The Apostolic Vicariate (or Vicariate Apostolic) of Vientiane ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Vientianensis; ) is a territorial jurisdiction of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

located in northern

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. As an apostolic vicariate, it is a pre-diocesan jurisdiction, entitled to a

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

, and it is exempt, i.e., not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

and instead directly dependent on the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

through the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

. The Apostolic Vicariate's episcopal

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

see is Sacred Heart Cathedral in

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

, one of the country's largest churches. Cardinal

Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun I.V.D. (born 8 April 1944) is a Laotian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A bishop since 2001, he has been a cardinal since 28 June 2017 and the Apostolic Vicar of the Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane, in Laos ...

is its

apostolic vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

Statistics

The vicariate covers 74,195 km² in the civil Laotian provinces of

Houaphan Houaphanh province ( Laotian: ຫົວພັນ ; Romanization of Lao: ''Houaphan'') is a province in eastern Laos. Its capital is Xam Neua. Houaphanh province covers an area of . The province is bordered by Vietnam to the north, east, and so ...

, Xiangkhoang, Vientiane Province,

Vientiane Prefecture Vientiane (or ''Viengchan'', Also known as ''Vientiane Prefecture'' or ''Vientiane Municipality'') ( Lao: ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ, ''Nakhônlouang ViangChan'') is a prefecture of Laos, in the northwest Laos. The national ...

and most of Bolikhamsai. As per 2014 it pastorally served 14,947 Catholics (0.7% of 2,216,558 total) in 23 parishes with 5 priests (1 diocesan, 4 religious) and 24 lay religious (4 brothers, 20 sisters).

History

The vicariate dates back to the

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Vientiane and Luang-Prabang, which was created on June 14, 1938, by splitting off the northern part of the

Apostolic Vicariate of Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR or LPDR),french: République démocratique populaire Lao (RDP Lao or RDPL) is a socialist state and the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. At the heart of ...

. On March 13, 1952, it was elevated to an Apostolic vicariate and renamed

after its largest city, the Laotian national capital. The northern part around Luang Prabang was split off on March 3, 1963, to establish the

Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang The Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Luangensis Prabangensis) is a Latin rite jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Laos. As an apostolic vicariate, it is a pre-diocesan jurisdiction, entitled to a titular bisho ...

, which since then has often been held in personal union with Vientiane or by an

Apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

Ordinaries

Apostolic Prefect of Vientiane and Luang-Prabang

* Giovanni Enrico Mazoyer,

O.M.I. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

(1938-1952)

Apostolic Vicars of Vientiane

* Etienne-Auguste-Germain Loosdregt, O.M.I. (1952-1975) * Thomas Nantha (1975-1984) * Jean Khamsé Vithavong, O.M.I. (1984-2017) * Cardinal

, I.V.D. (2017–present)

Coadjutor Bishop

* Jean Khamsé Vithavong, O.M.I. (1982-1984)

Auxiliary Bishop

* Lionello Berti, O.M.I. (1962-1963), appointed Apostolic Vicar of Luang Prabang File:Laos1 556.jpg, "Sacred Heart Church" in Vientiane. File:Laos1 558.jpg, "Sacred Heart Church" in Vientiane. File:Laos1 561.jpg, "Sacred Heart Church" in Vientiane.

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google satellite photo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vientiane, Apostolic Vicariate Apostolic vicariates Roman Catholic dioceses in Laos

Religious organizations established in 1938 Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, tr ...

Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1938 establishments in Laos