Diocese of Ogoja
The Diocese of Ogoja is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Calabar, yet still depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Its cathedra is Saint Benedict Cathedral, dedicated to diocesan patron saint Saint Benedict, in the episcopal see of Ogoja, in Cross River State.
History
- Established on March 13, 1938 as Apostolic Prefecture of Ogoja, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Prefecture of Calabar
- 1955.01.01: Promoted as Diocese of Ogoja/ Ogogiaën
- On 1973.03.01 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of Abakaliki.
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 902,975 Catholics on 12,557 km2 in 65 parishes with 99 priests, 50 lay religious and 137 seminarians.Ordinaries
;Apostolic Prefects of Ogoja- Patrick Joseph Whitney, Saint Patrick’s Society for the Foreign Missions, died 1942; previously Founder of Saint Patrick’s Society for the Foreign Missions
- Thomas McGettrick, S.P.S.
- Thomas McGettrick, S.P.S., later Bishop of Abakaliki
- Joseph Edra Ukpo, succeeding as former auxiliary bishop of Ogoja and Titular Bishop of Chullu ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Calabar
- John Ebebe Ayah, stayed on a while as Apostolic Administrator of Ogoja while Bishop of Uyo
- Donatus Edet Akpan, no previous prelature.
Deaneries
- Abuochiche
- Agbokim
- Bansara
- Edor
- Idum
- Ikom
- Kakwagom
- Obubra
- Obudu
- Ogoja
- Okuku
- Ohong
- Sankwala
- Ugep
- Wanakom
- Wula