:''There is also a Bishop and Diocese of Umuahia in the Church of Nigeria Province of Aba.'' The Roman Catholic Diocese of Umuahia ( la, Umuahian(a)) is a

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 ...

located in the city of

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nige ...

. It was part of the Old Ecclesiastical Province of Onitsha, but presently, it belongs to 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 ...

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

, in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, which was erected on March 26, 1994 .

History

* June 23, 1958: Established as Diocese of Umuahia from the Diocese of Owerri. In 1981 and 1990, two younger dioceses - Okigwe and Aba, respectively- were carved out of the old Umuahia diocese. The fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Diocese was celebrated in glamour on June 23, 2008.

Special churches

The

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 ...

is Mater Dei Cathedral in Umuahia. This elegant edifice which has helped to beautify the ancient city of Umuahia was dedicated on December 8, 2000.

Bishops

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s of Umuahia (Roman rite) ** Bishop

Anthony Gogo Nwedo Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton ...

C.S.Sp. , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

(February 19, 1959 – April 2, 1990) ** Bishop

Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji (born January 13, 1952 in Naze, Nigeria) is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese. In 2022, he was appointed as the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). He followed on from the previ ...

(April 2, 1990 – March 6, 2022)

Auxiliary Bishop

* Michael Kalu Ukpong (2020-

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Anthony Ekezia Ilonu Anthony Ekezia Ilonu (November 13, 1937 – June 17, 2012) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Okigwe, Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya ...

, appointed Bishop of Okigwe in 1981 *

Fortunatus Nwachukwu Fortunatus Nwachukwu (born 10 May 1960) is a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church who represents the Holy See at several international organizations in Geneva. He has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1994. He has been a ...

(priest here, 1984-1990), appointed nuncio and titular archbishop in 2012 *

Gregory Obinna Ochiagha Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname Places Australia * Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire o ...

, appointed Bishop of Orlu in 1980 *

Mark Onwuha Unegbu Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, appointed Bishop of Owerri in 1970

Sources