Diocese of Masasi
Past & Present
The Anglican Diocese of Masasi is part of the Anglican Communion, a group of Churches world-wide with historic and present links with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In keeping with the best traditions of our Church, we pride ourselves in our ecumenical approach. Co-operative and harmonious relations with other Christian denominations and the Muslim population are fundamental to all we do. All inhabitants are considered part of the communities the diocese aims to serve
Establishment of the Diocese
The diocese was officially inaugurated on 27th September 1926. The diocese is situated in the south-east part of Tanzania and covers 68,000 sq. kms over three regions of Lindi, Mtwara and Ruvuma. See a map here.
In its 97-year history, the Diocese has been divided twice to establish new dioceses of Southwest Tanganyika in 1952 and Newala in 2009.
A large part of the Diocese is densely populated, inhabited mostly by small scale farmers mainly the Makonde, Makua, Mwera and Yao people.
Those who live along the shores of the Indian Ocean and Ruvuma River also practice fishing, using wooden boats and traditional canoes.
More than 85% of land is relatively dry, thus, a severe lack of water is a common phenomenon in the area. The population is # people (2022 census) of which about # people are Christians and out of that # are Anglicans.
Our Roots
The roots of Anglicanism in the area of the Diocese of Masasi go back more than 170 years, and its history is characterised by tremendous growth.
The Diocese of Masasi is one of the historical products of the pioneer appeals for Mission work made by Bishop Selwyn in Great St. Mary’s Cambridge, England, in November 1853. This resulted in Charles Fredrick Mackenzie offering himself for the African Mission. He later became the first Bishop of “the mission to the tribes dwelling in the neighborhood of the Lake Nyasa and the river Shire”.
In 1857, David Livingstone, a Scotch Presbyterian who worked for the “London Missionary Society” as an explorer in “East and Central Africa” made an appeal to the Church of England represented by her two oldest “Universities of Oxford and Cambridge”. His appeal led to the establishment of the “Oxford and Cambridge Mission to Central Africa”, which later became the Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA)”.
As a result of the establishment of the UMCA, the missionaries came to Masasi in obedience to the Great Mission and in the power of the Holy Spirit to make disciples of Jesus Christ. As a result, the Diocese of Masasi was developed and officially inaugurated on 27th September 1926.
Leadership
Since its inception in 1926, the diocese has been under the leaderships of nine (9) Bishops starting with
Bishop William Vincent Lucas: 1926 – 1945
Bishop Leslie Edward Straddling: 1945 – 1952
Bishop William Lewis Markway: 1952 – 1958
Bishop Ernest Urban Travor Huddleston: 1960 – 1968
Bishop Gayo Hilary Chisonga: 1968 - 1983
Bishop Cecil Richard Norgate: 1984–1991
Bishop Christopher Sadiki: 1992-1994
Bishop Patrick Mwachiko: 1996 – 2013
Bishop James Almasi: 2014 -
The Parish System
The Diocese of Masasi is divided into 39 parishes and 230 churches.
In common with Anglican tradition, much decision-making is devolved to church and parish level. At its best, this means that congregations are empowered and energised to respond to local needs.
Congregations engage in their local church and parish matters through various committees that conceive and implement pastoral and local development activities.
The Anglican church hierarchy devolves initiative for many activities to individual churches, so that they can properly represent the needs of local congregations.
The parish system comprises of:
Parishioners who are the lay members of the Parish. They partake of the Sacraments and are encouraged to play an active role in the Parish mission and vision, volunteering in many capacities. They are relied upon to financially support the Parish as a faith community.
A priest who is appointed by the Bishop to be the spiritual and administrative leader of the Parish.
Lay employees who assist the Parish Priest in fulfilling the Parish mission and vision (subdeacon, parish worker responsible for religious education and organist). Parish Secretary, Treasurer, Youth and Women Ministers, Sunday school teachers are voluntary positions.
This parish system guides and explains the way in which parishes are organised to carry out church ministry. As an integral role in developing and maintaining the mission of the church, the system supports the ongoing implementation of the parish vision while using the best use of resources. Through this system congregants believe that full, active and joyful participation at worship is a top priority in every healthy parish. Parishioners know each other through evangelisation that results in socialising with each other, caring for one another and coming together as Church for each other and for others. Christian teachings, learnings and formation (liturgical and devotional prayers, liturgical music, faith sharing and development, lively gatherings for worship, fellowships and services), outreach services, cooperation with people of other faiths and Christian communities are being performed through this parish system.
The Work of the Diocese and Parishes
Abundant local initiatives, irrespective of cost or financial requirement, are testament to a vibrant church and this is why we have made our Centenary Goal 3 reflect this.
While initiatives will often come from individual church level, most decisions are made at the parish level. The parish council is the decision-making body and is made up of representatives (the chair person, treasurer and secretary) from each church.
Five committees are responsible for taking and implementing most decisions:
Evangelism committee – organises evangelism workshops, conferences, bible studies, church choir festivals;
Development committee – supports church organisations (e.g. Mothers Union, Youth Organisation) in implementing projects within parishes;
Education, health and environment committee – supporting churches who might be looking to start a day care centre or Sunday school. The committee coordinates with the relevant Government departments at district level to ensure that relevant permits are acquired.
Finance committee – approves all expenditures at parish level. Also controls income and ensures that money is being used in a way that is transparent.
Construction committee – coordinates with relevant Government department for building permits and works with tradesmen for construction of church buildings (such as residential houses for priests and Sunday school buildings as well as churches).