South Asia-1

This blog will discuss the Catholic Church in Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma) and Pakistan.

Bangladesh

What is now Bangladesh was part of several empires for most of its history and became part of British India in the 19th Century.  Pakistan (East and West) broke from newly-independent India in 1947.  East Pakistan or Bangladesh, separated from the rest of Pakistan in 1971.

Islam was introduced in the region in the 10th Century and Jesuit, Dominican, and Augustinian missionaries—mostly from Portugal—brought Catholicism to the area in the 16th Century.  Today, Muslims make up 89 percent of Bangladesh’s 163 million people.  Another 10 percent are Hindu.  There are about 400,000 Catholics served by two ecclesiastic provinces—Dhaka and Chattogram.

Province of Dhaka

The province consists of the civil divisions of Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Sylhet in Northern and Central Bangladesh.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dhaka began as the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Bengal in 1850.  This became a diocese in 1886 and the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dhaka was established in 1950.  St. Mary’s Cathedral (Immaculate Conception) in Dhaka was built in 1956.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Dinajpur was created in 1927.
• The Diocese of Mymensingh was created in 1987.
• The Diocese of Rajshahi was created in 1990.
• The Diocese of Sylhet was created in 2011.

Province of Chattogram

The province consists of the civil divisions of Chittagong, Barisal, and Khulna in southern Bangladesh.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Chattogram began as a diocese in 1927 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2017.  Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Chittagong was built in 1843 and renovated in 1933.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Khulna was created in 1952.
• The Diocese of Barishal was created in 2015.

Myanmar (Burma)

Burma became part of the British Indian Empire in the 19th Century after the British conquered and consolidated several kingdoms.  Burma gained independence from the British in 1948 and was renamed Myanmar in 1989.

Catholicism came to Burma around 1500 along with Portuguese merchants, but serious evangelization did not begin until Barnabite (Clerics Regular of St. Paul) missionaries came in the 18th Century.  The population of Myanmar is 57 million and 88 percent are Buddhist and 4 percent are Muslim.  Christians account for 6 percent and of those, about 650,000 are Catholic.  Catholics are served by one of three ecclesiastic provinces:  Mandalay, Yangon (Rangoon), and Taunggyi.

Province of Mandalay

The province consists of northern Mandalay Region, Chin State, Kachin State, northern Shan State, and Sagaing Region in northern Myanmar.  (Note: Provincial boundaries for this province and the other two in Myanmar are best estimates.)  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mandalay was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Burma in 1866, which was renamed Northern Burma in 1870, and Mandalay in 1939.  This became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mandalay in 1955.  

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Mandalay was completed in 1890.  The construction was ordered by the Apostolic Vicar at the time, who was a member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Myitkyina was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1939 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Lashio was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1975 and became a diocese in 1990.
• The Diocese of Hakha was created in 1992.
• The Diocese of Banmaw was created in 2006.
• The Diocese of Kalay was created in 2010.

Province of Yangon (Rangoon)

The province consists of Yangon Region, Ayeyarwady Region, southern Bago region, Kayin State, Mon State, and Tanintharyi Region in southern Myanmar.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Yangon was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Southwestern Burma in 1866, was renamed Southern Burma in 1870, and Rangoon in 1953.  This became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1955. 

Immaculate Conception (St. Mary’s) Cathedral in Yangon was designed by a Dutch architect and constructed between 1895 and 1899.  The neo-Gothic cathedral is built with red brick and cement and has two towers.  It can seat 1,500.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Pathein was created in 1955.
• The Diocese of Pyay was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1940 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Mawlamyine was created in 1993.
• The Diocese of Hpa-an was created in 2009.

Province of Taunggyi

The province consists of southern Shan State, northern Bago Region, Kayah State, Magway Region, southern Mandalay Region, Rakhine State, and Naypyidaw Union Territory in central Myanmar.  The Diocese of Taunggyi was created in 1961 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1998.  St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Taunggyi was organized as a parish in 1873 and the current church dates to 1951. 

Pictures are from TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Taungngu was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Burma in 1866 and became a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Kengtung was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1927, became an apostolic vicariate in 1950, and was promoted to a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Loikaw was established in 1988.
• The Diocese of Pekhon was established in 2005.

Pakistan

What is now Pakistan was part of several empires for most of its history and became part of British India in the 19th Century.  Pakistan (East and West) broke from newly-independent India in 1947.  East Pakistan or Bangladesh, separated from the rest of Pakistan in 1971 and West Pakistan became simply Pakistan.

Islam was well established in the region by the 8th Century.  Catholic missionaries came to the area in the 16th Century, but met with little success.  Serious Catholic evangelization began in the mid-1800s under British rule.  Pakistan has 234 million people and over 96 percent belong to the official religion—Islam.  There are about a million and a half Catholics and an equal number of Protestants.  The Catholics are served by the Provinces of Karachi and Lahore.  In addition, the Apostolic Vicariate of Quetta serves over 30,000 Catholics in the civil province of Balochistan and is immediately subject to the Pope.  It began as an apostolic prefecture in 2001 before becoming an apostolic vicariate in 2010.  (Note: boundaries for this jurisdiction and the two ecclesiastic provinces in Pakistan are best estimates.)  

Province of Karachi

The province consists of the civil province of Sindh.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Karachi was created as a diocese in 1948 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1950.  

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Karachi was built between 1878 and 1881 by the Jesuits to replace an 1845 Carmelite church of the same name.  The brown brick Gothic Revival church can accommodate almost 2,000 people.  The Cathedral’s two dozen stained glass windows were made by the Franz Mayer of Germany and depict biblical themes. There are several oil paintings on the Cathedral’s walls and there is a marble monument to Christ the King on the Cathedral grounds.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the other three are from Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Hyderabad was established in 1958.

Province of Lahore

The province consists of the civil provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Islamabad Capital Territory.  The Diocese of Lahore was established in 1886 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1994.

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore was built in 1907 by Belgian Capuchins.  It was designed in a Roman Byzantine style by a Belgian architect and was built with Belgian materials.

The first picture is from Flickr and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Multan began as an apostolic prefecture in 1936 before becoming a diocese in 1939.
• The Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi began as an apostolic prefecture in 1887 before becoming a diocese in 1947.
• The Diocese of Faisalabad was established in 1960.

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 missionary territories below the level of a diocese, which include apostolic vicariates and apostolic prefectures. 

 Indonesia

Several kingdoms rose and fell in what is now Indonesia beginning in the 7th Century.  Some of these kingdoms were Hindu and others Buddhist.  Between the 7th and 13th Centuries, there is evidence of small Catholic communities on the islands of Java and Sumatra, but these died out.  Islam came to northern Sumatra in the 13th Century and spread to Java.  The first Europeans—Portuguese traders—came to Indonesia in 1512.  The Dutch established the Dutch East India Company in 1602 which dominated Indonesia for the next 200 years after which Indonesia became a Dutch colony.  After Japanese occupation during the Second World War, Indonesia began to fight for its independence, which the Netherlands granted in 1949.

The Portuguese began evangelization in Indonesia and St. Francis Xavier spent over a year there.  Within a hundred years, Catholicism was strong on some islands.  However, the Dutch took effective control of Indonesia in 1602 and discouraged Catholic evangelization in favor of Protestant evangelization.  Conditions eventually improved to the point that the Church was able to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Batavia in 1807.  Indonesia has 267 million people—87 percent are Muslim, 7 percent are Protestant, and 3 percent are Catholic.

This blog will cover all ten Catholic ecclesiastic provinces in Indonesia—Ende, Jakarta, Kupang, Makassar, Medan, Merauke, Palembang, Pontianak, Samarinda, and Semarang.  A military diocese was established in 1949.

 

Province of Jakarta

The province consists of the Capital Region of Jakarta and the civil provinces of Banten and West Java on the Island of Java.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Jakarta was created as the Apostolic Prefecture of Batavia in 1807, became an apostolic vicariate in 1841, and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1961. 

St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Jakarta was built between 1891 and 1901 in a Gothic Revival style.  It replaced an 1829 church building.  The Cathedral is made of red brick and plaster to resemble stone work.  The roof is supported with teak beams and the façade has a statue of Our Lady and a rose window.  The Cathedral has three towers and the two tallest rise to almost 200 feet.  One tower has a bell and clocks.  The main altar was made in the Netherlands in the 19th Century and was installed in the Cathedral in 1956.  The wooden pulpit was made in 1905 and is carved with religious themes.  The pipe organ was made in Belgium in 1988.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Bandung was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1932, became an apostolic vicariate in 1941, and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Bogor created as an apostolic prefecture in 1948 and became a diocese in 1961.

Province of Ende

The province consists of the civil provinces of Bali and West Nusa Tenggara in the Lesser Sunda Islands.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ende began as an apostolic prefecture in 1913, became an apostolic vicariate in 1922, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1961. 

The Cathedral of Christ the King in Ende was constructed between 1930 and 1932 in a mixture of Neo-Gothic and traditional architecture styles.  The Cathedral has a tower topped with a cross.  Inside is a statue of Christ the King.

Pictures are from TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Larantuka was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1951 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Ruteng was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1951 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Denpasar was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1950 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Maumere was created in 2005.
• The Diocese of Labuan Bajo was created in 2024.

Province of Makassar

The province consists of 8 civil provinces in Sulawesi and Maluku.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Makassar was established in 1937 as an apostolic prefecture.  It became an apostolic vicariate in 1948 and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1961.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Makassar was originally built between 1898 and 1900, but was renovated and expanded between 1939 and 1941.  It is the oldest church in the region and has six weekend masses. 

From a blog.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Amboina was created as the Apostolic Prefecture of Dutch New Guinea in 1902 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1920.  This became the Diocese of Amboina in 1961.
• The Diocese of Manado was created as the Apostolic Prefecture of Celebes in 1919 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1934.  This became the Diocese of Manado in 1961.

Province of Medan

The province consists of the civil provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, and West Sumatra on the Island of Sumatra.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Medan began as the Apostolic Prefecture of Sumatra in 1911, became the Apostolic Vicariate of Padang in 1932, and the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Medan in 1961.

St. Mary’s (Immaculate Conception) Cathedral in Medan was built in 1905, but was renovated in 1928 in a Dutch Colonial style.  The Cathedral has one tower and can hold 2,000 worshippers.  See katedralmedan.or.id.

The first two pictures are from the Cathedral website and the last is from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Padang was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1952 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Sibolga was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1959 and became a diocese in 1980.

Province of Pontianak

The province consists of the civil province of West Kalimantan.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pontianak began as the Apostolic Prefecture of Dutch Borneo in 1905, became an apostolic vicariate in 1918, and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Pontianak in 1961.  St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Pontianak was built in 2014 and is administered by the Capuchins.

The first three pictures are from a local website and the last is from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Sintang was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1948, became an apostolic vicariate in 1956, and a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Ketapang was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1954 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Sanggau was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1968 before becoming a diocese in 1982.

Province of Semarang

The province consists of the civil provinces of Central Java, East Java, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta on the Island of Java.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Semarang was established in 1940 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1961.  The Cathedral of Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, in Semarang, was built in 1927.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Malang was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1927, became an apostolic vicariate in 1939, and a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Purwokerto was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1932, became an apostolic vicariate in 1941, and a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Surabaya was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1928, became an apostolic vicariate in 1941, and a diocese in 1961.

Province of Merauke

The province consists of the civil provinces of Papua and West Papua on the Island of New Guinea.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Merauke began as an apostolic vicariate in 1950 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1966.  St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is in Merauke. 

From a local news source.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Jayapura was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1949, became an apostolic vicariate in 1954, and a diocese in 1966.
• The Diocese of Manokwari-Sorong was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1959 and became a diocese in 1966.
• The Diocese of Agats was created in 1969.
• The Diocese of Timika was created in 2003.

Province of Kupang

The province consists of the civil province of East Nusa Tenggara in the Lesser Sunda Islands.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kupang was established as a diocese in 1967 before being promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1989.  Christ the King Cathedral in Kupang was built in the last century.  

Both pictures are from a local blog.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Atambua was created in as the Apostolic Vicariate of Dutch Timor in 1936 and became the Diocese of Atambua in 1961.
• The Diocese of Weetebula was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1959 and became a diocese in 1969.

Province of Samarinda

The province consists of the civil provinces of North, South, East, and Central Kalimantan.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Samarinda was created in 1955, became a diocese in 1961, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 2003.  St. Mary’s Cathedral is in Samarinda.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Banjarmasin was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1938, became an apostolic vicariate in 1949, and a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Palangkaraya was created in 1993.
• The Diocese of Tanjung Selor was created in 2002.

Province of Palembang

The province consists of the civil provinces of Bangka Belitung Islands, Bengkulu, Jambi, Lampung, and South Sumatra on the Island of Sumatra.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palembang began as an apostolic prefecture in 1923, became an apostolic vicariate in 1939, and a diocese in 1961, before being promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 2003.  St. Mary’s Cathedral is in Palembang.

From Flickr.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Pangkal-Pinang was established in 1923 as an apostolic prefecture, became an apostolic vicariate in 1951 and a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Tanjung-Karang was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1952 and was promoted to a diocese in 1961.

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 missionary territories below the level of a diocese, which include apostolic vicariates and apostolic prefectures.