The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar ( la, Loduarin(us)) 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
Lodwar
Lodwar is the largest town in north-western Kenya, located west of Lake Turkana on the A1 road. Its main industries are basket weaving and tourism. The Loima Hills lie to its west. Lodwar is the capital of Turkana County. The town has a popula ...
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
Kisumu
Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victoria Basin.
Apart from being an important polit ...
in
Kenya
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.
History
* January 11, 1968: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Lodwar from the
Diocese of Eldoret
* January 30, 1978: Promoted as Diocese of Lodwar
The Diocese of Lodwar separated from the Diocese of Eldoret in 1968. The Diocese of Lodwar borders local and international borders.
Turkana is bounded on the northern side by South Sudan and on the West by Uganda. Its Eastern wall is formed by Lake Turkana and on the southern side and it is blocked off from the rest of Kenya by the Cherangani Hills and the high mountain of West Pokot” - James Good, ''Mission to the Turkana''[Good, J. 2007, Mission to the Turkana, Don Bosco Printing Press; Makuyu]
Lodwar is bordering seven other dioceses, these include, Diocese of Kitale, Diocese of Nakuru and Diocese of Maralal in Kenya and the Diocese of Torit in South Sudan, Diocese of Kotido and Diocese of Moroto in Uganda and the Diocese of Jimmabonga in Ethiopia.
On 2012-12-8 the Diocese celebrated it 50 years since the first missionary arrived. Today it counts 30 Parishes with 16 local priests, 42 missionary priests, 19 religious brothers and 92 religious sisters. The diocese has been at the forefront in services provided to the community, to the poor, and the most neglected in Turkana.
Bishops
* Prefects Apostolic of Lodwar (
Latin Church
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)
** John Christopher Mahon, S.P.S. (16 Jan 1968 – 30 Jan 1978); ''see below''
* Bishops of Lodwar (Latin Church)
**
John Christopher Mahon, S.P.S. (30 Jan 1978 – 17 Feb 2000); ''see above''
**
Patrick Joseph Harrington,
S.M.A. (17 Feb 2000 – 5 Mar 2011)
** Dominic Kimengich (5 Mar 2011 – 16 Nov 2019), appointed Bishop of Eldoret
** John Mbinda, C.S.S.P. (4 Apr 2022 – present)
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
*
Norman Kingoo Wambua was a priest of this diocese from 22 May 1988 to 27 June 1998 before being appointed as Bishop of the diocese of Bungoma and Bishop of the Diocese of Machakos
References
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 ...
GCatholic.org*Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishop
*Diocese of Lodwa
Roman Catholic dioceses in Kenya
Christian organizations established in 1968
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Kisumu
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