Archdiocese of Calabar

Archdiocese of Calabar

*Archidioecesis Calabarensis*
Archdiocese of Calabar; Archidioecesis Calabarensis
Location
Country	Nigeria
Territory	Portions of Cross River State
Ecclesiastical province	Calabar
Deaneries	10 Deaneries + 1 extra territorial
Coordinates	4°57′00″N 8°19′30″E / 4.95000°N 8.32500°E
Statistics
Population Total; Catholics;	; 2,017,700 approximately; 352,721 (over 17%);
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	102
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Archbishop	Joseph Effiong Ekuwem
Auxiliary Bishops	Christopher Naseri Naseri
Map
	; Calabar shown in red

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

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

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.