Bishop of Trivandrum

Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram Archidioecesis Trivandrensis Latinorum തിരുവനന്തപുരം
St. Joseph's Cathedral
Location
Country	India
Ecclesiastical province	Thiruvananthapuram
Statistics
Area	686 km2 (265 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2014) 2,368,000 261,220 (11.0%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite or Roman rite
Cathedral	St. Joseph's Cathedral, Thiruvananthapuram
Patron saint	St Thérèse of Lisieux
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop	Most Rev. Dr. Soosa Pakiam M.
Auxiliary Bishops	Most Rev. Dr. Christudas Rajappan
Vicar General	Very Rev. Msgr. Eugine H. Pereira
Episcopal Vicars	Very Rev. Msgr. Dr. Thomas J. Netto
Judicial Vicar	Very Rev. Dr. Gladin Alex
Website
Website of the Archdiocese

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram (Latin: Trivandren(sis) Latinorum) is an archdiocese located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India.

The Archdiocese of Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) is one of the biggest diocese of Kerala having a Catholic population of nearly 2,50,000 people, even after the bifurcation of the Diocese of Neyyattinkara four years ago. The 75 parishes and 44 Mission stations of the Diocese are grouped together into 8 Vicariates in 3 Episcopates. At present we have 133 incardinated priests in the Archdiocese including those retired, studying and working for other Dioceses and 27 religious priests.

Trivandrum Latin archdiocese is headquartered in Kerala's capital city Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum. It is situated between north latitudes 8° 17' and 8° 54' and east longitudes 76° 41' and 77° 17'. The archdiocese is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the West and Western Ghat on the East. The wooded highlands on the Western Ghats in the eastern and northeastern borders give Thiruvananthapuram some of the most enchanting picnic spots. A long shoreline, with internationally renowned beaches, historic monuments, backwater stretches and a rich cultural heritage make this district a much sought after tourist destination.

The Diocese is bounded on the north by the Diocese of Quilon, on the east by the Ghats, on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the south by the Diocese of Kottar.

Christianity in this part dates from the time of the arrival of the Portuguese in India and perhaps earlier. It is very likely that the Franciscan and Dominican missionaries of the Middle Ages who evangelized Quilon and its suburbs worked also in Trivandrum; some of the churches of this Diocese claim to be of pre-Portuguese origin.

With the arrival of the Portuguese but especially with the advent of the pioneer missionary, St Francis Xavier, Christianity spread far and wide in these parts with the result that by the close of the sixteenth century there were well-established Christian communities along the Trivandrum coast. But unfortunately with the suppression of the Society of Jesus, this missionary enterprises came to a close.

The second phase of the missionary enterprise in the Diocese begins with the dawn of the present century. The saintly Bishop Benziger who became coadjutor Bishop of Quilon in 1900 and Bishop in 1905 was the apostle who propagated Christianity in the Diocese through the fragrance of his saintly life, wise leadership and unceasing assistance to his missionary priests. In 1931 when he retired to the Carmel Hill Monastery, Trivandrum, there were Christian communities established in almost all places of the interior region .As early as 1919, Bishop Benziger recommended the establishment of the Diocese of Trivandrum, but it materialized only after his retirement.