KAREMA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. — In British East Africa, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. It is entrusted to the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers).
It derives from the Apostolic Vicariate of Tanganyika, and was erected on 10 May 1946 with the territory of the Ufipa region, when this was detached from the Uha region. The two aforementioned regions, Uha to the north and Ufipa to the south, had previously together formed the Vicariate of Tanganyika. Upon their division, the Uha region was given the name of the Vicariate of Kigoma, and the Ufipa region that of the Apostolic Vicariate of K. (for its history V. KIGOMA).
The Apostolic Vicariate of K. has an area of 76,000 sq. km. and a population of about 153,000 (year 1949); native Catholics 92,554, foreigners 26, of mixed race 17, catechumens 4,318, Protestants 2,852, Muslims 3,709, pagans about 50,000. Native priests 14, foreign priests 28, foreign lay brothers 7, foreign sisters 27, native sisters 14 with 5 novices, 21 postulants and 21 aspirants. Major seminaries 30, minor seminaries 75, preparatory seminaries 1 with 32 pupils, catechists 435, teachers 40, women teachers 9, doctors 1 (native). Main stations 5, secondary stations 378, quasi-parishes 8, 18 churches, 350 chapels, 9 dispensaries with 160,270 consultations in the year, 20 elementary schools with 2,484 pupils, 1 female teachers' training college with 148, 1 school for catechists with 31 pupils, 395 prayer schools with 15,000 pupils of both sexes. Catholic Action is well developed in 280 centres with 948 male and 320 female members.