20 Aug 2019

Hundreds of Roman Catholics flocked the ambient University of Botswana indoor sport arena to witness  installation of their new bishop, Reverend Frank Nubuasah.

A few months after their tears dried following the death of Reverend Boniface Setlalekgosi, Catholics congregated on August 17 to shed tears of joy as they ushered to the cathedra the 70-year-old Ghana born Bishop Nubuasah.

 In a slight deviation from catholic doctrines, the installation was conducted away from the Christ the King Cathedral owing to the number of congregants who were expected for the historic occasion.  Even the revered cathedra, or seat of the bishop had not been moved away from the church buildings since 1982.

The special catholic ceremony, which was graced by amongst other dignitaries President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, was led by Archbishop Dabula Mpako of the Archdiocese of Pretoria.

Conducting the rite of installation, Archbishop Mpako invited Bishop Nubuasah to the cathedra and presented him with the pastoral staff, the foremost insignia of the bishop which is ancient and identifies the bishop as the pastor. 

This drew deafening applause from the parishioners who spent the last two years without a bishop since Bishop Valentine Seane resigned from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Gaborone in 2017.

Deacons, priests and the religious and laity of the Gaborone diocese then took turns to pledge loyalty to their new bishop, welcoming and accepting him as their new shepherd.

In his acceptance speech Bishop Nubuasah said his biggest task was to help his flock grow in faith.  “Let me serve you, help me serve you and extend our service to God even beyond our shores,” he said to another thunderous applause. Bishop Nubuasah likened his call to serving his people to Abram’s call.

 God called Abram to leave his homeland and his father’s house for a new country.

He promised to bless him by making of him a great nation, one with a dynasty of kings and to extend His blessing to all families on earth through Abram.  Ironically Abram was also in his mid-70’s when God called him. Bishop Nubuasah said his sole mandate was to spread the word of God.

Giving a spiritual declamation at the end installation, Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg assured the Gaborone diocese that their new bishop was a caring shepherd.  He advised Bishop Nubuasah to follow Jesus’s example and speak the word of God to his people.

“Be quiet within your spirit and learn from God. Jesus invites you to find a balance in your life, find that personal space in your life and be wholesome as a person,” he said.

For his part Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Peter Wells told the gathering that he had known Bishop Nubuasah to be a true shepherd who was of great service to the church of God.

He warned him that the task that lied ahead was not an easy one as he would lead a young and vibrant congregation.

Bishop Nubuasah was born the fourth child of Joseph and Dorah Nubuasah on the 7th June 1949 in Ghana. He was educated in Ghana and after one year of working he decided to join the Divine Word Ministries (SVD) and was ordained a catholic priest in 1980.

He was missioned to Botswana by the SVD to start working here as one of the missionaries.

He spent eight years as the first resident priest in Maun.

Bishop Nubuasah was appointed administrator of the Diocese of Gaborone in 2017 and later Bishop of Gaborone in June this year.

He is being installed as the fourth Bishop of Gaborone after Bishop Urban Murphy, Bishop Setlalekgosi and Bishop Seane. ENDS