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Reginald Joseph Orsmond was born in Troyeville, Johannesburg on 18th January, 1931, when the world was in the the grip of the Great Depression. These two circumstances of his birth influenced the shape of his life and his dicisions. His father was a carpenter and all his life Father Orsmond empathised with the working people.

He was baptised at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Bez Valley in Johannesburg and spent a year at the Convent School next door to the Parish. He later attended Jeppe Boys High School where he distinguished himself as a Catholic. He also did well on the rugby field. His parents' home was always open to his chums, especially to those who had nowhere else to go on a particular day.

Reg heard the first call to the priesthood when he saw the film about Father Flanagan of Boys Town and it was not a surprise when, upon completing school, he asked to be admitted to the new seminary in Pretoria, to study for the Catholic Priesthood. Father Reg Orsmond was ordained on 8th December, 1954.

Father Orsmond's first years as a priest were spent in Moroka and his mentor was a tough German Oblate, Father Paulsen. In due course he was transferred to St James' Mission, in Magaliesburg, where a flourishing school run by the Oakford Dominican Sisters had been closed because of the Group Areas Act. Father Orsmond saw the opportunity and approached Bishop Hugh Boyle about starting a Boys Town. Bishop Boyle considered the idea as foolhardy.

With the support of the Dominican Sisters and some of the neighbours, however, Boys Town came into being with a group of boys from Nazareth House in Yeoville, moving out to St James Mission, Magaliesburg in January, 1958.

Fr Orsmond's extraordinary rapport with the boys - mainly committed to his care by the Courts, his conviction that Father Flanagan's Boys Town recipe could work in Magaliesburg and his ability to touch the hearts and purses of other people with his enthusiasm, led to the establishment of the great institution that we know to-day.

The Vatican Council did not leave him untouched. When the first South African Council of Priests was established to address the growing effects of the revolt against apartheid within the clergy, Fr Reg Orsmond was appointed the first chairman by Archbishop Fitzgerald, president of the SACBC (South African Catholic Bishops Conference) at the time. This was a very sensitive appointment and Fr Orsmond handled the meetings with great skill and was subsequently the elected chairman, for at least one term of office, of the South African Council of Priests.

To Bishop Boyle's successor, Archbishop Joseph Fitzgerald, OMI, Boys Town at the end of the 1970's was a wonderful success story - as indeed it was. It was not surprising that the same archbishop should promote Fr R J Orsmond to the position of Vicar General of the Diocese of Johannesburg in 1980. When Archbishop Fitzgerald was laid low by ill-health, Fr Reg became Bishop R J Orsmond, Auxiliary Bishop on 14th May 1983 and on 23rd September, 1984, by the Grace of God, installed as Bishop of Johannesburg.

Pictures of Bishop Orsmond at that time show a splendid episcopal figure, with a heart and a smile as large as himself. He managed to steer the Diocese through the stormy seas of apartheid laws and the freedom struggle, keeping an eye on Boys Town at the same time. But it was not easy: The Catholic Diocese was not Boys Town and meeting the needs of priests and pastors in the post-Vatican Church required clever footwork. He never ceased being Father Orsmond of Boys Town and never lost his touch with young people on the streets of Johannesburg or around the Cathedral. He was able to treat them with dignity and both he and they felt at ease with one another.

He put his past experience to great use in raising funds for the Church: He established the Catholic Education Fund to up-grade the Diocesan Schools in the Townships to make sure that they would receive the maximum subsidy possible from the State. The fund-raisers had him join them in the "project door-knock" asking the Catholic business people for donations. He afterwards admitted that he found it incredibly embarrassing.

In the early 1990's Bishop Orsmond underwent a multiple heart by-pass operation and that, together with sugar diabetes, slowed him down, despite his great desire to do as much as possible. He succeeded in coping with his physical limitations by learning to delegate responsibilities to his Vicars; and when women were the best choice, he did not hesitate to appoint them. His achievements are remarkable: The Diocesan Schools were by now on a sound footing with subsidies paid by the State. New churches were being built to meet the needs of the influx of people following the 1994 elections; vocations to the priesthood were on the increase; religious communities were welcomed to the Diocese. On a visit to Rome, he persuaded the Pauline Sisters to relieve the Diocese of the ailing Catholic Bookshop. Diocesan structures were put in place with a splendid team of Episcopal Vicars, a Council of Priests, and Regional and a Diocesan Pastoral Councils.

The huge gap between the affluent and the disadvantaged parishes was a great source of scandal for him and eventually, he established the Sharing Fund from a levy on all capital undertakings in the established parishes of the Diocese to provide facilities for the new communities. All this took its toll on his physical and emotional energies and he became very unsteady on his feet. He fell once too often on 17th April 2002, on a Day of Prayer with his priests and he did not recover from its effects. The Great Man died in Kenridge Hospital on the morning of Pentecost Sunday, 19th May, 2002.

Attacks on Bishop Reg.

Recently, Oct '07, I have read stories related to Bishop Reg's alleged misconduct at Boys'Town.  I am appauled.  I met Reg in 1984 when I did a series of renewals in some dioceses of RSA.  I found him to be one of the nicest and congenial persons and men of God I have ever met in my life.  I pray these stories are false and wonder why such scandal could arise, five years after the death of this great apostle.  I pray also that all be settled in the peace and love of Chrsit.  Rev. Malcolm Smith

-- Malcolm Smith on October 08, 2007 08:15 AM (view details)

Boys Town was the best.

I spent five years with Father Orsmond at Boys Town. (1969-1974)
Most of my school holidays I spent with him at Munster.
I refuse to accept these allegations of abuse. Father was the kindest person I have ever met and is surely responsible for saving hundreds of us from a rather sad life. I dont believe it was possible for any abuse to happen and not one person to come forward in all the years that I was there, or to even notice something otu of the ordinary. Let this sick man stand forth and prove his allegations to all of us who new Father best.I wonder just how much money he hopes to get out of this book deal?

-- Armand Taalman on November 14, 2007 09:22 AM (view details)

The allegations are true.

I was at Boystown in 1962/3 and was one of the boys abused by Reginald Orsmond.  No matter how much "good" he did - it doesn't alter the fact that he was a paedophile.

-- Mike Grant on September 10, 2008 02:30 AM (view details)

I challenge you!

As one of the earlier boys at Boys Town I had the great fortune to know Father Orsmond, an icon in our time.

I had the great misfortune of knowing the boy who accused Father of misconduct, but, since he and I are both authors of published books, let the truth now be told, even at the risk of being sued, (which I believe is unlikely, because the real truth will be more compelling than any accusations that have been made).

FATHER ORSMOND, THE MAN AND THE PRIEST.

A large priest, surrounded by four younger boys who were wearing swimming trunks and carrying towels, walked towards us. Upon reaching us, the boys greeted us, warmly shaking our hands before they walked on towards the swimming pool. It was particularly remarkable that during the first few minutes of our arrival, we had been met by well-mannered, respectful and confident youths, who appeared every bit as proud and stable as any of the children in the most highly respected private schools in the country.
Father Orsmond came up to us. “Hello, Margery,” he greeted, smiling as he folded her small hand in his great fist. “I do hope you had a pleasant trip… Frankie,” he continued, shaking my hand. “Welcome. We have been looking forward to meeting you.” He was a tall, large and likeable man who chain-smoked Rothmans Plain cigarettes and had a calm, ready smile. Although he conveyed an impression of tremendous inner calm and piety, he had a mischievous look about him and at the same time he sized us up with noticeably keen intelligence.  He had scrupulously studied each of his charges’ lifelong history before accepting them into the fine school. His reputation preceded him worldwide and his sincere compassion for the boys, whom he ferociously protected, was legendary. He was famous for frequently challenging anybody who dared accuse a Boys Town boy of having been a delinquent. The gentle giant’s conviction that ‘A boy is a boy, but there is no such thing as a bad boy’ remained his lifelong slogan and he maintained that the boys were not problem children, but that they were the sons of problem parents. Addressing me he said, “Frankie, let Johnny and Holger introduce you to the other boys and show you around, we’ll go for a walk after you’ve seen your room.”
“Goodbye Nurse Marge,” I said, embracing her and kissing her lightly on the cheek. “I’ll never forget all you and Kenneth have done for me.” It was the very last time I saw her after my actual arrival at Boys Town, the school in which she and Kenneth were both instrumental in having me enrolled.

A particular characteristic of Father Orsmond was that he would never call a boy to his office if he needed to talk to him, whatever the reason, because he considered it too officious, instead, he would stroll around on the grounds, puffing his ever-present cigarette and when he found the boy, he would walk along conversing with him. He always had the time to hear his kids and any boy could approach him at any time for any reason and he even took his meals with the boys and treated them as his equals. He greatly respected the boys under his care and I would come to realise, that he would never refer to any of the boys’ backgrounds when speaking to them or to anybody else. To him, the past was truly the past. Later that afternoon, he and I walked towards the farm area, which was normally out-of-bounds.
“Frankie,” he said, “If you look around you, you’ll see that everything is built well.” He paused, “What we built, we built imperfectly, but we built it together. On the other hand, what God built is perfect and our young gentlemen here, are the creation of God and are thus perfect in their souls. I would be most happy if you remember that and become a part of our community.” He did not need to say more, because his cryptic message already had a deep, healing effect upon me.
Walking a long distance around the school and farm area, we proceeded along the road at the foot of the mountain, toward the further entrance to the property and all the while, the larger-than-life, celebrity priest, patiently and intricately explained the operation of the school’s system. The infrastructure of the institution was as precise as a finely tuned clock, where Father Orsmond was the chair, but acted only as an advisor to the Scholar Council. He was also our parish priest and confessor.

MY FELLOW AUTHOR

What a surprising claim you have lodged, my friend. Don't we both know that you had long since, completed your schooling, but chose by your own volition, to remain at Boys Town for several years afterwards? Don't we both know that you abused the compassion that Father offered, by not forcing you to leave and make a decent living through labour? Don't we both know that you were parasitic, and found life in Boys Town convenient, so that you would not need to work, because Boys Town would always be there to help you?

You have waited until after Father's demise (MHDSRIP), to announce to a gullible world, that he was a paedophile. That is characteristic of you, because I know you so well that I can not other than have recognised that cowardly trait in you, since the day that we first met.

When you and I conversed telephonically, after you had shamed all of us and most importantly, the most honourable person that you had ever known, you tried to convince me that your claims were true. In real truth, your claims were the product of an ill mind and a demonic soul.

You have all of my contact details, so if you wish, you can challenge me, as I do you.

May you repent before it is too late. You still have some time to admit that you were simply taking advantage of the hype surrounding some priests. Father was not guilty. We both know that.

Yes, it's me, Frankie Panaino.

-- Frankie Panaino on February 06, 2011 09:17 PM (view details)