Thirty-five year old Vicente Msosa installed Saturday as the fourth bishop of Niassa

The youngest bishop in the Anglican Communion was installed last week in Northern Mozambique. On 1 April 2017 the Rt. Rev. Vicente Msosa (right) was seated as the fourth bishop of Niassa at his cathedral in Lichinga in a service led by the Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba (left). At age 35, Bishop Msosa will be the youngest bishop in the Anglican Communion. Educated at the College of the Transfiguration in Grahamstown, Bishop Msosa was priest in charge of Sao Paulo in Lichinga at the time of his election. He had been a priest for three years. He and his wife Anastacia, have three children: Andrason, Ebenezer and Omegarda. In January 2016 the Elective Assembly of the Diocese of Niassa meeting at St Bartholomew’s Cathedral in Messumba failed to elect a new bishop after 21 ballots were cast, leaving the appointment of its next bishop to the provincial House of Bishops. In November 2015 the Rt. Rev. Mark van Koevering, bishop since 2003 was translated to the Diocese of West Virginia where he presently serves as Assistant Bishop.  In September 2016 the House of Bishops selected Fr. Msosa and he was consecrated earlier his year. The Diocese Anglicana do Niassa is one of two ACSA dioceses in Mozambique and comprises the northern half of the country. It is divided into six archdeaconries: Cobue, Lunho, Lichinga, Milange, Rio Chire and Lurio, and has 32 parishes with 426 congregations, approximately 65,500 communicants and 55 priests.