Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Patna
|
Archdiocese of Patna Archidioecesis Patnensis पटना के सूबा |
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Ecclesiastical province | Patna |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 28,808 km2 (11,123 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2005) 24,709,333 54,120 (0.2%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 10 September 1919 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Mary Mother of Perpetual Help in Patna |
| Co-cathedral | Pro-Cathedral of St Joseph in Patna |
| Patron saint | Saint Joseph |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | William D'Souza, S.J. |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Patna (Latin: Patnen(sis)) is an archdiocese located in the city of Patna, in the state of Bihar (India).
The Congregation for the Propagation of Faith erected the Prefecture of Tibet - Hindustan in 1703 and entrusted it to the Capuchin Fathers of the Italian Province of Picenum in the Marches of Ancona. The first group of fathers reached Lhasa (Tibet) in 1707 and began Church work there. For nearly 41 years the Capuchin Fathers worked in Lhasa until a religious persecution forced them to give up their mission and move to Kathmandu (Nepal) in 1745.
Nepal had seen the Capuchin Fathers working with varying success in Kathmandu since 1715. A new conqueror of Kathmandu valley, Raja Pritvi Narayan, who was not sympathetic to the Fathers stopped all support to them. The Mission of Nepal was also abandoned in 1769, and the Fathers with 62 Nepalese Christians and five catechumens moved to India. The Nepalese Christians and catechumens settled down at Chuhari near Bettiah. The scene of the capuchin Mission shifted now to the Indian soil. Fr Joseph Mary ofm cap, a saintly priest, founded the Bettiah Mission in 1745 after the King of Bettiah, Raja Druva Singh had obtained permission from Pope Benedict XIV.
Rome erected the Prefecture of Tibet-Hindustan into a Vicariate in 1812. In 1827 an Independent Patna Vicariate was created, comprising Bettiah, Chuhari, Patna City, Dinapore, Bhagalpur, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Nepal, and adjacent territories. The saintly Anastasius Hartmann, ofm cap., was appointed its first Vicar Apostolic. With a Decree of Pope Leo XIII Patna Vicariate became a part of Allahabad diocese in 1886. The North Bihar Mission with its four stations of Bettiah, Chuhari, Chakhani and Latonah was entrusted to the Tyrolese Capuchins in 1886. In May 1892 the North Bihar Mission was made Bettiah - Nepal Prefecture with Fr Hilarion of Abtei, ofm cap, as its first Prefect. In 1919 this Prefecture was dissolved and joined to South Bihar to form the present Diocese of Patna.
...
Wikipedia