AFRICA/TANZANIA - Creation of Diocese of Kondoa and appointment of first Bishop

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on 12 March 2011, created the Dicoese of Kondoa (Tanzania), with territory from the Diocese of Dodoma, making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Dar-es-Salaam. The Holy Father appointed as the first Bishop of Kondoa, Fr Bernardine Mfumbusa, from the clergy of Dodoma, Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of St Augustine in Mwanza.
The new Diocese of Kondoa (Latin: Kondoaën /sis/), will consist of two deaneries (Kondoa and Usandawe) in Kondoa district, located north of the Diocese of Dodoma, bordering the ecclesiastical districts of Singida to the west and south-west, of Mbulu to the north and north-west, and of Arusha to the east and north-east. It will be a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam. The Cathedral for the new diocese is under construction.
The first Bishop-elect of the diocese, the Fr Bernardine Mfumbusa, was born in Arusha on 1 April 1962. After going to primary school in Mpalangwi, Kondoa, from 1971 to 1978, he attended St Peter's Minor Seminary in Morogoro, from 1979 to 1984. He later completed his studies in philosophy at the Major Seminary in Kibosho, Moshi, from 1985 to 1986. He was sent to study theology in Dar-es-Salaam, at the Major Seminary in Segerea, where he stayed from 1987 to 1992, earning his baccalaureate from the Pontifical Urban University. He was ordained a priest on 14 June 1992, in the Parish Church of Kondoa, and appointed to the Diocese of Dodoma. After his priestly ordination he held the following offices: 1992-1993: assistant parish priest in the parish in Ovada, Dodoma; 1993-1995: Diocesan Director of the Lay Apostolate and assistant parish priest at St Paul's Cathedral, Dodoma, and teacher at the Bihawana Junior Seminary, in Dodoma; 1995-1999: A Diploma in Journalism at the Nyegezi Social Training Institute in Mwanza, and then a brief period as a Tutorial Assistant at St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), in Mwanza; 2000-2004: Doctoral studies in Social Communications, at the Pontifical Gregorian University; 2004-2007: Lecturer of Media Ethics and head of the Department of Journalism at SAUT, in Mwanza;
Since 2007: Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at SAUT. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/03/2011)