Rutabo is the location of a Catholic mission in

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

, to the south of

Bukoba Bukoba is a city with a population of 128,796 (2012 census), situated in the north west of Tanzania on the south western shores of Lake Victoria. It is the capital of the Kagera region, and the administrative seat for Bukoba Urban District. T ...

in what is now Tanzania. In 1928 the Vicar Apostolic of

South Nyanza The South Cushitic or Rift languages of Tanzania are a branch of the Cushitic languages. The most numerous is Iraqw, with half a million speakers. These languages are believed to have been originally spoken by Southern Cushitic agro-pastoralists ...

Joseph Sweens Joseph Francis Marie Sweens (22 March 1858 – 12 April 1950), was a Dutch Roman Catholic missionary bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of South Nyanza in German East Africa, later in the British-administered Tanganyika Territory, now Tanza ...

, was saying his breviary in the church at Rutabo when it collapsed in him. He dived under a

prie-dieu A prie-dieu ( French: literally, "pray oGod") is a type of prayer desk primarily intended for private devotional use, but which may also be found in churches. A similar form of chair in domestic furniture is called "prie-dieu" by analogy. S ...

, and was unhurt. Rutabo Diocese was founded in 1952 under Bishop

Laurean Rugambwa Laurean Rugambwa (July 12, 1912 – December 8, 1997) was the first modern native African Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Dar es Salaam from 1968 to 1992, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1960. Biography Laurea ...

, and had its preparatory seminary at Rutabo. On 31 March 1960

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

made Rugambwa the first

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

n Cardinal of the Catholic Church. A 1960 sketch of the cardinal described his cathedral church of Rutaba as a makeshift structure with a roof of corrugated iron, but his diocese contained 61,000 members of his faith. In 1960 the Bunena preparatory seminary was transferred to Rutabo.

References

;Sources * * * * {{Tanzania-geo-stub Populated places in Kagera Region Populated places on Lake Victoria Catholic Church in Tanzania White Fathers missions