India—2

This blog will cover seven Roman-rite provinces in northeastern India.

Province of Calcutta

The province consists of the State of West Bengal.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta began as an apostolic vicariate in 1834 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1886.

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary in Calcutta was built by the Portuguese in 1799.  The Cathedral has two domed towers and contains many sculptures including a Madonna and Child near the main altar.  The Cathedral also has bas relief Stations of the Cross.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has seven suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Krishnagar was established as a Mission sui juris in 1855, became an apostolic prefecture in 1870, before being promoted to a diocese in 1886.
• The Diocese of Jalpaiguri was established in 1952.
• The Diocese of Darjeeling was established as a Mission sui juris in 1929, became an apostolic prefecture in 1931, and was promoted to a diocese in 1962.
• The Diocese of Baruipur was established in 1977.
• The Diocese of Raiganj was established in 1978.
• The Diocese of Bagdogra was established in 1997.
• The Diocese of Asansol was established in 1997.

Province of Ranchi

The province consists of the State of Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  The Diocese of Ranchi was created in 1927 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ranchi in 1953.  The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Ranchi was built in the first half of the last century.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has eight suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Jamshedpur was established in 1962.
• The Diocese of Dumka was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1952 and was promoted to a diocese in 1962.
• The Diocese of Daltonganj was established in 1971.
• The Diocese of Port Blair was established in 1984.
• The Diocese of Gumla was established in 1993.
• The Diocese of Simdega was established in 1993.
• The Diocese of Hazaribag was established in 1995.
• The Diocese of Khunti was established in 1995.

Province of Shillong

The province consists of the States of Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and part of Assam.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shillong began as an apostolic prefecture in 1889, became a diocese in 1934, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1969.

The Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Shillong was built in 1936 in a Gothic style.  It is built on sand so as to better withstand earthquakes.  The Cathedral’s terra cotta Stations of the Cross were made by the Art Institute of Munich, Germany.  The stained glass windows were made in France.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Aizawl was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1952 and became a diocese in 1969.
• The Diocese of Tura was established in 1973.
• The Diocese of Agartala was established in 1996.
• The Diocese of Jowai was established in 2006.
• The Diocese of Nongstoin was established in 2006.

Province of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar

The province consists of the State of Odisha.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar began as the Mission sui juris of Cuttack in 1928, became the Diocese of Cuttack in 1937, and the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in 1974.  The Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary is in Cuttack—the parish was established in 1850.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Sambalpur was established in 1951.
• The Diocese of Berhampur was established in 1974.
• The Diocese of Rourkela was established in 1979.
• The Diocese of Balasore was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1968 and became a diocese in 1989.
• The Diocese of Rayagada was established in 2016.

Province of Guwahati

The province consists of the States of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, and most of the State of Assam.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guwahati began as a diocese in 1992 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1995.

Christ the Bearer of Good News Cathedral in Guwahati was built between 2008 and 2010.  See guwahatiarchdiocese.org.

All are from the Archdiocesan website.

St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral in Guwahati dates to the 19th Century, but the current church was completed in 1991.  The following year it became a Cathedral for the new Diocese of Guwahati and remained so until 2010 when it was replaced by Christ the Bearer of Good News Cathedral.

The Province has six suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Dibrugarh was established in 1951.
• The Diocese of Tezpur was established in 1964.
• The Diocese of Diphu was established in 1983.
• The Diocese of Bongaigaon was established in 2000.
• The Diocese of Itanagar was established in 2005.
• The Diocese of Miao was established in 2005.

Province of Imphal

The province consists of the States of Manipur and Nagaland.  The Diocese of Imphal was created in 1973 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1995.  St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Imphal was built in 1999 in a style described as Anglo Manipuri fusion.

The top picture is from Flickr and the other two are from Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Kohima was established in 1980.

Province of Patna

The province consists of the State of Bihar.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Patna was created in 1845, suppressed in 1886, and was restored in 1917.  Patna became a diocese in 1919 and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1999.

Queen of Apostles Cathedral in Patna was built in the 1970s.  The Cathedral has 10,000 parishioners. See queenoftheapostleskurji.com.

From the Cathedral website.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Bhagalpur was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1956 and became a diocese in 1965.
• The Diocese of Muzaffarpur was established in 1980.
• The Diocese of Bettiah was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1892, was suppressed in 1918, and became a diocese in 1998.
• The Diocese of Purnea was established in 1998.
• The Diocese of Buxar was established in 2005.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic vicariates and apostolic prefectures.  Both are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.  There is also a jurisdiction called a mission sui juris.  A mission sui juris may be part of a province and is often administered by a bishop of another diocese.