The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mpika ( la, Mpikaën(sis)) is a

Latin rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

diocese in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kasama, also in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. 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 denomination ...

episcopal see is the Cathedral of

St. Joseph the Worker Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers o ...

, in the city of

Mpika Mpika is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the M1 Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway ( Great North Road) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the north-east and Lusaka in the south-west. It also has a ra ...

. It also has a former Cathedral, now Church of St. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi, in Ilondola.

History

* It was established on May 23, 1933 as Mission "sui iuris" of Lwangwa from the

Apostolic Vicariate of Bangueolo The Apostolic Vicariate of Bangueolo was a vicariate established by the Catholic White Fathers missionary society in 1913 located in what is now Zambia. Origins The Apostolic Vicariate of Bangueolo has its origins in the White Fathers mission at ...

* On July 1, 1937 it was promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Lwangwa (still exempt, but 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 an ...

) * Renamed on March 8, 1951 as Apostolic Vicariate of Abercorn * On April 25, 1959 it was promoted as Diocese of Abercorn, losing its exempt status by joining the province of Kasama * On November 22, 1967, it was renamed as Diocese of Mbala * On April 26, 1991, renamed as Diocese of Mbala – Mpika * Finally on September 9, 1994 it was renamed as Diocese of Mpika

Missionary and Episcopal Ordinaries

:''All

Roman rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

; many missionary members of the Latin congregation White Fathers (M. Afr.)'' ;''

Ecclesiastical superior A mission '' sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rank ...

of the Mission sui iuris of Lwangwa'' * Father John van Sambeek, M. Afr. (1933.05.23 – 1936.11.19), later

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 an ...

of Gergis (1936.11.19 – 1953.03.25) & Apostolic Vicar of

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

(Tanzania) (1936.11.19 – 1946.05.10), Apostolic Vicar of

Kigoma Kigoma is a city and lake port in Kigoma-Ujiji District in Tanzania, on the northeastern shores of Lake Tanganyika and close to the border with Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo. It serves as the capital for the surrounding Kigoma R ...

(Tanzania) (1946.05.10 – 1953.03.25), promoted first Bishop of Kigoma (1953.03.25 – 1957.11.22), emeritate as Titular Bishop of

Tracula Tracula is a former Ancient city and bishopric in Asia Minor, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. Its modern site is Darkale, in Asian Turkey. History Tracula, identifiable with Darkale in modern Turkey, is an ancient episcopal see of t ...

(1957.11.22 – 1966.12.25) ;''Apostolic Vicars of Lwangwa'' *

Heinrich Horst Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

, M. Afr.,

Hermonthis Armant ( ar, أرْمَنْت; egy, jwn.w-n-mnṯ.w or ''jwn.w-šmꜥ.w''; Bohairic: ; Sahidic: ), also known as Hermonthis ( grc, Ἕρμωνθις), is a town located about south of Thebes. It was an important Middle Kingdom town, which was ...

(1938.05.21 – death 1946) * Joost Van den Biesen, M. Afr., Titular Bishop of

Tullia (see) Tullia is an Ancient city and former bishopric in Numidia and present Latin Catholic titular see. History The city, near modern Annaba (Algeria) was important enough in the Roman province of Numidia to become a suffragan bishopric. Titular see ...

(1948.02.12 – 1951.03.08 ''see below'') ;''Apostolic Vicars of Abercorn'' *

Joost Van den Biesen Joost () was an Internet TV service, created by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis (founders of Skype and Kazaa). During 2007–2008 Joost used peer-to-peer TV (P2PTV) technology to distribute content to their Mozilla-based desktop player; in la ...

, M. Afr. (''see above'' 1951.03.08 – retired 1958.01.24; Lay state 1967) * Adolf Fürstenberg, M. Afr. (1958.12.11 – 1959.04.25 ''see below), Titular Bishop of Termessus (1958.12.11 – 1959.04.25) ;''Suffragan Bishop of Abercorn'' * Adolf Fürstenberg, M. Afr. (''see above'' 1959.04.25 – 1967.11.22 ''see below'') ;''Suffragan Bishops of Mbala'' *

Adolf Fürstenberg Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

, M. Afr. (''see above'' 1967.11.22 – retired 1987.03.07) * Telesphore George Mpundu (1987.03.07 – 1991.04.26 ''see below'') ;''Suffragan Bishop of Mbala – Mpika'' * Telesphore George Mpundu (''see above'' 1991.04.26 – 1994.09.09 ''see below'') ;''Suffragan

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 ca ...

s of Mpika'' * Telesphore George Mpundu (''see above'' 1994.09.09 – 2004.10.01), later

Coadiutor Archbishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...

of Lusaka (2004.10.01 – 2006.10.28) and

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...

(2006.10.28 – 2018.01.30), President of Zambia Episcopal Conference (2014.07 – 2018.01.30) *''

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 admi ...

Father Robert Lavertu, M. Afr. (2007.09 – 2008.07.17) (no other office)'' * Ignatius Chama (2008.07.17 - 2012.01.12 ''see below'') *''

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 admi ...

Ignatius Chama, Metropolitan of Kasama'' (''see above'' 2012.01.12 – ...):) *

Justin Mulenga Justin Mulenga (27 February 1955 – 20 March 2020) was a Zambian Roman Catholic bishop. Mulenga was born in Zambia and was ordained to the priesthood in 1993. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mpika The Roman Catholic Dio ...

(2015.12.23 – 2020.03.20) * Edwin Mulandu (2021.04.24 – ...)

Source and External links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links

Diocese of Mpika website
Roman Catholic dioceses in Zambia Christian organizations established in 1933 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1933 establishments in Northern Rhodesia Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Kasama {{Africa-RC-diocese-stub

History

Missionary and Episcopal Ordinaries

See also

Source and External links