Late Bishop of Kwito-Bié Diocese Remembered for Missionary Work in Angola

Kwito-Bié, 03 November, 2023 / 9:00 PM

Bishop José Nambi of Kwito-Bié Diocese in Angola, who died on 31 October 2022, has been remembered for his missionary contribution to the Church in the Southern African nation.

In his homily during Holy Mass to mark one year since Bishop Nambi died, the Apostolic Administrator of the Angolan Diocese called for continuous prayers for the repose of the late Bishop’s soul.

“Bishop José Nambi was a figure that we can't put into words. When he entered this Diocese, the first words out of his mouth were: I have come as a missionary,” Mons. Nicolau Costa Tchiwewe said during the Eucharistic celebration on the Feast of All Souls on Thursday, November 2.

He added, “We have nothing to say if we don't bend our knees before God to thank him for this successor of the apostles. For this man who was the guardian of the faith, for this man, the one who communicated Christ's purpose to us, he gave his disciples the one who defended the orthodoxy of the doctrine of Christ's Church and passed it on to us so that all of us who have been baptized might preserve it and preserve it forever.”

“When he came to the Diocese of Kuito Bié there were five Diocesan Priests, two Spiritans, one Trappist, and there were very few Redemptorists. Look at this presbytery now,” Mons. Tchiwewe said.

He continued, “In addition to the growth of the Diocesan clergy, during his 26 years as pastor of the Diocese of Kuito Bié, Bishop Nambi was committed to spreading the Gospel even when it was difficult to travel to areas that were difficult to access, where he often used traditional and rudimentary means of transportation adapted to the geographical conditions and circumstances, such as canoes to reach the villages.”

The Apostolic Administrator further said, “Bishop Nambi brought children from the villages, whom he included in his training project.”

Born in June 1949 in the Archdiocese of Huambo, the late Bishop was ordained a Priest for Benguela Diocese in August 1976.

He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Kwito-Bié Diocese in December 1995.

Bishop Nambi succeeded Bishop Pedro Luís António as Local Ordinary of the Angolan Episcopal See in January 1997.