Diocese of Rulenge–Ngara

Diocese of Rulenge–Ngara Dioecesis Rulengensis–Ngarensis
Location
Country	Tanzania
Metropolitan	Mwanza
Statistics
Area	20,720 km2 (8,000 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2004) 1,171,209 595,773 (50.9%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Severine Niwemugizi

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rulenge–Ngara (Latin: Dioecesis Rulengensis–Ngarensis) is a diocese located in Rulenge in the ecclesiastical province of Mwanza in Tanzania.

History

• April 8, 1929: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Bubuka from the Diocese of Tabora and Apostolic Vicariate of Uganda in Uganda
• 1951: Promoted as Diocese of Bukoba
• June 21, 1960: Renamed as Diocese of Rulenge
• August 14, 2008: Renamed as Diocese of Rulenge–Ngara

Bishops

• Vicars Apostolic of Bukoba (Roman rite)
  • Bishop Burkard Huwiler, M. Afr. (1929.03.18 – 1946.03.20)
  • Bishop Lorenzo Tétrault, M. Afr. (1947.11.13 – 1951.03.20)
  • Bishop Alfred Lanctôt, M. Afr. (1951.12.13 – 1953.03.25 see below)
• Bishops of Bukoba (Roman rite)
  • Bishop Alfred Lanctôt, M. Afr. (see above 1953.03.25 – 1960.06.21 see below)
• Bishops of Rulenge (Roman rite)
  • Bishop Alfred Lanctôt, M. Afr. (see above 1960.06.21 – 1969.05.30)
  • Bishop Christopher Mwoleka (1969.06.26 – 1996.11.08)
  • Bishop Severine Niwemugizi (8 November 1996 - 14 August 2008 see below)
• Bishops of Rulenge–Ngara (Roman rite)
  • Bishop Severine Niwemugizi (see above since 14 August 2008)

Auxiliary Bishop

• Christopher Mwoleka (1969), appointed Bishop here

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

• Placidus Gervasius Nkalanga, O.S.B. (priest here, 1950-1961), appointed auxiliary bishop of Bukoba in 1961 (professed in O.S.B. in 1984)
• Protase Rugambwa, appointed Bishop of Kigoma in 2008, Archbishop in 2012, Cardinal and Archbishop of Tabora in 2023

See also

• Roman Catholicism in Tanzania

Further reading

Protase Rugambwa: Ministry and collaboration in small Christian communities: ″Communities in Rulenge Diocese-Tanzania, a case study″. Theological dissertation, Pontificia Università Lateranense, Rome, 1998.

Sources

• GCatholic.org
• Catholic Hierarchy
• Website of the Catholic Diocese of Rulenge–Ngara Archived 2018-05-11 at the Wayback Machine