Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Fr Amos Mabuti Masemola as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Kroonstad.

Until his appointment, Monsignor Masemola served as Second Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Pretoria and as Parish Priest of St Thomas More, Monavoni.

Born on 6 March 1978, Monsignor Masemola was ordained a priest on 3 June 2007. The 47-year-old Bishop-elect received his formation at St Paul’s La Rochelle in Johannesburg, St Peter’s Seminary in Pretoria, and completed his theological studies at St John Vianney Seminary, Pretoria, where he obtained a Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) in 2006. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Christian Spirituality from the Catholic University of East Africa in 2016.

Throughout his priestly ministry, Mons Masemola has served in various pastoral assignments, including the Maboloka/Lethlabile Pastoral Districts (diaconate), Kwa Mahlanga Pastoral District, St Vincent Parish, Tembisa, and as Administrator of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. He later became the Parish Priest of St Thomas More Parish, Monavoni.

In addition to parish ministry, he has held several key leadership roles in the Archdiocese of Pretoria, including Consultor, Chancellor, Vicar General, and Bursar. He is also a Lecturer in Christian Spirituality at St John Vianney Seminary and serves as Archdiocesan Chaplain of the Sodality of the Sacred Heart.

Diocese of Kroonstad

The Diocese of Kroonstad has been vacant since the resignation of Bishop Peter Holiday in December 2022. According to 2023 Church statistics, the diocese serves 48,487 Catholics within a total population of 938,011, highlighting the pastoral mission and evangelising responsibility now entrusted to the new bishop.

With this appointment, the Holy Father entrusts Bishop-elect Amos Mabuti Masemola with the pastoral care of the people of God in Kroonstad, marking a new chapter in the life of the local Church in the Free State and the wider Catholic community in Southern Africa.