The Roman Catholic Diocese of Makurdi ( la, Makurden(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

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popul ...

Benue State Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is t ...

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 Abuja in

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 ...

History

* July 9, 1934: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Benue 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 ...

* April 18, 1950: Renamed as the Apostolic Prefecture of Oturkpo * April 2, 1959: Promoted as Diocese of Oturkpo * June 28, 1960: Renamed as Diocese of Makurdi

Special churches

The

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 ...

is Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Makurdi.

Bishops

* Prefect Apostolic of Benue (

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 ...

) ** Fr. Giuseppe Kirsten, C.S.Sp. (26 Feb 1937 – 1947) * Bishop of Oturkpo (Roman rite) ** Bishop James Hagan, C.S.Sp. (20 Mar 1948 – 8 Mar 1960 ''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 Makurdi (Latin Church) ** Bishop James Hagan, C.S.Sp. (''see above'' 8 Mar 1960 – 29 Mar 1966) ** Bishop Donal Joseph Murray,

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 ...

(11 Jan 1968 – 2 Jun 1989) ** Bishop Athanasius Atule Usuh (2 Jun 1989 – 28 Mar 2015) ** Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, CMF (28 Mar 2015 -)

Coadjutor Bishop

* Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, C.M.F. (2014-2015) * Athanasius Atule Usuh (1987-1989)

Auxiliary Bishop

* William Amove Avenya (2008-2012), appointed Bishop of Gboko

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Peter Iornzuul Adoboh, appointed Bishop of Katsina-Ala in 2012 * Michael Ekwoy Apochi (priest here, 1986-1995), appointed Bishop of Otupko in 2002 * Matthew Ishaya Audu, appointed Bishop of Lafia in 2000

Sources

GCatholic.org Information

Roman Catholic dioceses in Nigeria Christian organizations established in 1934 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Abuja {{Nigeria-RC-diocese-stub