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Pioneer Bishop of Tanzania’s Bagamoyo Catholic Diocese Urged to “feed the sheep” of Christ Like St. Peter

Credit: Radio Maria Tanzania
Nicholas Waigwa

By Nicholas Waigwa

Dar es Salaam, 07 May, 2025 / 3:31 pm (ACI Africa).

Bishop Lazarus Vitalis Msimbe of Tanzania’s Morogoro Catholic Diocese has urged the Local Ordinary of the country’s newly erected Episcopal See of Bagamoyo to live his new Church ministry in line with the Risen Lord’s instructions to Peter to take care of His flock.

In his homily during the Episcopal Installation of Bishop Stephano Lameck Musomba as pioneer Local Ordinary of Bagamoyo on Sunday, May 4, Bishop Msimbe said, “Your surname (Musomba) suggests you ‘carry’ people. Carry the people of Bagamoyo and lead them to God.”

“Like Peter, who was called to feed the sheep of Christ, let us do the same by giving our lives for the sake of others, " he said during the celebration at the Mariani School grounds in Bagamoyo Diocese.

Emphasizing that nurturing Christ’s flock extends to  “physical nourishment”, Bishop Msimbe encouraged the member of the Order of St. Augustine (O.S.A) to also  “feed the hungry, help the poor and the homeless, serve the sick, and the elderly with dignity.”

“Therefore, our beloved Bishop Musomba, let no one hinder you from preaching in the name of the Risen Christ,” the Member of the Society of the Divine Savior (SDS) urged the pioneer Bishop of Bagamoyo Diocese, who, until his appointment on March 7 was serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Tanzania’s Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam.

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In his May 4 homily, the Local Ordinary of Morogoro Diocese advised Bishop Musomba to embrace servant leadership, saying, “It is important to remember that true leadership is not about using force or compelling others to follow your ideas, even if those ideas are harmful.”

 Rather, he continued, “it is about guiding those around us through moral actions.”

“A leader who leads by example fosters an environment of trust, respect, and cooperation,” Bishop Msimbe said.

He went on to urge Bishop Musomba to shepherd “by being a living example” to the people of God under his pastoral care, “rather than by wielding authority.”

“You have today been installed as the Bishop of the new Diocese of Bagamoyo so that you may bear witness to the truth,” he said, and reminded Bishop Musomba of his vocation to testify to the truth of the Risen Christ.

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He added, “Even if it means being punished for it. It is better to suffer for speaking the truth, than to be punished for spreading falsehood.”

“Bishop Musomba, we pray for you to become a great teacher of faith and morality; to be courageous in denouncing evil and to safeguard the unity of the Church, as your motto says, ‘That they may be one (John 17:11),’” he implored. 

On his part, the Vice President of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) congratulated Bishop Musomba for becoming the first Local Ordinary of Bagamoyo Diocese, which he recognized for holding “a rich history of Missionary and Evangelization work in Tanzania.”

In his address during the May 4 event, Bishop Eusebius Alfred Nzigilwa said, “Today, with great joy, we have witnessed the Installation of Bishop Stephano Musomba to lead this historic Diocese.”

“We are here in Bagamoyo, the gateway of faith in mainland Tanzania and a national pilgrimage center, where the graves of the first missionaries who came to spread the Gospel in this area are found,” said Bishop Nzingilwa of Tanzania’s Mpanda Catholic Diocese.

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He reminded Bishop Musomba of the rich presence of spiritual resources in the new Tanzanian Episcopal See from which he can “draw strength” for his pastoral duties.

“You have intercessors in heaven and on earth who will assist you in your mission,” he said, and implored God to grant Bishop Musomba “a blessed ministry full of grace, success, and abundant spiritual fruits.”

Bishop Musomba was ordained OSA Priest in July 2003. 

The 55-year-old native of Tanzania’s Catholic Archdiocese of Mbeya was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Dar-es-Salaam alongside Bishop Henry Mchamungu in July 2021; he was assigned the Titular See of Perdices. 

The duo were Consecrated at the Grounds of Msimbazi Centre in Dar-es-Salaam on 21 September 2021 to assist Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi in shepherding the people of God in Dar-es-Salaam Archdiocese.

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An alumni of the Rome-based Patristic Institute Augustinianum, where he obtained a Licentiate in Patrology, the pioneer Bishop of Bagamoyo Diocese had served in various capacities before his Episcopal appointment, including assistant Parish Priest and Parish Priest of Immaculate Conception Mavurunza Parish of Dar-es-Salaam Archdiocese and St. Augustine Ternboni Parish of the Tanzanian Metropolitan See.

Installed on May 4, Bishop Musomba is at the helm of the Diocese that was carved out from Morogoro Diocese and the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam. It is the sixth Suffragan Diocese of the Metropolitan See of Dar-es-Salaam alongside Ifakara, Mahenge, Morogoro, Tanga, and Zanzibar.

According to the Vatican March 2025 statistics, Bagamoyo Diocese measures 10,345 square kilometers; it has 92,345 Catholics, representing 20.1 percent of the total population of the territory of the Episcopal See. It has 22 Parishes and 45 Priests, eight of whom are Diocesan. The Tanzanian Episcopal See has seven women Religious.