SAKANIA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is located in the extreme southern corner of the Belgian Congo and is entrusted to the Salesians, who arrived there in 1911.

The territory, which has an area of 36,575 sq km, was erected as an apostolic prefecture on 12 May 1925 under the name of Upper Luapula, by detachment from the apostolic prefecture of Katanga (now an apostolic vicariate), and was elevated to an apostolic vicariate, under the name of S., on 14 Nov. 1939.

The indigenous population, which is fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, is composed of several tribes: Baushi, Balamba, Babisa, Balabi, Baseba. Catholics number about 13,000 with almost 8,000 catechumens, pagans about 19,000. There are few Europeans, Greeks, Jews and Asians. Foreign priests 38, 20 brothers, and 20 sisters; 32 catechists, 130 teachers, 27 minor seminarians, 9 principal mission stations, 94 secondary, 9 churches and 94 chapels, 112 schools, 8 dispensaries, 1 hospital, 1 leprosarium, 9 orphanages. Among the schools, the vocational ones are especially distinguished. The most important center of missionary works is at La Kafubu, which is by now a suburb of Elisabethville.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: AAS, 17 (1925), pp. 446-47; 32 (1940), pp. 175-76; I. van Wing - V. Goeme, Annuaire des missions cathol. au Congo Belge et au Rwanda Urumbi, Bruxelles 1949; MC, 1950, p. 148.

Carlo Corvo

@incollection{ec10_sakania_vicariato_apostolico_d, author = {Corvo, Carlo}, title = {Sakania, vicariato apostolico di}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {X}, pages = {1643}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/sakania-vicariato-apostolico-di} }

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Sakania, Apostolic Vicariate of

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