Roman Catholic Diocese of Nkongsamba
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nkongsamba (Latin: Nkongsamben(sis)) is a Latin suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of Douala in Cameroon.
Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathédrale de l’Immaculée Conception, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception at Nkongsamba, in Moungo Department in the Littoral Region (Cameroon).
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 148,062 Catholics (42.4% of 349,270 total) on 4,057 km² in 505 parishes, 3 missions with 80 priests (67 diocesan, 13 religious), 130 lay religious (41 brothers, 89 sisters) and 40 seminarians.
History
Established on April 28, 1914 as Apostolic Prefecture of Adamaua, an immense territory on the Adamawa Pateau, split off from the much vaster still Apostolic Vicariate of Khartoum, in the then Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.
Renamed on June 11, 1923 as Apostolic Prefecture of Foumban, after its see F(o)umban.
Promoted on May 28, 1934 as Apostolic Vicariate of Foumban, hence entitled to a (titular) bishop.
It lost territory repeatedly :
- on 1940.05.28 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Berbérati (now a bishopric in Central African Republic)
- 1942.04.28, to establish the then Apostolic Prefecture of Niamey (in Niger)
- 1947.01.09 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Garoua and Apostolic Prefecture of Fort-Lamy (Chad)
On September 14, 1955, it was promoted and renamed as Diocese of Nkongsamba after its present see.
Bishops
Ordinaries
(all Roman rite)
- Apostolic Prefects of Adamaua
- Father Gerhard Lennartz, Dehonians (S.C.I.) (1914.04.29 – 1919)
- Fr. Joseph Donatien Plissonneau, S.C.I. (1920.02.07 – 1923.06.11 see below)
- Apostolic Prefects of Foumban
- Fr. Joseph Donatien Plissonneau, S.C.I. (see above 1923.06.11 – 1930)
- Fr. Paul Bouque, S.C.I. (1930.10.28 – 1934.05.28 see below)
- Apostolic Vicar of Foumban
- Paul Bouque, S.C.I. (see above 1934.05.28 – 1955.09.14 see below), Titular Bishop of Vagada (1934.05.28 – 1955.09.14)
- Suffragan Bishops of Nkongsamba
- Paul Bouque, S.C.I. (see above 1955.09.14 – 1964.06.16), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Abbir Germaniciana (1964.06.16 – death 1976.08.11)
- Albert Ndongmo (1964.06.16 – 1973.01.29), first native incumbent
- Thomas Nkuissi (1978.11.15 – 1992.11.21)
- Dieudonné Watio (1995.04.01 - 2011.03.05), appointed Bishop of Bafoussam
- Dieudonné Espoir Atangana (2012.05.26 - ...)
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Abraham Boualo Kome, appointed Bishop of Bafang in 2012
See also
- Roman Catholicism in Cameroon