The Diocese of Lesotho is a diocese in the

Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...

. It comprises the entire nation of

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

. It is divided in three archdeaconries, Central Lesotho, Northern Lesotho and Southern Lesotho. The former bishop is

Adam Taaso __NOTOC__ Adam Mallane Taaso was the bishop of Lesotho from 2008 until 2020. He resigned his see due to health reason. Taaso was educated at the National University of Lesotho. He was a priest in the Diocese of Lesotho The Diocese of Lesotho ...

, in office since 2008 until 2020. The new elected bishop the Right Revd Dr Vicentia Kgabe was installed on the 5th of December 2021.

History

was originally included in the Anglican Diocese of the Free State but became an independent diocese in 1950, still with the name of

Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), th ...

. His first bishop was

John Maund John William Maund (c.1876 – c.1962) was a rugby union player who represented Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of ...

, who would be in office from 1950 to 1976. Upon the independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1966, the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Lesotho. The seat of the diocese is the Cathedral of St Mary and St James in

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...

List of Bishops

John Arrowsmith Maund John Arthur Arrowsmith Maund (19 October 1909 – 1998) was the first Anglican Bishop of Lesotho from 1950 until 1976. Personal life Maund was born in Worcester to Arthur Arrowsmith Maund, and died in Malvern, Worcestershire. He was educated at ...

1950-1976 *

Desmond Mpilo Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

1976-1978 * Philip Stanley Mokuku 1978-1997 *

Andrew Thabo Duma Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

1997-1999 * Joseph Mahapu Tsubella 1999-2006 * See Vacant - 2007 *

2008– 2020. *

Vicentia Kgabe Right. Rev Dr Vicentia Refiloe Kgabe is an Anglican Bishop of Diocese of Lesotho in the Anglican Church of South Africa and academic teaching Practical Theology. Early life and education Born in Soweto, Kgabe attended schools in Soweto, sh ...

was elected by the synod of bishops of the

, after the electoral college of the diocese of Lesotho failed to elect a successor to Taaso. She will be consecrated as a bishop at a later date.

Bishops suffragan

* Fortescue Tumelo Makhetha * Donald Nestor * Andrew Thabo Duma

References

External links

* Anglican Church of Southern Africa dioceses Christianity in Lesotho {{Anglican-diocese-stub