TANZANIA: Pope Francis Elevates Mbeya to Archdiocese; Bishop Nyaisonga is First Metropolitan Archbishop
The Holy Father Pope Francis has promoted the Catholic Diocese of Mbeya to be the Archdiocese and has appointed Bishop Gervas Nyaisonga to be the Archbishop of Mbeya Archdiocese.
Information from the Secretary General Office at Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) states that the Metropolitan See of Mbeya includes Sumbawanga Diocese, Iringa Diocese and Mbeya itself. The archbishop-elect who is also the current President of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), was the Bishop of Mpanda Diocese up to this appointment.
According to the 2018 statistics of the Catholic Church in Tanzania, the Archdiocese of Mbeya has 48 parishes, 73 priests, 15 Religious priests, 15 Religious men and 299 Religious women.
The Archbishop-elect, Most Rev. Nyaisonga has said that he is thankful to God for his blessings to him, adding that it has always been his desire to serve God and his people since when he was a little boy, and he looks at this appointment as a consequence of that desire.
“I respect the call of God to serve him, first as a priest, later as bishop, and now as archbishop. I thank my parents who nurtured me and brought me up, sent me to school. Later I joined the seminary and was ordained a priest; a bishop; now archbishop. They have contributed a lot to me becoming who I am today,” he said.
“I also thank the late Bishops James Sangu and Late Bishop Evaristo Chengula who formed me and made me who I am today. I thank all the Catholic bishops in Tanzania for their spirit of cooperation, understanding and brotherhood in serving the Church. I thank my brother priests, both Religious men and women, the laity who have always supported me in this service,” he said, adding that he also also thanks St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) for promoting his talents and helping him to recognize his talents and giftedness and became a better person in the services.
Most Rev. Gervas Nyaisonga was born on November 3, 1966, in Bunda District, Mara Region. After his primary and secondary studies, in Mbeya and Sumbawanga, he joined Kibosho Major Seminary for Philosophy in Moshi-Kilimanjaro Region (in 1989), and later proceeded to Segerea Major Seminary in Dar es Salaam for Theology after which he was ordained a priest by Late Bishop James Sangu on July 11, 1996.
Upon his ordination, he served in various places in Mbeya Diocese. He served at Itumba Parish and at Mbalizi Minor Seminary. From 1998 to 2001 he went for higher education studies at University of Dar es Salaam-Tanzania, where he was awarded his first Degree in Education. After the studies, he worked as a teacher at Panda Hill Secondary School, from 2001 to 2006. From 2006 to 2009 he went for post-graduate studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, where he was rewarded Master degree in Social Sciences. From 2009 to 2011 he was Assistant lecturer at St. Augustine University of Tanzania, SAUT, located in Mwanza.
In August 2010, he was sent to Germany for higher education from where on 9 January 2011 he received a call from the Vatican Ambassador in Tanzania, informing him that Holy Father Benedict XVI has appointed him bishop of Dodoma Diocese. He was installed Bishop of Dodoma on 19th March 2011 where he served until February 17, 2014 when Pope Francis appointed him as Bishop of Mpanda Diocese. He served Mpanda Diocese from May 3, 2014 up to this time when Pope Francis has appointed him to be the Archbishop of Mbeya Archdiocese.
The elevation of Mbeya to status of Archdiocese, and his appointment as first archbishop of Mbeya Archdiocese comes barely after a month since the death of Bishop Evaristo Chengula, on November 21, 2018 upon which the Diocese of Mbeya fell vacant.
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By Sarah Pelaji
