About Us——

The Emmanuel Cathedral or simply the Cathedral of Durban, is the name given to the Catholic Church which is located at 48 Cathedral Road in the heart of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

Emmanuel Cathedral replaced the nearby St Joseph’s church as the seat of Durban’s bishop. St Joseph’s, built in 1875, was dismantled and rebuilt in Greyville (today it is the Sao Jose church of the Portuguese community).

The first stone of the cathedral was laid by Bishop Charles Jolivet in January 1902, and it was officially dedicated in November 1904. In 2024 the historic Cathedral marked the milestone of 120 years.  In  over a century it has served as the seat of only four ordinaries: Bishop Henri Delalle, Archbishop Denis Hurley, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier (for just over two years with the late coadjutor Archbishop Abel Gabuza), and current incumbent Archbishop Siegfried Mandla Jwara, CMM.  

The Archbishop appointed Reverend Father David Sithole as the Administrator with Rev. Fr. Nkazimulo Shange appointed as an assistant. The Parish Administrator is supported by a Parish Council, and other Representatives of various Sodalities and Formations of the church. The Emmanuel Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop and the mother church of the Archdiocese. The ‘cathedra’ or bishop’s chair from which he presides over liturgical functions, is the origin of the word ‘Cathedral’. 

The Cathedral community remains the blessed, vibrant and diverse one. The Saturday and Sunday Masses are celebrated in two languages – isiZulu and English – though use is also made of other languages because of the growing number of refugees and immigrants making up part of the a regular attendance of over 2500. Most of the Cathedral’s parishioners.

Our History—-

The Emmanuel Cathedral or simply the Cathedral of Durban, is the name given to the Catholic Church which is located at 48 Cathedral Road in the heart of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. 

Emmanuel Cathedral replaced the nearby St Joseph’s church as the seat of Durban’s bishop. St Joseph’s, built in 1875, was dismantled and rebuilt in Greyville (today it is the Sao Jose church of the Portuguese community). 

The first stone of the cathedral was laid by Bishop Charles Jolivet in January 1902, and it was officially dedicated in November 1904. In 2024 the historic Cathedral marked the milestone of 120 years. 

In over a century it has served as the seat of only four ordinaries: Bishop Henri Delalle, Archbishop Denis Hurley, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier (for just over two years with the late coadjutor Archbishop Abel Gabuza), and current incumbent Archbishop Siegfried Mandla Jwara, CMM. 

The Archbishop appointed Reverend Father David Sithole as the Administrator with Rev. Fr. Nkazimulo Shange appointed as an assistant. 

The Parish Administrator is supported by a Parish Council, and other Representatives of various Sodalities and Formations of the church. 

The Emmanuel Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop and the mother church of the Archdiocese. 

The ‘cathedra’ or bishop’s chair from which he presides over liturgical functions, is the origin of the word ‘Cathedral’. The Cathedral community remains the blessed, vibrant and diverse one. 

The Saturday and Sunday Masses are celebrated in two languages – isiZulu and English – though use is also made of other languages because of the growing number of refugees and immigrants making up part of the a regular attendance of over 2500. Most of the Cathedral’s parishioners.