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 diocese 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 the Metropolitan
Archbishop of Kasama, also in
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
.
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 the Cathedral of
St. Joseph the Worker, 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 r ...
.
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
* 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 ...
)
* 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; many missionary members of the Latin congregation
White Fathers
, image = Cardinal Lavigerie.jpg
, caption = Charles Lavigerie
, abbreviation = M.Afr.
, nickname = White Fathers
, formation =
, founder = Archbishop Charles-Martial Allem ...
(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 ...
of
Gergis (1936.11.19 – 1953.03.25) & Apostolic Vicar of
Tanganyika (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 (1957.11.22 – 1966.12.25)
;''Apostolic Vicars of Lwangwa''
*
Heinrich Horst, M. Afr.,
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
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) (1948.02.12 – 1951.03.08 ''see below'')
;''Apostolic Vicars of Abercorn''
*
Joost Van den Biesen, 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
Termessos (Greek Τερμησσός ''Termissós'') was a Pisidian city built at an altitude of more than 1000 metres at the south-west side of the mountain Solymos (modern-day Güllük Dağı) in the Taurus Mountains (modern-day Antalya p ...
(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, 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 c ...
s of Mpika''
*
Telesphore George Mpundu (''see above'' 1994.09.09 – 2004.10.01), later
Coadiutor Archbishop of Lusaka (2004.10.01 – 2006.10.28) and
Metropolitan of
Lusaka (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 adm ...
Father Robert Lavertu, M. Afr. (2007.09 – 2008.07.17) (no other office)''
*
Ignatius Chama Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
Religious
* Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop
* Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...
(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 adm ...
Ignatius Chama, Metropolitan of
Kasama'' (''see above'' 2012.01.12 – ...):)
*
Justin Mulenga (2015.12.23 – 2020.03.20)
*
Edwin Mulandu (2021.04.24 – ...)
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in Zambia
The Catholic Church in Zambia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are over about three million Catholics in the country, or 21% of the total population. There are ten dioceses, inclu ...
Source and External links
GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography linksDiocese 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
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