‘Our first calling is to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ’
Strengthening people’s connection to Jesus Christ must inform every aspect of ministry in the Anglican diocese of the Yukon, Bishop Vincent Fenga says.
Installed and consecrated as the 13th bishop of the Yukon on June 19, Fenga named five priorities when the Anglican Journal spoke to him about his plans for the diocese. His top priority, he says, is spiritual renewal.
“As Christians, our first calling is to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ … Every program, every committee in the diocese and every ministry should ultimately help people know Christ more deeply,” Fenga says.
To this end, he hopes to encourage programs such as prayer, Bible study, faithful worship and discipleship. Other priorities include supporting clergy and lay leaders, strengthening ministry in rural and remote communities, reaching younger generations and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Born and raised in Harare (then called Salisbury), Zimbabwe, Fenga, 45, comes from a family he describes as “staunch Anglicans” and was active in the church from an early age. He received theological education at Bishop Gaul College, the country’s national Anglican training school, and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in religious studies from the University of Zimbabwe and a PhD in homiletics from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Ordained as a deacon at the age of 24 and a priest one year later, Fenga served in the diocese of Harare from 2005 to 2022, becoming an archdeacon in 2010. From 2012 to 2017 he was also chaplain of the Widows and Single Mothers Association, a diocesan pastoral support and fellowship group for women.
Looking for an opportunity for ministry outside Zimbabwe, he saw an opening for a priest at Christ Church Cathedral in Whitehorse and successfully applied for the position, moving to Canada in 2022. After a year as rector, he was appointed dean of the diocese.
In 2026, when the diocese of the Yukon planned to elect a new bishop, Fenga was at first unwilling to let his name stand, believing himself too young for the role. He changed his mind after then-bishop Lesley Wheeler-Dame approached him several times encouraging him to consent to nomination, as did friends and colleagues. He calls his March 21 election as bishop “both a profound honour and a humbling responsibility.”
“I’m coming to this office not to seek any personal recognition, but because I believe God calls us to serve wherever the church needs us … I’m deeply thankful for the trust that the diocese has placed in me,” Fenga says.
Archbishop John Stephens, metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of B.C. and Yukon, says Fenga brings a wealth of experience from the church in Zimbabwe.
“He’s got a warm personality … He has a really good vision for the diocese and wanting to see parishes grow and develop,” the metropolitan says of Fenga. “I think he has the skill set that’s needed for this time and this place for the diocese. He’s done a lot of good work of connecting with people in the community of Whitehorse, and I’m really hoping just to see how he expands that into more of the diocese.”
Fenga notes that Yukon is a vast, isolated diocese with long and harsh winters, which can create challenges such as a lack of resources for ministry. Due to the small number of clergy and synod staff, the bishop must perform many tasks related to both administration and pastoral ministry.
“I want to encourage the clergy and lay leaders … One of my priorities is ensuring that they feel supported,” Fenga says. “It’s very important as a bishop to make sure that your clergy, your lay leaders … feel encouraged and they feel cared for.”
In the same spirit, he hopes to support remote and rural communities. Fenga recently called the Rev. Marion Schafer, a deacon at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in the fly-in community of Old Crow, after she shared the story of a young man who suffered an overdose requiring his transfer to a Vancouver hospital. The bishop offered his support to the community, the young man and his wife.
A father of four, Fenga hopes to develop more youth programs to create spaces where young people can encounter Christ, discover their gifts and find meaningful places of leadership within the church. He also hopes to work with Indigenous peoples to build “a relationship grounded in listening, truth, justice and shared ministry.”
While the Yukon receives grants through the Council of the North, Fenga hopes to establish committees to look at stewardship of church properties to make the diocese as self-sustaining as possible. At the same time, the diocese continues to build relationships, such as recent trips by clergy from the diocese of New Westminster to support ministry in the Yukon. Fenga also holds monthly discussions with Stephens.
“Ministry is not done by a single person,” Fenga says. “I’m the bishop, yes. But I cannot do everything by myself … We have to collaboratively work with other people.”
