Masvingo Anglican Diocese founding bishop retires
REVEREND Godfrey Taonezvi, the founding bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Masvingo has retired.
He bade farewell to serving and retired bishops, friends and tens of congregants at a mass held at Masvingo Showgrounds on Saturday.
He had served the church for 28 years, 20 of them as a bishop.
Although the farewell was on Saturday, Bishop Taonezvi will officially step down on March 25, 2022.
He was appointed bishop in 2002 and started off with only three priests and now the diocese has 35.
He founded the diocese after serving his first eight years in church as a deacon and priest at several churches.
Congregants and the clergy close to Bishop Taonezvi gave glowing testimonies about his service to the church.
The farewell mass was attended by Bishop Cleophas Lunga of Matabeleland Diocese, Bishop Farai Mutamiri of Harare Diocese, Bishop Eric Ruvona of Manicaland Diocese and retired Bishop Ishmael Mukuwanda. Central Zimbabwe Diocese's Bishop Ignitious Makumbe who chairs the Bishops Council was represented by his wife.
The Anglican Church has five dioceses in Zimbabwe and Masvingo Diocese covers Beatrice, Chivhu, Buhera, Masvingo province, Beitbridge, Zvishavane and Shurugwi rural.
The Vicar-General Frair Fungayi Nyandoro will administer pastoral care in the diocese until another bishop is appointed.
“It is hard to bid you bishop and Amai farewell after what you have done for us in the past 20 years. You have continually strengthened us in prayer and spirit and have been at the centre of development in our diocese.
“You have fostered discipline in the clergy and congregants, the construction of buildings including maternity wards, church buildings, drilling of boreholes, feeding the disadvantaged in community among other works. We can never replace you,” one speaker said.
Taonezvi founded Masvingo Diocese with only two churches and the diocese now has 38 districts with 148 churches.
He spearheaded many developmental projects, including distribution of 50 000 treated mosquito nets to the malaria-stricken Buhera district, construction of a clinic at St Bernard Mission in Buhera, construction and commissioning of a Chidzike Vocational Training Centre in Summerton, distribution of maize seed to thousands of households, construction of a maternity ward at Daramombe Mission in Chikomba and a weekly feeding programme for the less privileged.
Taonezvi was born in Gweru on March 25, 1957 and he learnt at Catholic-run Holy Cross Mission before he proceeded to Chikwingwizha Secondary. He then studied at Gweru Teachers College and taught at Catholic-run Regina Mundi High School for eight years before he studied to be a priest at Bishop Goal Seminary and became a deacon in the Anglican Church in December 1994.
He was stationed at several churches before he was elevated to the position of bishop and became Masvingo Diocese founding bishop in 2002, a position he held until his retirement.
Taonezvi left congregants in stitches when he said he worked with troublesome priests, but managed to whip them into line.
“I leave this diocese a happy and satisfied man with happy memories. It is hard to lead a diocese with limited resources, but you supported me.
“I worked well with priests though some of them were troublesome and I had to whip them back into line. I advise the clergy not to go off the rails in their actions and thoughts because they will confuse the congregation,” Taonezvi said.