By Chalotte Mokonyane
Under the joyous gaze of a packed Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George in Makhanda, the Venerable Mcebisi Pinyana was formally ordained, consecrated, and enthroned as the Fifteenth Bishop of the Diocese.
The ceremony, held on the Feast of St Cecilia, was a colourful spectacle blending deep Anglican tradition with the vibrant culture of the Eastern Cape. The ceremony was presided over by Reverend Dr Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA), signalling the dawn of a new chapter for one of the region’s oldest and most historically significant dioceses.
The solemnity of consecration
The day’s Order of Service detailed the solemn proceedings, which began at 10am. Archbishop Makgoba, along with a host of other bishops, clergy, and dignitaries from across the Province, all attended the occasion. The service followed the ancient pattern of episcopal ordination and consecration, where the Bishop-Elect publicly declares his allegiance to the faith and promises to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the Church.
The highlight of the service was the enthronement, where Bishop Pinyana formally took his seat on the episcopal cathedral. This act confirms his spiritual authority and pastoral responsibility as the chief shepherd of the Diocese of Grahamstown. The atmosphere inside the Cathedral was one of deep reverence, celebration, and hopeful expectation for the leadership that would follow the period of vacancy.
A seasoned minister
Pinyana steps into the role with a decades-long record of dedicated service. The official biography in the Order of Service highlights him as a “seasoned minister of the Gospel with over 20 years of ordained ministry experience.”
A charge for justice, unity, and love
Assuming the mantle as the 15th Bishop, Pinyana will now shepherd the Diocese of Grahamstown, a geographically vast and socially diverse region of the Eastern Cape.
The closing blessing of the service, an ancient liturgical prayer, captured the mission ahead for the new Bishop and his Diocese. It invoked a plea for God’s blessing upon the city of Makhanda and the entire Diocese, praying for a spirit that would “bring us to that justice and truth, that unity and love, for which he teaches our hearts to yearn.”
