Roman Catholic Diocese of Rumbek

In this moment, the Diocese of Rumbek has only 11 established missions or parishes, with a number of sub-parishes and around 150 chapels and prayer stations.

Documents report a catholic mission in the town of Thiet in 1949,[3] Rumbek in 1951[4] and Tonj in 1953,[5] all by that time under the Apostolic Vicariate of Bahr al-Ghazal (Wau).

Ireneo Wien Dud, a Southern Sudanese, was ordained a bishop and appointed Apostolic Vicar of Rumbek.

The Southern Sudanese never accepted the new masters, and a freedom struggle begun that would last practically half a century: From 1955-1972 the so-called "Anyanya"-rebels led the fight.

[7] After his death also the last priests left, inclusive the Apostolic Administrator Lino Toboi who escaped to Zaire but remained officially in charge until 1972.

Although in 1972 the Addis-Ababa-Peace Agreement ended 17 years of civil war, many Catholic priests did not come back to Rumbek Diocese.

The leadership of the Diocese was entrusted to the Archbishop emeritus of Khartoum, Agostino Baroni MCCJ, who was Apostolic Administrator of Rumbek from 1981-1983 – the year when the second South Sudanese Liberation war started (1983-2005).

As soon as he was freed, he returned to serve his people in the area, mainly in Tonj, until 1990, in spite of the many difficulties and military disruption.

Also in 1986 the local Clergy (only two Priests at that time) fled from the civil war, taking refuge with many youths in Ethiopia.

However, Rumbek was still under the occupation of the forces of Khartoum and practically inaccessible for the Bishop, who directed the Diocesan activities from other towns of Southern Sudan or Nairobi and through – often highly risky - trips into the territory whenever possible.

In the following years Missions were built up far away from the main roads "in the bush" where the people fled to from the atrocities of the war: Mapuordit (1993), Marial Lou (1994), Agangrial (1995).

Carlassare had a tumultuous start to his ministry, having suffered an attack in his home on the night of 25 to 26 April, which resulted in a long period of hospitalisation, before returning to take charge of the diocese.