Diocese of Wewak

	Diocese of Wewak
Basic data
State	Papua New Guinea
Metropolitan Bishopric	Archdiocese of Madang
Diocesan Bishop	Józef Roszyński SVD
Foundation	25. July 1913
Area	36.917 km²
Parishes	48 (2014 / AP 2015)
Inhabitants	375.000 (2014 / AP 2015)
Catholics	229.000 (2014 / AP 2015)
Share	61,1 %
Diocesan Priest	25 (2014 / AP 2015)
Religious priest	11 (2014 / AP 2015)
Catholics per priest	6361
Friars	31 (2014 / AP 2015)
Religious Sisters	72 (2014 / AP 2015)
Rite	Roman Rite
Cathedral	Christ the King Cathedral

The Diocese of Wewak (Latin: Dioecesis Ueuakensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese located in Papua New Guinea with its seat in Wewak.

History

Pope Pius X created the Apostolic Prefecture of Western Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land on 25 July 1913 from the division of the Apostolic Prefecture of Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land into the Apostolic Prefectures of Eastern Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land and Western Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land. On 14 November 1922, it adopted the name Apostolic Prefecture of Central New Guinea.

With the Breve Quae rei sacrae it was elevated to the status of Vicariate Apostolic on 22 August 1931. On 15 May 1952, with the Bull Ad latius prolatandam, it took the name of Vicariate Apostolic of Wewak. It was elevated to the status of diocese on 15 November 1966 by the Apostolic Constitution Laeta incrementa.

It lost parts of its territory in favor of the establishment of the following bishoprics:

to the Apostolic Prefecture of Aitape on 15 May 1952;
to the Apostolic Vicariate of Mount Hagen on 18 June 1959.

Ordinaries

Apostolic Prefects of the Western Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land

Canisius Theodorus Gellings SS.CC. (19 August 1913 – 1918)
Adalberto Ottone Rielander SSCC (1918-1922)

Apostolic Prefects of Central New Guinea

Teodosio Heikenrath SSCC (1922-1923)
Josef Lörks SVD (19 June 1928 – 22 August 1931)

Vicars Apostolic of Central New Guinea

Josef Lörks SVD (22 August 1931 – 17 March 1943)
Leo Clement Andrew Arkfeld SVD (8 July 1948 – 15 May 1952)

Vicar Apostolic of Wewak

Leo Clement Andrew Arkfeld SVD (15 May 1952 – 15 November 1966)

Bishops of Wewak

Leo Clement Andrew Arkfeld SVD (15 November 1966 – 19 December 1975, then Archbishop of Madang)
Raymond Philip Kalisch SVD (24 April 1980 – 14 August 2002)
Anthony Joseph Burgess (August 14, 2002 – September 20, 2013)
Józef Roszyński SVD (since 6 February 2015)

Statistics

Year	Population			Priest				Permanent deacons	Religious		Parishes
Year	Catholics	Inhabitants	%	Total	Diocesan Priest	Religious priest	Catholics per priest	Permanent deacons	Friars	Religious Sisters	Parishes
1950	33.625	296.944	11,3	46		46	730				33
1970	84.392	195.719	43,1	64	11	53	1.318	1	96	69
1980	113.000	208.000	54,3	60	7	53	1.883	7	101	57
1990	125.350	197.641	63,4	61	8	53	2.054	7	90	77
1999	89.280	145.264	61,5	59	18	41	1.513	6	74	67
2000	182.323	278.998	65,3	52	19	33	3.506	6	70	60
2001	187.755	280.258	67,0	54	22	32	3.476	6	69	77
2002	193.174	288.968	66,8	59	24	35	3.274	6	72	60
2003	193.937	292.597	66,3	50	25	25	3.878	5	62	60
2004	195.950	295.700	66,3	44	23	21	4.453	4	46	68
2010	210.000	344.000	61,0	37	22	15	5.675	1	35	72	45

Web links

Entry on cbcpngsi.org (english)
Entry on Diocese of Wewak at catholic-hierarchy.org (English)
Entry on Giga-Catholic (english)

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