The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ambanja ( la, Ambaniaën(sis)) is a

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 associ ...

located in the city of

Ambanja Ambanja is a city and commune in northern Madagascar. According to 2001 census the population of Ambanja was 28,468. Geography Ambanja is located on the northern berth of the Sambirano River and is crossed by the Route Nationale 6 (Antsiranan ...

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 sev ...

of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Antsiranana in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

. Its episcopal see is the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, which was constructed in 1933.

History

On September 4, 1848, the Apostolic Prefecture of Isole di Mayotta, Nossi-Bé e Comore was established from the Apostolic Vicariate of Madagascar. In 1843 the French Government, called in by the sultan, had taken possession of

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loca ...

, which became, with

Nossi-Bé Nosy Be (formerly Nossi-bé and Nosse Be) is an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist resort. It has an area of , and its population was 109,465 according to the provisional results of t ...

, a post of surveillance over

. These islands later formed a French colony, with a population largely Muslim. Mayotte, Nossi-Bé and the Comoros were made an

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 ...

and confided to the

Fathers of the Holy Ghost , 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 ...

. In 1898, when the same missionaries were given the ecclesiastical administration of Northern Madagascar, these smaller islands and Santa Maria were attached to the then

Apostolic Vicariate of Diégo-Suarez :''There is also an Anglican '' Bishop of Antsiranana'' in the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean.'' The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antsiranana is one of five Metropolitan Latin Archdioceses in Madagascar. Although it has its ecclesi ...

. Santa Maria and Nossi-Bé had resident missionaries. Wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Mayotte, Nossi-Bé, and Comoro * June 14, 1938: Renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Ambanja * Promoted on March 8, 1951 as Apostolic Vicariate of Ambanja * Promoted on September 14, 1955 as Diocese of Ambanja, yet remains dependent in Rome on the missionary

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

* On 5 June 1975, it lost its original missionary territory (modern

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

and

) to establish the exempt

Apostolic Administration of the Comoros Archipelago The Apostolic Vicariate of the Comoros Archipelago is a tiny Latin apostolic vicariate (missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction) of the Roman Catholic Church in the Indian Ocean between insular Madagascar and continental Africa, comprising the Comor ...

Incumbent Ordinaries

:''all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while di ...

(Latin)'' ; ''Apostolic Prefect of Mayotte, Nosy-Be and Comore'' * Friar Callisto Lopinot,

Capuchin Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

(O.F.M. Cap.) (1932.05.15 – 1937) ; Apostolic Prefect ''of Ambanja'' * Fr. Léon-Adolphe Messmer, O.F.M. Cap. (1937.11.12 – 1951.03.08 ''see below'') ; ''Apostolic Vicar ''of Ambanja * Bishop Léon-Adolphe Messmer, O.F.M. Cap.,

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 a ...

of Coropissus (''see above'' 1951.03.08 – 1955.09.14 ''see below'') ;''Suffragan Bishops'' of Ambanja * Léon-Adolphe Messmer, O.F.M. Cap. (''see above'' 1955.09.14 – 1975.06.05), later permanent Apostolic Administrator of

Comores The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an List of sovereign states by date of formation, independent country made up of three islands in Southeast Africa, southeastern Africa, located at t ...

(Comoros) (1975.06.05 – 1980.05.02) * Ferdinand Botsy,

O.F.M. Cap. The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

(1976.07.08 – 1997.10.25) * Odon Marie Arsène Razanakolona (1998.11.28 – 2005.12.07), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Antananarivo (Madagascar) (2005.12.07 – ...), **'' remaining

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 ...

(2005.12.07 – 2007.11.07) * Rosario Saro Vella,

Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...

(S.D.B.) (2007.11.07 – 2019.07.08), appointed Bishop of Moramanga * Donatien Francis Randriamalala, M.S. (2022.11.11 – ...)

References

Sources and External Links

GCatholic.org with incumbent bio links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambanja, Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Madagascar Catholic Church in the Comoros Catholic Church in Madagascar Catholic Church in Mayotte Religion in Diana Region Ambanja Religious organizations established in 1848 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century 1938 establishments in Madagascar Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Antsiranana

History

Incumbent Ordinaries

See also

References

Sources and External Links