The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kayes ( la, Kayesen(sis)) is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

located in the city of

Kayes Kayes (Bambara language, Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ tr. ''Kayi'', Soninke language, Soninké: ''Xaayi'') is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River with a population of 127,368 at the 2009 census. Kayes is the capital of the Kayes Region, administ ...

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 ...

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

. On Thursday, January 31, 2013,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

appointed the Reverend Father Jonas Dembélé, up until then serving (as a member of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San in

San, Mali San ( Bambara: ߛߊߣ tr. San) is an urban commune, town and capital of the Cercle of San in the Ségou Region of Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Ren ...

) as a pastor and as secretary of the National Union of Priests of Mali, as the bishop-elect of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kayes, in Kayes, Mali, succeeding Bishop Joseph Dao, who retired in 2011.

History

* June 12, 1947: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Kayes from the Apostolic Vicariate of Bamako * July 6, 1963: Promoted as Diocese of Kayes

Leadership

* Prefects Apostolic of Kayes (Roman rite) ** Bishop Etienne-Marie-Félix Courtois, M. Afr. (1947.11.07 – 1963.07.06 ''see below'') *

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 Kayes (Roman rite) ** Bishop Etienne-Marie-Félix Courtois, M. Afr. (''see above'' 1963.07.06 – 1978.07.11) ** Bishop Joseph Dao (1978.09.12 – 2011.06.11) ** Bishop Jonas Dembélé (2013.01.31 - present)

Jonas Dembélé

The Rev. Fr. Jonas Dembélé was born on May 15, 1963, in Sokoura, Mali, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San. After finishing primary and secondary school, he entered the Major

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamako The Archdiocese of Bamako is the Metropolitan Archdiocesan See for the Ecclesiastical province which covers all and only Mali, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The cathedral archiepiscopal seat ...

, in

Bamako, Mali Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

, for courses in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, and afterwards attended the Seminary of Koumi, Burkina Faso (in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bobo-Dioulasso The Archdiocese of Bobo-Dioulasso ( la, Archidioecesis Bobodiulassensis) is the Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan Episcopal See, See for the Ecclesiastical province of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. History * 15 December 1927: Established as Apo ...

) for studies in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. Bishop-designate Dembélé was ordained a priest on July 12, 1992. After ordination, he held the following positions: from 1992 to 1996: Vicar in the parish of

Saint John Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century. While working ...

of Touba, Mali; from 1996 to 2008: Pastor of the

Cathedral of Notre Dame de Lourdes A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral ...

; from 2002 to 2008: Secretary General of the Union of the Clergy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San and of the National Union of the Clergy of Mali (UPM); from 2008 to 2010: Studies at the Institute of Pastoral Theology Lumen Vitae in

Brussels, Belgium Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, with a ' maitrise' in

Practical Theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

of Société et Dévelomment (Society and Development); since 2011: Pastor of the Parish of Yasso, Mali, which is under construction. He will be ordained a bishop and installed as Bishop of Kayes in separate ceremonies in the near future. (He was consecrated and installed on May 11, 2013.)

Sources

GCatholic.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kayes Kayes

Christian organizations established in 1947 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1947 establishments in French Sudan Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Bamako

History

Leadership

Jonas Dembélé

See also

Sources