We met Mother Bertha in 2019 while she was visiting our local Episcopal church. As the first woman Anglican Priest in Central Africa, she was a bit of a celebrity.

She is currently volunteering at local Episcopal churches and she is hoping to raise money to finish her home in Rusape, Zimbabwe as well as assisting her younger daughter Chidochashe with law school in Gweru, Zimbabwe. She has completed the structure of her home for $6,000, but it still requires installation of a septic system and electrical system. She expects the whole project to be $6,500 to finish her home.

This house will be a special place for her daughters and two granddaughters to gather, and she hopes to construct a small memorial to dedicated to her late husband.

Reverend Bertha Gowera (née Magaya) is a widowed Zimbabwean Anglican Priest. She is blessed with two daughters, Rumbidzai & Chidochashe.

Rev. Bertha is the first woman Anglican Priest in Central Africa.

More about Mother Bertha below--

She hails from the Wedza district-Mashonaland East province and is currently serving in the Anglican Diocese of Rio Pungue (Manica & Sofala Provinces) Chimoio at Sanctuary of Bernard Mizeki Church.

Reverend Gowera is a teacher by profession. She obtained her Grad.CE in 1990 from Mutare Teacher's College, affiliated with the University of Zimbabwe. She specialized in teaching English & Divinity (Religious Studies). In 2004, she obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Administration & Policy Studies (B.Ed.APPS) with ZOU. She taught at St Anne's Goto Mission High School-Wedza (Mashonaland East) for 16 years.

In 2012, she obtained her Bachelor's in Theology for Ministry (B.Th.) from the University of Cambridge (Westcott House). In 2014, she obtained her D.Th. from the College of Transfiguration (affiliated with Rhodes University), SA. She hoped at this time the province of Central Africa would have accepted women priests to serve in the Anglican Church. She went on to serve at Grahamstown Cathedral for two years. In 2015, she was ordained as a priest by Diocese St Mark Evangelist-Polokwane on behalf of Manicaland Diocese. She served in Louis Trichardt, Venda, SA. In 2017, she obtained her second (B.Th.) degree with honors from the College of Transfiguration that is affiliated with St Joseph Cedara (KZN).

In 2018, Rev. Gowera was invited to join the Diocese of Libombos, Mozambique at St Christopher Theological Seminary and to design a curriculum for seminarians to study Theology in English. She served as VP, Chaplain, lecturing, Homiletics, Pastoral Studies, English & Biblical Studies (NT). From August 2019 to March 2020, she was invited by the Episcopal Diocese of California (Christ Church Portola Valley) through Rev. Beth Phillips, who was writing a book about her history as the first Anglican Priest to be ordained from Zimbabwe and the Diocese of Manicaland.

Rev. Gowera loves sustainable spiritual development, guidance & counseling, and teaching caregiver environmental ethics in societies. She prays and hopes that one day God will open the way for women to exercise/practice His ministry back at home.