Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta (Latin: Archidioecesis Calcuttensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in India.

Archdiocese of Calcutta

Archidioecesis Calcuttensis
কলকাতার বিশপের এলাকা
Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary
Location
Country India
Ecclesiastical provinceCalcutta
Statistics
Area11,532 sq mi (29,870 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2006)
31,152,686
145,246 (0.5%)
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established18 April 1834
CathedralCathedral of the Most Holy Rosary
Patron saintSt Francis Xavier,[1] St Teresa of Calcutta[2]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopThomas D'Souza[3][4]
Bishops emeritusLucas Sirkar
Website
Website of the Archdiocese

History

The Archdiocese was originally erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Bengal in 1834 by Pope Gregory XVI, and renamed as the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Bengal in 1850 by Gregory's successor, Pope Pius IX.

On 1 September 1886, when the Catholic hierarchy was created in British India by Pope Leo XIII, the Vicariate was elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese and renamed as the "Archdiocese of Calcutta".

Over the course of times the Archdiocese was frequently divided and new metropolitan provinces were created : Ranchi, Guwahati and Patna. At the beginning of the 21st century, the metropolitan province of Calcutta covers only the state of West Bengal. The suffragan sees are : Asansol, Bagdogra, Baruipur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Krishnagar and Raiganj.

The archdiocese's cathedral, the seat of its archbishop, is the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary, commonly called the "Portuguese Church". Calcutta also houses the oldest Catholic church in the area, the Basilica of the Holy Rosary, in Bandel - a former Portuguese settlement - some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the city of Kolkata.

The current Archbishop of Calcutta is His Excellency Thomas D'Souza, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 23 February 2012.[5]

Territory

The Archdiocese of Calcutta currently covers the Districts of Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur and North 24 Parganas in the State of West Bengal.

List of Ordinaries of Calcutta

Apostolic Vicars of Bengal

Apostolic Vicars of West Bengal[6]
  • 1850 - 1855 : Patrick Joseph Carew
  • 1855 - 1859 : Marc-Thomas Olliffe
  • 1858 - 1864 : Sede vacante (Auguste Goiran, Administrator)
  • 1864 - 1865 : Augustus van Heule, S.J.
  • 1865 - 1867 : Sede vacante (Honoré van der Stuyft, S.J., Administrator)
  • 1867 - 1877 : Walter Herman Jacobus Steins, S.J.
  • 1877 - 1886 : Paul François Marie Goethals, S.J.

Archbishops of Calcutta[6]

Saints and causes for canonisation
  • St. Teresa of Calcutta lived and served in Calcutta.[7]

See also
  • Catholic Ecclesiastical Provinces in India
  • Diocese of Calcutta of the Church of North India
  • Roman Catholicism in India

References
  1. "Mother Teresa named co-patron of Calcutta archdiocese | News Headlines". Catholic Culture. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  2. Manik Banerjee (6 September 2017). "Vatican declares Mother Teresa a patron saint of Calcutta". Associated Press, ABC News.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. "Archbishop Thomas D'Souza condemns rape of nun".
  4. asianetnews (1 September 2016), Mother Teresa's canonization : Kolkata archbishop Thomas d'souza Sharing Memories, retrieved 20 August 2017
  5. (en) "Thomas D’Souza becomes Archbishop of Calcutta", Vatican Radio, 23 February 2012
  6. (en) "Past and Present Ordinaries", Archdiocese of Calcutta, Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 2 February 2012
  7. "Saints & Blessed – CCBI". Retrieved 17 October 2019.

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