The Roman Catholic Diocese of Molegbe ( la, Molegben(sis)) is a
suffragan Latin
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
in the
Ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...
of
Mbandaka-Bikoro in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
.
Its
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
episcopal see is Cathédrale Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue (
St. Anthony of Padua) in the city of
Molegbe.
History
* Established on April 7, 1911 as
Apostolic Prefecture
An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...
of Belgian Ubanghi, on territory split off from the then
Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville
* January 28, 1935: Promoted as
Apostolic Vicariate of Belgian Ubanghi, since entitled to a
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
* Promoted on November 10, 1959 as Diocese of Molegbe, ceasing to be exempt.
Ordinaries
(all
Roman Rite, mostly missionary members of Latin congregations)
; ''Apostolic Prefects of Belgian Ubanghi''
* Fr.
Fulgenzio da Gerard-Montes,
Capuchin Friars (O.F.M. Cap.) (1911 – 1930?)
* Fr. Basilio Ottavio Tanghe, O.F.M. Cap. (1931.10.16 – 1935.01.28 ''see below)
; ''Apostolic Vicars'' of Belgian Ubanghi
*
Basilio Ottavio Tanghe, O.F.M. Cap. (''see above'' 1935.01.28 – 1947.12.16),
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of
Tigava :''See Leistarcha scitissimella for the moth species also known as Tigava scitissimella''
Tigava was an ancient Roman-Berber town and bishopric in Roman Africa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see.
It corresponds with the modern locality o ...
(1935.01.28 – 1947.12.16)
*
Jean Ghislain Delcuve, O.F.M. Cap. (1948.06.10 – 1958.11.13), Titular Bishop of
Bargylia
* Léon Théobald Delaere, O.F.M. Cap. (1958.11.13 – 1959.11.10 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of
Fessei (1958.11.13 – 1959.11.10)
; ''Bishops of Molegbe''
*
Léon Théobald Delaere
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
, (O.F.M. Cap.) (''see above'' 1959.11.10 – 1967.08.03), later Titular Bishop of
Rusibisir
Rusippisir was a Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast at the site of present-day Taksebt.
Name
Rusippisir is the latinization of the town's Punic name, which probably meant "Cape Rosemary".
Geography
...
(1967.08.03 – 1976.09.14)
* ''
Apostolic Administrator
An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...
Louis Nganga a Ndzando (1967 – 1968.09.05)'', Bishop of
Lisala (Congo-Kinshasa) (1964.11.25 – 1997.07.06)
*
Joseph Kesenge Wandangakongu
Joseph Kesenge Wandangakongu (4 April 1928 in Molegbe – 19 February 2021 in Gbadolite) was the Democratic Republic of the Congo Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman ci ...
(1968.09.05 – 1997.10.18)
*
Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi Ignace Matondo Kwa Nzambi (April 12, 1932 – September 9, 2011) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Molegbe, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratiqu ...
,
Scheutists
The CICM Missionaries officially named as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ( la, Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) abbreviated C.I.C.M, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in ...
(C.I.C.M.) (1998.06.27 – 2007.05.23)
*
Dominique Bulamatari (2009.11.24 - )
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Catholicism has a major presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Of a population of 70,916,439, there are about 35 million Catholics i ...
Source and External links
GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molegbe
Roman Catholic dioceses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Christian organizations established in 1911
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Mbandaka-Bikoro