The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kitui ( la, Kituien(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 associa ...
located in the city of
Kitui 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 ...
of
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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.
History
* February 20, 1956: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Kitui from the
Diocese of Meru and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi
* November 16, 1963: Promoted as Diocese of Kitui
Leadership
* Prefects Apostolic of Kitui (Latin Church)
** Father William Dunne, S.P.S. (1956.10.19 – 1963.11.16); ''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 Kitui (Latin Church)
** Bishop
William Dunne,
S.P.S. (1963.11.16 – 1995.11.02); ''see above''
** Bishop
Boniface Lele
Boniface Lele (April 14, 1947 – April 9, 2014) was a Roman Catholic bishop.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1974, Lele was named bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kitui, Kenya, in 1995. He was named archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...
(1995.11.02 – 2005.04.01), appointed Archbishop of Mombasa
** Bishop
Martin Kivuva Musonde (Apostolic Administrator 2007.05 - ?)
** Bishop
Anthony Muheria
Anthony Muheria (born 27 May 1963) is a Kenyan Catholic bishop who serves as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Nyeri. He was appointed Archbishop of Nyeri on 23 April 2017.
Background and priesthood
Anthony Muheria was born on 27 May 1963, i ...
(2008.10.08 - 2017.04.23) (catholic-hierarchy has appointment 2008.06.28), appointed Archbishop of Nyeri
** Bishop
Joseph Mwongela (2020.03.17 – present)
Catholic Diocese of Kitui covers the County of Kitui, consisting of four former Administrative Districts of Kyuso,
Mwingi
Mwingi is a town in the Kitui County in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Kenya. It has an urban population of 15,970 (2009 census). The town is located along the A3 Road between Nairobi and Garissa, north of its county capital Kitui, and eas ...
,
Kitui and
Mutomo, an arid and semi arid area of approximately 30,142 km in Eastern Kenya. It has a population of around 1.09 million people with over 240,000 baptized Catholics (*Source: Central Statistics of the State; Secretariat of State; (2011)
The first Missionaries to evangelize Kitui were Holy Ghost fathers (
Congregation of the Holy Spirit
, 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 ...
) from Kabaa (
Machakos diocese) in early 1930s. At the time the Holy Ghost Fathers were introducing Christianity in Kitui, the
Consolata Missionaries from
Meru
Meru may refer to:
Geography Kenya
* Meru, Kenya, a city in Meru County, Kenya
** Meru County, created by the merger of
*** Meru Central District
*** Meru North District
*** Meru South District
* Meru National Park, a Kenyan wildlife park
T ...
were evangelizing in the northern side of Kitui bordering Tharaka, present day Kimangau. The first Mass was celebrated in Museve Hill by a Holy Ghost priest. The first Mission house was built in 1945 at
Mutune. Kitui Apostolic Prefecture was carved out from the
Archdiocese of Nairobi in 1956 and placed under care of
Saint Patrick's Society for the Foreign Missions (also known as the
Kiltegan Fathers). In 1964 it was erected as a diocese on 16 November 1963, with His Lordship, the late Right Rev. William Dunne as the first Bishop (R.I.P) on 9 February 1964. Bishop Dunne retired on 2 November 1995. The first diocesan priests in the diocese were Frs. Peter Muema Kyumbua and Boniface Lele Emeritus Archbishop of Mombasa (RIP), who were ordained in 1974.
Following the retirement of Bishop Dunne, Bishop Boniface Lele was appointed as Bishop of Kitui and ordained as bishop on 2 February 1996 succeeding him. Archbishop Lele was appointed Archbishop of
Archdiocese of Mombasa on 1 April 2005. Rev. Fr. Paul Healy was the Diocesan Administrator until the appointment of Rt. Rev. Bishop Martin Kivuva as the Apostolic Administrator. On 28 July 2008, Rt. Rev. Anthony Muheria was appointed bishop of Kitui taking possession on 10 August 2008.
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in Kenya
The Catholic Church in Kenya is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pope in the Vatican City.
The earliest traces of the Catholic Church in Kenya begin with th ...
*Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops
References
Sources
GCatholic.org
catholic diocese of Kitui website
Roman Catholic dioceses in Kenya
Christian organizations established in 1956
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
1956 establishments in Kenya
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Nairobi
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