Saturday 21 November 2009 was an historic day in the life of the Church of England in S.A. and especially in KwaZulu Natal. For the first time in the history of the church an Indian man was consecrated as a bishop of C.E.S.A. A graduate of the Bible Institute of S.A. in Kalk Bay Raj has in recent years been the Rector of Christ Church Newlands, north of Durban. In addition he has served as a Bishop’s Chaplain in KZN.

Raj has also run an A.I.D.S. clinic on the premises of the Church and his witness has been widely felt in Newlands. One of the highlights of the consecration service which was held at Christ Church, Pinetown, was the tributes paid to Raj by members of the ministers’ fraternal in the Newlands area. They spoke of his commitment to the Gospel and to the Word of God.

The service was conducted by the presiding Bishop of C.E.S.A, Bp. Frank Retief and he was assisted by Bps. Warwick Cole-Edwardes, Desmond Inglesby and Jeremiah Ngubane. In addition there were more than twenty presbyters present who participated in the service.