The Diocese of Ziguinchor was highlighted for the 138th edition of the Marian pilgrimage to Popenguine. This distinction comes as the diocese celebrates its 85th anniversary. This provides an opportunity for us to revisit the history of this ecclesiastical district in the south of the country.

From the apostolic prefecture to the diocese

Created on April 25, 1939 as an apostolic prefecture by separation from the vicariate of Dakar, which became the archdiocese of Dakar, this ecclesiastical district has undergone several major developments.

A pioneering figure, Joseph Faye, a native of Carabane Island and a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, was its first apostolic prefect. He was among the first three indigenous priests appointed in Africa by Pope Pius XII. On July 10, 1952, the prefecture became an apostolic vicariate. Three years later, on September 14, 1955, it was officially erected as a diocese under the name Dioecesis Ziguinchorensis, the Diocese of Ziguinchor.

The diocese subsequently underwent several territorial reorganizations. On January 21, 1957, the first division led to the creation of the Apostolic Prefecture of Kaolack, which is now a diocese. A second division occurred on December 22, 1999, with the creation of the Diocese of Kolda. This reorganization resulted in the loss of the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Temento, which had previously been established as a diocesan shrine.

To strengthen the spiritual life of the diocese, the ecclesiastical authorities established the Marian shrine of Our Lady of the Missions in Ziguinchor as the new diocesan shrine in 2010. Today, the diocese comprises 4 deaneries and 31 parishes.

Five bishops in 70 years of episcopate

Since its elevation to the status of a diocese in 1955, several bishops have succeeded one another at the head of this ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Prosper Paul Dodds was the first bishop from 1955 to 1966, Augustin Sagna (1966-1995), the first native bishop from the region, Maixent Coly (1995-2010), Paul Abel Mamba (2012-2021), now Bishop of Tambacounda, and Jean-Baptiste Valter Manga, ordained and officially installed in November 2024. Between August 24, 2010, and January 25, 2012, the episcopal see remained vacant following the death of Bishop Maixent Coly.

More than eight decades after its creation, the Diocese of Ziguinchor remains an influential religious institution in Senegal. Between its missionary history and the inculturation of the local clergy, the history of the Diocese of Ziguinchor reflects not only the evolution of the Catholic Church in the country, but also the gradual emergence of an African clergy.