Archdiocese of Calabar
| Archdiocese of Calabar Archidioecesis Calabarensis | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Territory | Portions of Cross River State |
| Ecclesiastical province | Calabar |
| Deaneries | 10 + 1 extra territorial |
| Coordinates | 4°57′00″N 8°19′30″E / 4.95000°N 8.32500°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 7,754 km2 (2,994 sq mi) |
| Population Total Catholics |
(as of 2022) 1,682,110 306,760 (18.2%) |
| Parishes | 64 Parishes/Chaplaincies 11 Quasi Parishes 6 Autonomous communities 4 Mass Centres |
| Schools | Over 31 Nursery/Primary schools and 17 Secondary schools |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | Diocese: 18 April 1950 Archdiocese: 26 March 1994 |
| Cathedral | Sacred Heart Cathedral, Calabar |
| Co-cathedral | Saint Mary Pro-Cathedral, Calabar |
| Secular priests | 107 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Archbishop | Joseph Effiong Ekuwem |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Christopher Naseri Naseri |
| Map | |
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The Archdiocese of Calabar (Archidioecesis Calabarensis) is a Catholic Latin rite church in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. An archdiocese, the archbishop serves as the metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province with four suffragan dioceses: the Ikot Ekpene, Ogoja, Port Harcourt, and Uyo.
History
- 1934.07.09: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Calabar from the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Nigeria
- 1947.06.12: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Calabar
- 1950.04.18: Promoted as Diocese of Calabar
- 1994.03.26: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calabar
Special churches
- Cathedral: Sacred Heart Cathedral in Calabar
- Pro-Cathedral: Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Calabar.
Bishops
- Prefect Apostolic of Calabar
- Father James Moynagh, S.P.S. 1934.10.26 – 1947.06.12 see below
- Vicar Apostolic of Calabar (Roman rite)
- Bishop James Moynagh, S.P.S. see above 1947.06.12 – 1950.04.18 see below
- Bishops of Calabar (Roman rite)
- Bishop James Moynagh, S.P.S. see above 1950.04.18 – 1970.02.05
- Bishop Brian David Usanga 1970.02.05 – 1994.03.26 see below
- Metropolitan Archbishops of Calabar (Roman rite)
- Archbishop Brian David Usanga see above 1994.03.26 – 2003.12.17
- Archbishop Joseph Edra Ukpo 2003.12.17 - 2013.02.02; Archbishop Emeritus; resignation accepted by Pope Benedict XVI[1]
- Archbishop Joseph Effiong Ekuwem 2013.02.02 - present; formerly, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Uyo
Auxiliary Bishops
- Dominic Ignatius Ekandem (1953-1963), appointed Bishop of Ikot Ekpene (Cardinal in 1976)
- Brian David Usanga (1966-1970), appointed Bishop here
- Christopher Naseri Naseri (2023-present), current Auxiliary Bishop.
Suffragan dioceses
- Diocese of Ikot Ekpene
- Diocese of Ogoja
- Diocese of Port Harcourt
- Diocese of Uyo
See also
- Roman Catholicism in Nigeria
- Roman Catholic churches in Port Harcourt
Canonical status and jurisdiction
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calabar is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church.[2]
- Part of: Ecclesiastical Province of Calabar