The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kongolo ( Latin: Kongoloën(sis)) is a Latin suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Its cathedral episcopal see is Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur-de-Marie (dedicated to Our Lady's Heart) in the city of Kongolo.

History

• Established on 30 June 1911 as Apostolic Prefecture of Northern Katanga, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Léopoldville
• Promoted on 18 June 1935 as Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Katanga, hence entitled to a titular bishop
• Renamed 8 March 1951 as Apostolic Vicariate of Kongolo, after its see
• Lost territory on 23 April 1956 to establish the then Apostolic Vicariate of Kindu
• Promoted on 10 November 1959 as Diocese of Kongolo, no longer missionary nor exempt
• Lost territory on 10 March 1966 to the Diocese of Kabinda
• Gained territory on 8 May 1971 from the Diocese of Baudouinville (now Kalemie–Kirungu)
• Lost territory on 31 May 1971 to establish the Diocese of Manono

Bishops

(all Roman rite)

Ordinaries

(So far all but one are members of the Holy Ghost Fathers (C.S.Sp.).)

Apostolic Prefects of Northern Katanga

• Fr. Emilio Callewaert, C.S.Sp. (1912 – 1922)
• Fr. Luigi Lempereur, C.S.Sp. (1922 – 1930)
• Fr. Giorgio Giuseppe Haezaert, C.S.Sp. (19 February 1931 – 18 June 1935 see below)

Apostolic Vicars of Northern Katanga

• Bishop Giorgio Giuseppe Haezaert, C.S.Sp. (see above 18 June 1935 – 1949), Titular Bishop of Pertusa (18 June 1935 – 29 September 1957)
• Bishop Gustave Joseph Bouve, C.S.Sp. (31 May 1950 – 8 March 1951 see below), Titular Bishop of Cremna (31 May 1950 – 10 November 1959)

Apostolic Vicars of Kongolo

• Bishop Gustave Joseph Bouve, C.S.Sp. (see above 8 March 1951 – 10 November 1959 see below)

Bishops of Kongolo

• Bishop Gustave Joseph Bouve, C.S.Sp. (see above 10 November 1959 – 1 September 1970), afterward Titular Bishop of Zama minor (1 September 1970 – 4 March 1971)
• Bishop Jérôme Nday Kanyangu Lukundwe (16 January 1971 – 31 March 2007)
• Bishop Oscar Ngoy wa Mpanga, (C.S.Sp.) (31 March 2007 - ...), also Apostolic Administrator of Kalemie–Kirungu (Congo-Kinshasa) (15 September 2010 – 31 March 2015)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Vincent de Paul Kwanga Njubu, appointed Bishop of Manono in 2005
• Fulgence Muteba Mugalu, appointed Bishop of Kilwa-Kasenga in 2005

See also

• Roman Catholicism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sources and external links

• GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links
• Catholic Hierarchy