Credit: SACBC
Like a shield, as recalled in Ephesians 6:16, the Coat of Arms symbolises the safeguarding of faith and the faithful transmission of the Gospel from one generation to the next.
The Coat of Arms affirms continuity, reminding the people of God that the work of the hierarchy is part of an unbroken apostolic tradition serving the Church in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa.
People with raised arms - Synodality
Prominently featured are figures with raised arms, representing the people of God in their unity, diversity, and joy.
(Story continues below)
These figures embody the vision articulated in the November 1964 Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium: a Church that listens, walks together, celebrates, and discerns in communion.
The varied colours of the people with raised arms recall the event of Pentecost, pointing to the richness of cultures and peoples brought together by the Holy Spirit across the Southern African region.
The imagery of the people with raised arms underscores a synodal Church in which Bishops, Clergy, members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL), and Laity share responsibility for mission.
Botswana, Eswatini and South Africa’s national flags
The inclusion of the national flags of Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa grounds the 75th Anniversary logo in concrete realities. These flags honour the three nations within the pastoral territory of the SACBC and affirm the Church’s incarnational presence in each context.
The flags speak to a long-standing commitment to human dignity, justice, peace, and solidarity, particularly amid the historical and contemporary challenges that have impacted the people of God in the three countries.
The boat – the Church as the Barque of Peter
At the base of the logo is the image of a boat, an ancient Christian symbol of the Church as the Barque of Peter.
Credit: SACBC
Drawing on the Gospel account of the disciples crossing stormy waters with Jesus Christ (Mark 4:35–41), the boat represents mission, pilgrimage, and trust. It conveys a people of God who continues to sail forward through uncertainty, guided by the person of Jesus Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
The colour green – Life, growth, and renewal
The colour green features prominently throughout the design, symbolising life, growth, and renewal.
The colour green resonates with the call of the May 2015 Encyclical Letter of the late Pope Francis on care for our common home, Laudato Si’, highlighting ecological responsibility as both a moral and spiritual imperative. In this sense, the logo links care for creation with care for the poor and with responsibility towards future generations, integrating environmental concern into the Church’s broader mission.
The 75th Anniversary theme – Walking together in faith
The anniversary theme, displayed as a banner within the logo, reads: “Walking Together in Faith: Towards Synodality and Sustainability.”
Credit: SACBC
This phrase captures the heart of the jubilee. “Walking together” reflects the synodal journey inspired by the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), while “sustainability” extends that journey into ecological discipleship and responsible stewardship of God’s creation.
“A communal arc” – Unity in diversity
Taken as a whole, the logo forms a communal arc that evokes the Body of Christ – a people of God united yet diverse, rooted in history yet oriented towards the future.
Credit: SACBC
The logo celebrates not simply an institutional anniversary, but a shared pilgrimage of grace.
As members of the SACBC have explained in the January 17 report, the 75th Anniversary logo “is not simply a commemorative symbol, but a visual homily – a proclamation of a Church grounded in apostolic shepherding, enriched by its people, committed to mission, and journeying together in faith towards synodality and sustainability.”
In marking 75 years of the Southern African Hierarchy, the logo invites the people of God to give thanks for the past, to discern the present, and to walk forward together with hope into the future.
Credit: SACBC
Earlier, Stephen Cardinal Brislin of South Africa’s of Johannesburg Catholic Archdiocese described the 75th Anniversary of the Southern African Hierarchy as a milestone that invites gratitude for the past, honest reflection on hard-won struggles, and renewed hope for the future.
In an interview with the SACBC Communications Officer, Sheila Leocádia Pires, Cardinal Brislin situated the jubilee within the Church’s lived history, its synodal present, and its universal communion under Pope Leo XIV.
Stephen Cardinal Brislin. Credit: SACBC
He said that the hierarchy that refers to the Church structure comprising 26 Dioceses in South Africa, two in Botswana, and one in Eswatini is “something that we must truly be very grateful for today, that we do have that structure that has enabled the Church to grow, and certainly enabled good pastoral care of people in their various Dioceses and Parishes.”
ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.
Credit: SACBC
Credit: SACBC
