The

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Archdiocese of Owerri (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Overriensis'') is located in

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...

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 ...

. The Seat of Wisdom Seminary is in Owerri. The archdiocese covers an area of 2,996 km². 670,986 of the 1.7 million people in the area are member of the Catholic Church.

History

The diocese dates back to the Vicariate Apostolic of Owerri, which was created on February 12, 1948, when the Vicariate Apostolic of Onitsha-Owerri was split. On April 18, 1950, it was elevated to a diocese. On March 26, 1994, it became an Archdiocese. On 27 December 2020, auxiliary bishop

Moses Chikwe Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

and his driver were kidnapped by gunmen in Owerri. They were both released unharmed and without ransom, on 1 January 2021.

Bishops

Ordinaries

* Vicar Apostolic of Owerri (

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

) ** Joseph Brendan Whelan, C.S.Sp. 12 Feb 1948 – 18 Apr 1950; ''see below'' * Bishops of Owerri (Roman rite) **

Joseph Brendan Whelan Bishop Joseph Brendan Whelan, C.S.Sp.(1909-1990), was an Irish Spiritan priest who served as Bishop of Owerri in Nigeria.. Early life and education Born 25 May 1909 in St Michael's Parish, Limerick City, his secondary schooling was at Blackrock ...

C.S.Sp. , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

18 Apr 1950 – 25 Jun 1970; ''see above'' **

Mark Onwuha Unegbu Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

25 Jun 1970 – 1 Jul 1993 ** Anthony J.V. Obinna 1 Jul 1993 – 1993; ''see below'' * Metropolitan Archbishops of Owerri (Roman rite) **

Anthony John Valentine Obinna Anthony John Valentine Obinna (born 26 June 1946 in Emekukwu, Imo State, Nigeria) is a Nigerian priest and the archbishop of Owerri from 26 March 1994 until 6 March 2022. Biography Ordained as a priest on 1972, he incardinated in the Diocese ...

26 Mar 1994 – 6 Mar 2022; ''see above'' **

Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji (born January 13, 1952 in Naze, Nigeria) is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese. In 2022, he was appointed as the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). He followed on from the previ ...

since 6 Mar 2022; ''see above''

Auxiliary bishop

(2019-)

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

Augustine Ndubueze Echema Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

, appointed Bishop of Aba in 2019

Suffragan Dioceses

* Aba *

Ahiara Ahiara is a city in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria. The city stands about 16 miles between Owere and Umuahia. It was the location of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu's Ahiara Declaration during the Nigerian Civil War. It is the location of the Catholic d ...

Okigwe Okigwe is the third largest city in Imo state in Nigeria after Owerri and Orlu. Okigwe is located in the Okigwe Local Government Area of Nigeria. The city lies between the Port Harcourt- Enugu-Maiduguri rail line, being the nearest city to the ...

* Orlu *

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nige ...

References

External links

Official website of the Archdiocese of Owerri, NigeriaDiocese information at the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria

Seat of Wisdom SeminarySeat of Wisdom Seminary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owerri Roman Catholic dioceses in Nigeria Archdiocese of Roman Catholic bishops of Owerri