The Church in Southern Africa is mourning the death of Bishop Edward Gabriel Risi, Bishop of Keimoes-Upington, who passed away on Thursday morning, 4 December 2025, at the age of 76.

His death followed several months of ill-health; he had been in and out of hospital since May 2025. On Tuesday, 2 December, he was admitted to Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg with a serious heart condition and remained in the Intensive Care Unit until his passing.

Born on 6 January 1949, Bishop Risi entered the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) in 1967 and made his profession the following year. He was ordained a priest on 12 July 1974, beginning a ministry marked by missionary dedication, pastoral gentleness, and a profound love for the Church’s liturgical life.

In July 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Keimoes-Upington, a diocese he would shepherd faithfully for twenty-five years. He was ordained bishop on 14 October 2000, becoming one of the most active and respected contributors to the life of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC).

A Passionate Liturgist and Teacher

Bishop Risi’s legacy is inseparable from his deep passion for the Church’s Liturgy. Within the SACBC, he served in several key capacities, including as Chairperson of the Department for Christian Formation, Liturgy and Culture, and later as the Third Episcopal Member of the Department for Ecumenism. He also played an important role in the ongoing formation of exorcists in the Southern African region.

He is remembered as a meticulous and insightful teacher whose work ensured that the SACBC remained among the global leaders in implementing updated liturgical norms. Under his guidance, the Conference introduced the New English Roman Missal even before its widespread publication and consistently maintained up-to-date liturgical texts and norms.

His careful and thorough preparation for the SACBC’s 2023 Ad Limina visit contributed to one of the Conference’s most productive engagements with the Dicastery for Divine Worship—widely regarded as a reflection of his diligence, clarity, and deep respect for the Church’s liturgical tradition.

Promoter of Formation and Evangelization

Beyond liturgy, Bishop Risi dedicated himself to the ongoing formation of the laity and clergy. The department he led regularly produced resources and facilitated workshops, promoting an integrated approach to Christian formation that was both culturally attentive and firmly rooted in the mystery of faith.

He was instrumental in drafting the SACBC Pastoral Plan launched in 2020, a significant initiative aimed at renewing evangelization and strengthening the Catholic laity. Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the global Synod process shifted attention in the years that followed, many within the Conference continue to regard Bishop Risi’s work on the Plan as a foundational roadmap for pastoral renewal in the region.

A Bishop of Steady Zeal

As one of the longest-serving bishops in the Conference, Bishop Risi was admired for his quiet perseverance, clarity of thought, and fidelity to the Church’s liturgical heritage. He remained deeply committed to ensuring that worship never lost its sense of sacred mystery—an increasingly urgent concern for him in his later years.

Final Witness

Bishop Risi’s passing leaves a significant gap in the liturgical and pastoral life of the Church in Southern Africa, but his legacy endures—in diocesan formation programmes, in the SACBC’s liturgical life, and in the many people he inspired with his devotion to the beauty and depth of the Church’s prayer.