Archdiocese of Owerri

For the Diocese of Owerri in the Church of Nigeria, see Anglican Province of Owerri.

The Archdiocese of Owerri (Latin: Archidioecesis Overriensis) is a Latin Catholic archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. The Seat of Wisdom Seminary is in Owerri.

Archdiocese of Owerri Archidioecesis Overriensis
Catholic
Assumpta Cathedral
Location
Country	Nigeria
Territory	Imo State
Episcopal conference	Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria
Ecclesiastical province	Province of Owerri
Coordinates	5°29′06″N 7°02′06″E
Statistics
Area	2,996 km2 (1,157 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2023) 1,555,338 1,079,950 ( 69.4%)
Parishes	164 (2023)
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	Diocese: 18 April 1950 (18 April 1950) Archdiocese: 26 March 1994 (26 March 1994)
Cathedral	Assumpta Cathedral
Secular priests	396 total (2023) 279 diocesan 117 religious priests
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Metropolitan Archbishop	Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji
Auxiliary Bishops	Moses Chikwe
Bishops emeritus	Anthony J.V. Obinna
Map
Imo State shown in red
Website
www.owarch.org

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.

Statistics

The archdiocese covers an area of 2,996 km² (1,157 sq mi).

1,079,950 (69.4%) of the 1.55 million people (2023) in the area are Catholic. The archdiocese hosts 376 total priests (297 diocesan and 117 religious (2023). There are 164 parishes in the archdiocese (2023).

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
  • 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 – 1993; see below
• Metropolitan Archbishops of Owerri
  • Anthony J.V. Obinna 26 Mar 1994 – 6 Mar 2022; see above
  • Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji since 6 Mar 2022; see above

Auxiliary bishop

• Moses Chikwe (2019– )

Other priests of this diocese who became bishop

• Augustine Ndubueze Echema, appointed Bishop of Aba in 2019

Suffragan Dioceses

• Aba
• Ahiara
• Okigwe
• Orlu
• Umuahia

See also

• Catholic Church in Nigeria
• List of Catholic dioceses in Nigeria

External links

• Official website
• Archdiocese profile at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
• Nigerian Catholic Network
• Diocese information at the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria Archived 2016-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
• Archdiocese profile at GCatholic.org
• Seat of Wisdom Seminary
• Seat of Wisdom SeminaryArchived 2013-06-14 at the Wayback Machine