Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka (Latin: Archidioecesis Dhakensis)[1] is the Latin, main Metropolitan Metropolitan diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bangladesh, but no longer the only one. It still depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

There is also a Diocese of Dhaka (and a Bishop of Dhaka) in the united Church of Bangladesh.

Archdiocese of Dhaka

Archidioecesis Dhakensis

ঢাকা ধর্মমহাপ্রদেশ
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Dhaka
Location
Country Bangladesh
Ecclesiastical provinceDhaka
Statistics
Area14,193 km2 (5,480 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2013)
23,339,945
62,780 (0.3%)
Parishes18
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established19 October 1982 (as Archdiocese of Dhaka)
CathedralSt Mary's Cathedral in Dhaka
Patron saintImmaculate Conception
Secular priests125
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopPatrick D’Rozario, C.S.C.
Metropolitan ArchbishopPatrick D'Rozario, C.S.C.
SuffragansDiocese of Dinajpur
Diocese of Mymensingh
Diocese of Rajshahi
Diocese of Sylhet
Auxiliary BishopsShorot Francis Gomes
Bishops emeritusTheotonius Gomes, C.S.C.

The archdiocese's Marian mother church and thus seat of its archbishop is St. Mary's Cathedral in the national capital Dhaka. As senior Metropolitan in Bangladesh, it is the principal episcopal see of that country. As of 2013 the Archbishop of Dhaka is Cardinal Patrick D'Rozario, formerly Bishop of Chittagong, having been appointed Coadjutor Archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI on November 2010, and succeeded Archbishop Paulinus Costa in October 2011.

Ecclesiastical province

Its ecclesiastical province still has as suffragan sees

On 2 February 2017, it lost as suffragans the henceforth Metropolitan new Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chittagong and both its simultaneously transferred suffragan sees: Roman Catholic Diocese of Barisal and Roman Catholic Diocese of Khulna.

History

It was erected it as the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Bengal by Pope Pius IX on 12 February 1850.[1]

It was promoted as Diocese of Eastern Bengal on 1 September 1886,[1] and renamed as the Diocese of Dacca after its see in 1887.[1]

On 25 May 1927 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of Chittagong, as its suffragan, but since 2017 itself a Metropolitan.

It was elevated to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dacca by Pope Pius XII on 15 July 1950,[1]

On 17 January 1952 it lost territory to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of Haflong.

It enjoyed its papal visit, from Pope Paul VI, in November 1970.

Pope John Paul II renamed it as the Archdiocese of Dhaka on 19 October 1982.[2]

It enjoyed a second papal visit from Pope John Paul II in November 1986.

It lost territory on 15 May 1987 to establish the Diocese of Mymensingh and on 8 July 2011 again to establish the Diocese of Sylhet, as its suffragans.

Bishops

(all Roman Rite, so far mostly (missionary) members of Latin congregations)

Ordinaries

Apostolic Vicars of Eastern Bengal
  • Thomas Oliffe (1850 - 1855), appointed Apostolic Vicar of Western Bengal
  • Fr. Louis Verité, C.S.C. (1855 – 1860), as Pro-Apostolic Vicar
  • Pierre Dufal, C.S.C. (1860 - 1876), resigned; in 1878, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Galveston, U.S.
  • Giordano Ballsieper, O.S.B. (1878 - 1886)

Bishops of Dhaka
  • Augustin Louage, C.S.C. (1890 – 1894)
  • Peter Joseph Hurth, C.S.C. (1894 – 1909), appointed Bishop of Nueva Segovia, Philippines
  • Frederick Linneborn, C.S.C. (1909 – 1915)
  • Amand-Théophile-Joseph Legrand, C.S.C. (1916 – 1929)
  • Timothy Joseph Crowley, C.S.C. (1929 – 1945)
  • Lawrence Leo Graner, C.S.C. (1947 – 1950 see below)

Archbishops of Dacca

Archbishops of Dhaka

Coadjutor Bishops
  • Timothy Joseph Crowley, C.S.C. (1927-1929)
  • Patrick D’Rozario, C.S.C. (2010-2011); future Cardinal
  • Theotonius Amal Ganguly, C.S.C. (1965-1967)

Auxiliary Bishops
  • Theotonius Amal Ganguly, C.S.C. (1960-1965), appointed Coadjutor here
  • Shorot Francis Gomes (2016-)
  • Theotonius Gomes, C.S.C. (1996-2014)

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 64,960 Catholics (0.3% of 23,539,280 total) on 12,000 km² in 18 parishes and 14 missions with 115 priests (42 diocesan, 73 religious), 695 lay religious (132 brothers, 563 sisters) and 17 seminarians.

Year Catholics Diocesean priest Parishes
200070,8214219
201562,7805218

See also
  • Roman Catholicism in Bangladesh
  • List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Bangladesh

References
  1. "Archdiocese of Dhaka". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  2. Dhaka (Archdiocese) in Catholic Hierarchy

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