The Diocese of Mbulu covers an area of approximately 16,057 km². As of recent statistics it has a Catholic population of around 308,713. It was officially inaugurated as a diocese on 25 March 1953, when it was elevated from an apostolic vicariate.
The mission which eventually became the Diocese of Mbulu began as the Apostolic Prefecture of Mbulu on 14 April 1943, carved out from the Apostolic Prefecture of Dodoma and the Apostolic Vicariate of Kilimanjaro. On 10 January 1952 it was elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate. Then on 25 March 1953 it was promoted to full diocesan status. Since then it has grown in parishes, clergy and activities, serving the Catholic faithful in the Manyara Region of Tanzania.
The roots of Catholic evangelization in the region date back to the pioneering mission work of the Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans), who in the 1860s began work in the coastal and inland areas of what is now Tanzania. They arrived in Zanzibar in 1863 and then in Bagamoyo in 1868, establishing free villages for former slaves and training them as catechists.
From Bagamoyo the mission expanded inland—with the help of catechists from freed-slave villages—to regions such as Moshi, Tanga, Same, Kondoa, Dodoma and parts of what would become the Mbulu jurisdiction.
In the specific case of Mbulu, the mission was formally structured when the Apostolic Prefecture of Mbulu was erected on 14 April 1943, carved out of the Apostolic Prefecture of Dodoma and the Apostolic Vicariate of Kilimanjaro (and Tabora). It was elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate on 10 January 1952, and further to the Diocese of Mbulu on 25 March 1953.
Over the years, the Diocese has emphasised catechesis, formation of local clergy, the establishment of parishes and outstations, and initiatives such as the celebration of the 25 th anniversary of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus Movement” in 2024–2025, underlining the importance of Eucharist, adoration and “new humanity” in the diocese.
Thus the evangelization process in Mbulu moved from early missionary outreach, through formation of local catechists, to a locally-led diocesan structure with its own indigenous clergy and faithful.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mbulu is a diocese located in the town of Mbulu in the ecclesiastical province of Arusha in Tanzania. The seat of the Bishop is the Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary. As of 2025, Catholic population has risen to make up 55%
