal by Pope Francis at the pope’s Angelus address in Rome on 9 July 2023.
The Coat-of-Arms of Archbishop Brislin:
The Coat-of-Arms of Archbishop Brislin expresses his motto Veritas in Caritate – truth in love, taken from Ephesians 4:15.
The centre is the empty cross of the resurrected Christ, from which all life comes. The rising sun is the promise of eternal life.
The brown represents the dryness of certain parts of the Free State where the Archbishop has his roots, and also represents life without Christ, since fruitfulness and life come through the cross.
This life is depicted by the people, the Acacia tree, the maize, the wheat and the grapes – also representing the Western Cape and reminding us of the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Basotho hat reflects the majority of the people to whom the Archbishop ministered and also the “crown” of Kroonstad.
The thistle represents the maternal roots of the Archbishop, namely Scotland. The shamrock represents the paternal roots of the Archbishop, namely Ireland.