Anglican Diocese of Mpumalanga
Encyclopedia
The Anglican Diocese of Mpumalanga is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. The Diocese of Mpumalanga, as the name suggests, spans the Northern section of the South African province of Mpumalanga
, while the Anglican Diocese of the Highveld
covers the Southern section. The Diocese of Mpumalanga also shares borders with Swaziland
and Mozambique
and so has a rich cultural makeup.
, the Diocese of Mpumalanga was founded on 6 June 2004. The first synod meetings were held on 23 July and 22 October 2005, then again on 18 March 2006. The diocesan visioning process was launched on 15 October 2006. The first clergy school was held in February 2007.
Bishop Les Walker was the first Bishop of the newly formed Diocese. Before his election he served as Dean of St Alban’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Pretoria. He was consecrated bishop on 5 February 2005 in the Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Pretoria, and enthroned as bishop of the new diocese on 12 February 2005. He was an outstanding and exemplary leader of the Anglican church, a man of deep spirituality and prayer. A cheerful, outgoing and yet humble man, he cared for and loved all who crossed his path. Bishop Les died on 20 November 2009.
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
, while the Anglican Diocese of the Highveld
Anglican Diocese of Highveld
-History:The Diocese of the Highveld was formed through a multiplication of the original Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg, which, in geographical terms, embraced the whole of the former Southern Transvaal Province of South Africa. The new diocese extends from the eastern edge of the Metropolis of...
covers the Southern section. The Diocese of Mpumalanga also shares borders with Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
and Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and so has a rich cultural makeup.
History
Formerly part of the Anglican Diocese of PretoriaAnglican Diocese of Pretoria
-History:The diocese originally covered the whole of the South African Republic, which later became the Transvaal province of South Africa. In 1922 the Diocese of Johannesburg, covering the Southern Transvaal, was formed. In the 1980s and 1990s several new dioceses were formed.The northernmost part...
, the Diocese of Mpumalanga was founded on 6 June 2004. The first synod meetings were held on 23 July and 22 October 2005, then again on 18 March 2006. The diocesan visioning process was launched on 15 October 2006. The first clergy school was held in February 2007.
Bishop Les Walker was the first Bishop of the newly formed Diocese. Before his election he served as Dean of St Alban’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Pretoria. He was consecrated bishop on 5 February 2005 in the Cathedral of St Alban the Martyr, Pretoria, and enthroned as bishop of the new diocese on 12 February 2005. He was an outstanding and exemplary leader of the Anglican church, a man of deep spirituality and prayer. A cheerful, outgoing and yet humble man, he cared for and loved all who crossed his path. Bishop Les died on 20 November 2009.