Archdiocese of Owando
Ouandoën(sis)
Metropolitan see · Latin Church · Owando, Republic of the Congo
Latin-rite metropolitan archdiocese in the Republic of the Congo, established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Fort-Rousset on 21 December 1950, renamed Owando in 1977 and elevated to metropolitan archdiocese on 30 May 2020. Its seat is the Cathedral of Christ the King in Owando and its suffragans include Impfondo and Ouesso. Archbishop Gelase Armel Kema, C.S.Sp., has led the archdiocese since 2024.
The see
- Rank
- Metropolitan see
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 30 May 2020
- Latin
- Ouandoën(sis)
- Annuario code
- 001002500
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 355,120
- Population
- 488,140
- Catholic share
- 72.7%
- Priests
- 53
- Catholics per priest
- 6,700
- Extent
- 75,850 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 4.7
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Archbishop
- Gelase Armel Kema, C.S.Sp.
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Cathedral of Christ the King stands in Owando, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Owando
This see is the metropolitan of its province.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of ImpfondoImpfondo
- Diocese of OuessoOuesso
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
Owando is a jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in the Republic of Congo. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Victor Abagna Mossa as Bishop of Owando on February 11, 2011. On May 30, 2020, the see was raised from diocese to archdiocese, and Bishop Victor Abagna Mossa became its archbishop.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].