The Archdiocese of Calabar (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Archidioecesis Calabarensis'') is a

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ecclesiastical territory or

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 ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Its archepiscopal see is

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...

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. The Archbishop of Calabar is metropolitan of an

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 ...

with four suffragan dioceses: the Dioceses of Ikot Ekpene, Ogoja, Port Harcourt, and Uyo.

History

* 1934.07.09: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Calabar from the

Apostolic Vicariate of Western Nigeria The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region. In 1976, the state was subdivided into thre ...

* 1947.06.12: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Calabar * 1950.04.18: Promoted as Diocese of Calabar * 1994.03.26: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calabar

Special churches

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 ...

: Sacred Heart Cathedral in

Pro-Cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostoli ...

: Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in

Bishops

* Prefect Apostolic of Calabar ** Father James Moynagh, S.P.S. 1934.10.26 – 1947.06.12 ''see below'' * Vicar Apostolic of Calabar (Roman rite) ** Bishop James Moynagh, S.P.S. ''see above'' 1947.06.12 – 1950.04.18 ''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 c ...

s of Calabar (Roman rite) ** Bishop James Moynagh, S.P.S. ''see above'' 1950.04.18 – 1970.02.05 ** Bishop Brian David Usanga 1970.02.05 – 1994.03.26 ''see below'' * Metropolitan Archbishops of Calabar (Roman rite) ** Archbishop

Brian David Usanga Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word mea ...

''see above'' 1994.03.26 – 2003.12.17 ** Archbishop

Joseph Edra Ukpo Joseph Edra Ukpo (born 6 June 1937) was Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calabar from his appointment in 2003, succeeding , until his retirement in 2013. He had previously been the first Nigerian-born and black African bishop of th ...

2003.12.17 - 2013.02.02; Archbishop Emeritus; resignation accepted by

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 soverei ...

Vatican News Service announcement
/ref> ** Archbishop

Joseph Effiong Ekuwem Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

2013.02.02 - present; formerly, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Uyo

Auxiliary Bishops

* Dominic Ignatius Ekandem (1953-1963), appointed Bishop of Ikot Ekpene (Cardinal in 1976) *

(1966-1970), appointed Bishop here

Suffragan dioceses

* Diocese of Ikot Ekpene * Diocese of Ogoja * Diocese of Port Harcourt * Diocese of Uyo

References

External links

GCatholic.org Information

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calabar