Roman Catholic Diocese of Ahmedabad

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ahmedabad (Latin: Ahmedabaden(sis)) is a Latin rite suffragan diocese in the Gujurati Ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of Gandhinagar, yet depends on the Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Diocese of Ahmedabad Dioecesis Ahmedabadensis अहमदाबाद के सूबा Hindi અમદાવાદ ડાયોસિઝ Gujarati
Location
Country	India
Ecclesiastical province	Gandhinagar
Metropolitan	Gandhinagar
Statistics
Area	14,791 km^2 (5,711 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2014) 10,274,000 71,800 (0.7%)
Parishes	45
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	5 May 1949 (5 May 1949)
Cathedral	Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ahmedabad
Patron saint	St Francis Xavier Sacred Heart
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Athanasius Rethna Swamy Swamiadian
Metropolitan Archbishop	Thomas Ignatius MacWan

Its (Marian) cathedral episcopal see is (Our Lady of) Mount Carmel Cathedral, in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, western India.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 71,800 Catholics (0.7% of 10,274,000 total) on 14,791 km² in 45 parishes and 2 missions with 164 priests (89 diocesan, 90 religious), 455 lay religious (130 brothers, 325 sisters) and 11 seminarians.

History

• Established in 1934 as Mission sui iuris of Ahmedabad from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bombay[1]
• Elevated on 5 May 1949 as Diocese of Ahmedabad / Ahmedabadensis (Latin adjective)
• Lost territory on 26 February 1977 to establish the Diocese of Rajkot
• Lost territory on 11 October 2002 to establish the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar, which became its Metropolitan.

Prelates

Ecclesiastical superior of Ahmedabad

• Fr. Joaquin Vilallonga, SJ

Bishops of Ahmedabad

(all Latin Rite, native Indians except the first)

• Edwin Pinto, Society of Jesus (Jesuits, S.J.) (born 1901 in present Pakistan, then also British India) (5 May 1949 – retired 1973), died 1978
• Charles Gomes, S.J. (1 July 1974 – 21 May 1990), died 2002
• Stanislaus Fernandes, S.J. (21 May 1990 – 11 November 2002), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Gandhinagar (India) (11 October 2002 – 12 June 2015), Apostolic Administrator sede plena of Diocese of Baroda (Gujurat, India) (23 May 2016 – ...)
• Thomas Ignatius MacWan (11 November 2002 – 12 June 2015), next Metropolitan Archbishop of above Gandhinagar (12 June 2015 – ...)
• Athanasius Rethna Swamy Swamiadian (29 January 2018 – ...).

References

1. http://www.apostolicnunciatureindia.com/DiocesesofIndiaDispFull.aspx?DID=192

External links

• GCatholic.org, with Google HQ satellite picture - data for all sections ^{[self-published]}
• Catholic Hierarchy ^{[self-published]}