Michael George Mabuga Msonganzila (born 17 July 1956) is a Tanzanian Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Musoma The Roman Catholic Diocese of Musoma () is a diocese located in Musoma in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mwanza, Mwanza in Tanzania. History * November 4, 1946: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Musoma-Maswa fr ...

. He was appointed bishop of Musoma on 10 November 2007 by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

Background and education

He was born on 7 July 1956, at

Bukumbi Bukumbi is a village on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, situated in the Mwanza Region. In 1883, the White Fathers, a group of missionaries led by Léon Livinhac, established a Catholic mission called ''Kamoga'' at Bukumbi. The loc ...

Mwanza Region Mwanza Region (''Mkoa wa Mwanza'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions, covering a total land area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state ...

, Diocese of Mwanza,

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. He attended primary and secondary schools in his home area. He attended ''Nyegezi Minor Seminary'' for his one year preparatory period. He studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at ''St. Anthony Major Seminary'' in Ntungamo, in the Diocese of Bukoba. He then studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at ''St. Paul Major Seminary'' in

Kipalapala Kipalapala is a community in Tanzania close to Tabora. It became the location of a White Fathers mission around 1891, and now contains various Catholic institutions including a senior seminary and a priory. Mission The mission of St. Paul Major S ...

, in the archdiocese of Tabora. From 1990 he studied in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, graduating with a

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, from the

Pontifical Urban University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...

in 1994.

Priesthood

He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Mwanza on 2 December 1984. He served in that capacity until 10 November 2007. As priest he served in various roles inside and outside of his diocese including as: * Assistant priest at Itira Parish from 1985 until 1989 * Lecturer at Nyegezi Minor Seminary from 1985 until 1989 * Assistant priest at Murutunguru Parish from 1989 until 1990 * Director of vocations in Mwanza Diocese from 1995 until 1997 *

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Diocese of Mwanza from 1996 until 1999 * Bishop's delegate for religious from 1999 until 2000 * Professor at Peramiho Major Seminary from 2000 until 2003 * Counsellor at Saint Augustine University, since 2005 * Parish priest at Malya Parish and spiritual director for the Benedictine nuns in Mwanza * National director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Tanzania since 2007.

As bishop

He was appointed Bishop of the

, Tanzania on 10 November 2007. He was consecrated and installed at

Musoma Musoma is a city in the east shore of Lake Victoria of Tanzania. It is the capital of Mara Region, one of the administrative Regions of Tanzania. It also serves as the administrative centre of Musoma Rural District and Musoma Urban District. L ...

in the Archdiocese of Mwanza on 20 January 2008, at the hands of Archbishop Anthony Peter Mayalla, Archbishop of Mwanza assisted by Archbishop Paul Runangaza Ruzoka, Archbishop of Tabora and Bishop

Nestorius Timanywa Nestorius Timanywa (7 May 1937 - 28 August 2018) was a Tanzanian Roman Catholic bishop. He served as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bukoba, Tanzania, from 1974 until 2013 when he retired, having attained the retirement age of 75 ...

, Bishop of Bukoba. While bishop, he celebrated 40 years of priesthood on 29 August 2024.

References

Succession table

(25 October 1988 - 23 August 2006)

External links