Archdiocese of Dhaka
Archdiocese of Dhaka Archidiœcesis Dhakensis ঢাকা মহাধর্মপ্রদেশ | |
|---|---|
| File:Dhaka, Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.JPG The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Dhaka | |
| Location | |
| Country | File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh |
| Ecclesiastical province | Dhaka |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 14,193 km2 (5,480 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 18 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 19 October 1982 (as Archdiocese of Dhaka) |
| Cathedral | St. Mary's Cathedral, Dhaka |
| Patron saint | Immaculate Conception |
| Secular priests | 125 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Archbishop | Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze |
| Suffragans | Diocese of Dinajpur Diocese of Mymensingh Diocese of Rajshahi Diocese of Sylhet |
| Bishops emeritus | Patrick D'Rozario |
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka (Latin: Archidiœcesis Dhakensis)[1] is the Latin, main 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.
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 2020[update] the Archbishop of Dhaka is Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze, formerly Bishop of Sylhet, having been appointed by Pope Francis in September 2020.
Ecclesiastical province
[edit | edit source]Its ecclesiastical province still has as suffragan sees
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Dinajpur
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Mymensingh
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Rajshahi
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Sylhet.
On 2 February 2017, it lost as suffragans the newly created Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chittagong and both its suffragan sees: Barisal and Kulna.
History
[edit | edit source]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.
Leadership
[edit | edit source]Ordinaries
[edit | edit source]Below is a list of individuals who have led the Archdiocese of Dhaka and its antecedent jurisdictions since its founding.
Apostolic Vicars of Eastern Bengal
[edit | edit source]- Thomas Oliffe (1850–1855), appointed Apostolic Vicar of Western Bengal
- Fr. Louis Verité (1855–1860), as Pro-Apostolic Vicar
- Pierre Dufal (1860–1876), resigned; in 1878, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Galveston, U.S.
- Giordano Ballsieper (1878–1886)
Bishops of Dhaka
[edit | edit source]- Augustin Louage (1890–1894)
- Peter Joseph Hurth (1894–1909), appointed Bishop of Nueva Segovia, Philippines
- Frederick Linneborn (1909 –1915)
- Amand-Théophile-Joseph Legrand (1916–1929)
- Timothy Joseph Crowley (1929–1945)
- Lawrence Leo Graner (1947–1950 see below)
Archbishops of Dacca
[edit | edit source]- Lawrence Leo Graner (see above 1950–1967)
- Theotonius Amal Ganguly (1967–1977)
Archbishops of Dhaka
[edit | edit source]- Michael Rozario (1977–2005)
- Paulinus Costa (2005–2011)
- Patrick D'Rozario (2011–2020)
- Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze (2020–present)
Coadjutor bishops
[edit | edit source]Under the Code of Canon Law, the coadjutor bishop has the right of succession (cum jure successionis) upon the death, retirement or resignation of the diocesan bishop he is assisting.[3][4][5] All coadjutor ordinaries eventually succeeded to become head of the Archdiocese of Dhaka or its antecedent jurisdictions.
- Timothy Joseph Crowley (1927–1929)
- Theotonius Amal Ganguly (1965–1967)
- Patrick D’Rozario (2010–2011)
Auxiliary Bishops
[edit | edit source]- Theotonius Amal Ganguly (1960–1965), appointed coadjutor of this archdiocese
- Shorot Francis Gomes (2016–2021), appointed Bishop of Sylhet
- Theotonius Gomes (1996–2014)
- Subroto Boniface Gomes (2024-)
Statistics
[edit | edit source]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 | Diocesan priest | Parishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 70,821 | 42 | 19 |
| 2015 | 62,780 | 52 | 18 |
See also
[edit | edit source]- Archbishop's House, Ramna Thana
- Roman Catholicism in Bangladesh
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Bangladesh
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Dhaka (Archdiocese) in Catholic Hierarchy
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Sources and external links
[edit | edit source]Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Religious organizations established in 1850
- Roman Catholic dioceses in Bangladesh
- Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century
- Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces in Bangladesh
- Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Dhaka
- 1850 establishments in India
- Roman Catholic bishops of Dhaka
- Christianity in Dhaka