Maswa, Apostolic Vicariate of

MASWA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - In the north-western part of the territory of Tanganyika, on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, entrusted to the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers).

It was erected on 11 April 1946 with part of the territory of the vicariate of Mwanza (v.) and was named Musoma-M.: it in fact also included the territory of Musoma. The latter, on 24 June 1950, was made independent and erected as the apostolic prefecture of Musoma (v.), entrusted to the Fathers of the Society for Foreign Missions of Maryknoll, who had been working there since 1946.

The apostolic vicariate of M. currently has an area of 40,760 sq km with about 300,000 inhabitants. In 1950 it counted a little more than 3000 Catholics and 3000 catechumens, besides over 3000 Muslims, about 600 Protestants and over 280,000 pagans; 15 foreign missionaries and 3 foreign lay brothers (all of them White Fathers); 79 catechists; 7 elementary schools.

It is a vicariate that is beginning to develop amid considerable difficulties, due especially to the hopeless disproportion of Catholics within the mass of pagans, to the scarcity of catechists and teachers, to the proselytism of Muslims and Protestants, while generally the native chiefs are favourable to the Catholic missionaries.