happiness Chikwanha
Online Reporter
A Zimbabwean-born priest – Reverend Naboth Manzongo has been elected the 14th Bishop of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, making him the first Black bishop and the first from Africa to hold the position.
Manzongo, currently the incumbent of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Winnipeg, was elected last month and will formally begin his duties in September.
Manzongo succeeds Bishop Geoffrey Woodcroft, who announced his retirement in October 2024 following a terminal cancer diagnosis, effective June 1.
Expressing mixed emotions upon his election, Manzongo said:
“I was just surprised and overwhelmed at the same time. I became emotional and now I was asking myself in the head to say, ‘Is this what the Spirit has whispered to the people? What, for me?’
“And then that turned into gratitude for the trust that the people have put in me.”
The Diocese of Rupert’s Land encompasses Northwestern Ontario and Southern Manitoba.
Ordained in 2008 as a deacon and in 2009 as a priest in the Diocese of Harare, Zimbabwe, Manzongo brings a wealth of experience.
His early ministry in Zimbabwe included serving at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Avondale, and as rector of St Joseph’s, Dzivarasekwa.
Online Reporter