North American parishes ‘changing lives’ for African students

The bishop of the Tanzanian diocese of Central Tanganyika, Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo recently visited the parish of St. Philip’s on-the-Hill in Unionville, Ont.

The diocese of Central Tanganyika, which has about half a million Anglicans in 260 parishes, is heavily involved in education, health and development programs. “The church has been called by God to serve,” said Bishop Mhogolo. Since there are very few government schools in the rural and urban districts of Dodoma, the diocese has filled the void by offering primary and secondary education, particularly to the poorest of the poor.

About 6,000 children are being supported through partnerships with parishes in Dodoma and parishes in The Episcopal Church’s dioceses of Virginia, Rochester, and Atlanta, said Bishop Mhogolo. … The parish of St. Philip’s on-the-Hill in Unionville, Ont. … has partnered with the parish of Lugala to ensure that about 100 orphans who go to school in Dodoma are receiving food, clothing and school supplies.

As well, [the Diocese of Central Tanganyika] operates the Msalato Theological College, which has been educating future priests for the diocese. “About 80 per cent of our priests come from our theological school,” said Bishop Mhogolo. He added that the theological college has a “good partnership” with the diocese of Atlanta. … Bishop Mhogolo said the college has welcomed Anglican priests and theologians from other parts of the Anglican Communion as visiting lecturers. “Our students need to be global-minded,” he said.

Bishop Mhogolo talked about how women priests are faring in Central Tanganyika, which is the only diocese in the Anglican Church of Tanzania that ordains women. …. When the suffragan bishop of New York, Catherine Roskam, visited his diocese, he noted, people started asking, “So, when are we ordaining women as bishops?”

Read it all in the Anglican Journal.

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