The
Anglican Church of Lesotho (ACL) is the third largest denomination in Lesotho,
following the Roman Catholic Church (RC) and the Lesotho Evangelical Church in
Southern Africa (LECSA).
The
very first contact of the Anglican Church with Basotho occurred in 1850 when
Bishop Gray of Cape Town passed the borders of the country on one of his tours,
but was unable to meet King Moshoeshoe I as he had wished.
The King heard about
Bishop Gray’s visit, and subsequently sent emissaries to Bishop Gray saying
that he (King Moshoeshoe I) would be happy to have the “Queen’s Church” in his
country, and would welcome missionaries to establish the Anglican Church in what
was then Basutoland.
The
much-anticipated day of the 5th December 2021 has come and gone!
The Diocese of
Lesotho has a brand-new Bishop! The Right Revd. Dr Vicentia Refiloe Kgabe was
ordained, consecrated and installed as the 7th Bishop of the
Anglican Diocese of Lesotho in a moving ceremony that was held at the Cathedral
of St. Mary and St. James in the capital city of Maseru Lesotho on Sunday 5th
December in the Year of Our Lord 2021.
The
ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the
Anglican Church of Southern Africa His Grace Dr. Thabo Cecil Makgoba in a
moving three-hour ceremony at the end of which the Registrar of the Anglican
Diocese of Lesotho Adv Motiea Teele KC, made this solemn declaration: “I,
Advocate Motiea Teele Registrar of the Diocese of Lesotho, do affirm that Vicentia
Refiloe Kgabe is our undoubted Bishop” - to much clapping and ululation of the
congregation that was present to witness this historic occasion.
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Ordination, Consecration and Installation of the Seventh Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Lesotho