Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri (Latin: Archidioecesis Overriensis) is located in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.
Archdiocese of Owerri Archidioecesis Overriensis | |
|---|---|
 Assumpta Cathedral | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Nigeria |
| Territory | Imo State |
| Ecclesiastical province | Owerri |
| Coordinates | 5°29′06″N 7°02′06″E |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Archbishop | Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna |
| Suffragans | Aba, Ahiara, Okigwe, Orlu, Umuahia |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Moses Chikwe |
| Map | |
 Imo State shown in red | |
| Website | |
| owarch.org.ng | |
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 and his driver were kidnapped by gunmen in Owerri. They were both released unharmed and without ransom, on 1 January 2021.[1]
Special churches
The seat of the Archbishop is Assumpta Cathedral in Owerri.
Bishops
Ordinaries
- Vicar Apostolic of Owerri (Latin Church)
- Joseph Brendan Whelan, C.S.Sp. 12 Feb 1948 – 18 Apr 1950; see below
- Bishops of Owerri (Roman rite)
- Joseph Brendan Whelan, C.S.Sp. 18 Apr 1950 – 25 Jun 1970; see above
- Mark Onwuha Unegbu 25 Jun 1970 – 1 Jul 1993
- Anthony J.V. Obinna 1 Jul 1993 – 26 Mar 1994; see below
- Metropolitan Archbishops of Owerri (Roman rite)
- Anthony John Valentine Obinna since 26 Mar 1994; see above
Auxiliary bishop
- Moses Chikwe (2019-)
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Augustine Ndubueze Echema, appointed Bishop of Aba in 2019
See also
- Roman Catholicism in Nigeria
External links
- Official website of the Archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria
- Catholic Hierarchy
- Diocese information at the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria
- GCatholic.org Information
- Seat of Wisdom Seminary
- Seat of Wisdom Seminary
- "Catholic bishop released five days after kidnapping in Nigeria". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2021-01-02.