The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wau ( la, Vaven(sis)) is a suffragan

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a population ...

which cover all and only

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 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 ...

episcopal see is Cathedral of St. Mary in Wau, Gharb Baḩr al Ghazāl province. The diocese is occupied since the 18 November 2020 by bishop Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku.

History

* 30 May 1913: Established as

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Bahr el-Ghazal, on territory split off from the

Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Middle Africa is an analogous term used by the United Nations in its United Nations geoscheme for Africa, geoscheme for A ...

* 13 June 1917: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Bahr el-Ghazal * Lost territory repeatedly : on 1923.06.12 to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Equatorial Nile, on 1949.03.03 to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Mupoi and on 1955.07.03 to establish

Apostolic Vicariate of Rumbek The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rumbek ( la, Rumbekensis) is a diocese in Rumbek in the Ecclesiastical province of Juba in South Sudan. Geography The Diocese of Rumbek is located in the heart of the Republic of South Sudan. Today, it covers the wh ...

* 26 May 1961: Renamed after its see as Apostolic Vicariate of Wau * 12 December 1974: Promoted as Diocese of Wau

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 2,913,120 Catholics (70.0% of 4,161,600 total) on 134,572 km² in 19 parishes with 43 priests (25 diocesan, 18 religious), 1 deacon, 56 lay religious (28 brothers, 28 sisters) and 23 seminarians.

Ordinaries

(all Roman rite) ''Apostolic Prefect of Bahr el-Ghazal'' * Antonio Stoppani,

Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus Bold text The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus ( la, Missionarii Comboniani Cordis Iesu), abbreviated MCCJ, also known as the Comboni Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, or the Verona Fathers, and originally called the Sons of the Sacred ...

(M.C.C.I.) (born Italy) (1913.05.30 – 1917.06.13 ''see below'') ''Apostolic Vicars of Bahr el-Ghazal'' * Antonio Stoppani, M.C.C.I. (''see above'' 1917.06.13 – retired 1933),

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 ...

Stratonicea in Caria Stratonicea, Stratoniceia or Stratonikeia ( el, Στρατoνίκεια), also found as Stratonice, Stratoniki, Stratonike ( el, Στρατονίκη), can refer to any of several Hellenistic cities, including: *Stratonicea (Caria) Stratonicea ...

(1917.06.13 – death 1940.08.06) *

Rodolfo Orler Rodolfo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Rodolfo (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer Rodolfo José da Silva Bardella *Rodolfo Albano III, Filipino politician * Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (1928-2012), Filipino actor ...

, M.C.C.I. (born Canada) (1933.12.11 – death 1946.07.19), Titular Bishop of

Prusias ad Hypium Prusias ad Hypium ( grc, Προῦσα πρὸς τῷ Ὑππίῳ ποταμῷ) was a city in ancient Bithynia, and afterwards in the late Roman province of Honorias. In the 4th century it became a bishopric that was a suffragan of Claudiopol ...

(1933.12.11 – 1946.07.19) *

Edoardo Mason Edoardo is the Italian form of the English male given name Edward. Notable people named Edoardo include: * Edoardo Agnelli (industrialist) (1892–1935), Italian industrialist * Edoardo Alfieri (1913–1998), Italian sculptor * Edoardo Amaldi (1 ...

, M.C.C.I. (born Italy) (1947.05.08 – 1960.05.10), Titular Bishop of Rusicade (1947.05.08 – death 1989.03.15); next

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

El Obeid El-Obeid ( ar, الأبيض, ''al-ʾAbyaḍ'', lit."the White"), also romanized as Al-Ubayyid, is the capital of the state of North Kurdufan, in Sudan. History and overview El-Obeid was founded by the pashas of Ottoman Egypt in 1821. It ...

(Sudan) (1960.05.10 – 1969) * Ireneus Wien Dud (first African incumbent, born Sudan) (1960.05.10 – 1961.05.26 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of Barcusus (1955.07.03 – 1974.12.12); previously Apostolic Vicar of

Rumbek Rumbek ( ar, رمبك) is the capital of Lakes State, central South Sudan, and the former capital of the country. Location Rumbek is approximately by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Its coordinates are an ...

(South Sudan) (1955.07.03 – 1960.05.10) ''Apostolic Vicar of Wau'' *

Ireneus Wien Dud Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the dev ...

(''see above'' 1961.05.26 – 1974.12.12), also President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference (1970 – 1973),

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 ...

(South Sudan) (1972 – 1974); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

(South Sudan) (1974.12.12 – 1982) ;''Suffragan Bishops of Wau'' *

Gabriel Zubeir Wako Gabriel Zubeir Wako (born 27 February 1941) is a Sudanese Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Born in Mboro, Sudan, he was ordained to the priesthood on 21 July 1963. He was appointed as the Bishop of Wau in 1974, and later as t ...

(1974.12.12 – 1979.10.30), also Apostolic Administrator of

(South Sudan) (1974 – 1976), President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference (1978 – 1989); later

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coad ...

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

(Sudan) (1979.10.30 – 1981.10.10), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Khartoum (1981.10.10 – retired 2016.12.10), President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference (1993 – 1999 & 2012.01.01 – 2016.10), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of S. Atanasio a Via Tiburtina (2003.10.21 003.12.14– ...) * Joseph Bilal Nyekindi (1980.10.24 – retired 1995.11.02), died 1996 *

Rudolf Deng Majak Rudolf Deng Majak (November 1, 1940 – March 6, 2017) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Majak was born in Awac, Sudan, in 1940. In 1970 he was ordained in Rumbek to the priesthood. In 1992 he became the Apostolic Administrator of Wau, now in So ...

(1995.11.02 – death 2017.03.08), also President of Sudan Bishops’ Conference (2006? – 2011.12.31); previously

of Wau (1992.04.12 – succession 1995.11.02). * Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku, M.C.C.I. (2020.11.18-present)

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org - data for all sections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wau, Roman Catholic Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in South Sudan

Religious organizations established in 1913 Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1913 establishments in Sudan

History

Statistics

Ordinaries

See also

Sources and external links