MWANZA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is situated in the northern part of the territory of Tanganyika, south of Lake Victoria; it comprises the districts of Mwanza (except for the subdivisions of Nassa and Masanza), Kwimba, Shinyanga, and the islands of Ukara and Ukerewe, as well as the mainland portion of the latter district. It is entrusted to the Society of Missionaries of Africa ([v.] White Fathers), to whom the region of the Great Lakes was assigned on 14 February 1878.
In 1879 those missionaries arrived there and began to spread the work of evangelization despite difficulties of every kind. On 27 September 1880, a pro-vicariate of Nyanza was erected, which comprised a vast territory (Uganda and part of Kenya, Tanzania, and the Belgian Congo) and which on 31 May 1883 was elevated to an apostolic vicariate under the name of Victoria Nyanza (after the territories of the Belgian Congo and others to the north toward Sudan and Kaffa had already been detached), and on 13 July 1894 it was subdivided into the three apostolic vicariates of Upper Nile, Northern Victoria Nyanza, and Southern Victoria Nyanza. The latter, after several boundary modifications and reductions of territory, took (15 January 1915) the name of Victoria Nyanza, which, after further boundary modifications and reductions of territory, finally received the new name of Mwanza when (10 April 1929) the vicariate of Bukoba was separated from it ([v.]). It was divided for the last time on 11 April 1946, when with its eastern and northern parts the apostolic vicariate of Musoma Maswa was erected (now the apostolic vicariate of Maswa [v.], because on 24 June 1950 Musoma [v.] was constituted an apostolic prefecture). With a decree of the same date, a boundary adjustment was made with the apostolic vicariate of Maswa. The oldest currently existing mission station in the apostolic vicariate of Mwanza is that of Bukumbi, founded in 1883.
The apostolic vicariate of Mwanza currently has a surface area of 29,330 sq. km. with a population, according to estimates made in 1948, of 818,600 inhabitants. The 1950 statistics give 29,327 indigenous Catholics plus 94 foreigners and 14 of mixed race, 11,500 catechumens, 985 Protestants, 13,960 Muslims, ca. 758,100 pagans; 17 indigenous priests, 32 foreigners, 8 foreign lay brothers, 19 foreign nuns; 1 minor seminary, 244 catechists, 69 monsignori, 1 physician; 1 graduate male nurse; 5 quasi-parishes, 13 principal mission stations and 218 secondary ones, 7 churches and 229 chapels, 4 hospitals, 7 dispensaries; schools: 27 elementary, 1 middle, 2 vocational, 2 normal; 1 periodical with an annual circulation of 4,700 copies; 18 Catholic Action associations.
In 1950 there were 707 adult baptisms.
CARLO CORVO