Shillong Mary Help of Christians Cathedral - Meghalaya

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shillong ( la, Shillongensis) is a Roman Catholic

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in the state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

, in northeastern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The Archdiocese of Shillong is the

metropolitan diocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces ...

of the Province of Shillong, an

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 ...

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

. It serves 342,169 followers in 35 parishes in the districts of

East Khasi Hills East Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The district headquarters are located at Shillong. The district occupies an area of 2752 km² and has a population of 825,922 (as of 2011). , it is the most ...

and Ri Bhoi of Meghalaya.

History

* Established on 15 December 1889 as 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 Assam on territory split off from the Diocese of Krishnagar * 9 July 1934: Promoted as Diocese of Shillong * Lost territory on 12 July 1951 to establish the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Dibrugarh The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dibrugarh ( la, Dibrugarhen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Dibrugarh in the Ecclesiastical province of Guwahati in India. History * 12 July 1951: Established as Diocese of Dibrugarh from the Diocese ...

* Lost territory again on 16 January 1964 to establish the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Tezpur Diocese of Tezpur is a Roman Catholic diocese that has its seat in Tezpur, which is in Assam, India. It was founded in 1964. Bishops of Tezpur * Oreste Marengo, S.D.B. (6 Jul 1964 Appointed - 26 Jun 1969 Resigned) * Joseph Mittathany (26 Jun 19 ...

* 26 June 1969: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Gauhati–Shillong * 22 January 1970: Renamed as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shillong–Gauhati * Lost territory to establish the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Tura The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tura ( la, Dioecesis Turana) is a diocese located in the city of Tura in the Ecclesiastical province of Shillong in India. History * March 1, 1973: Established as Diocese of Tura from the Metropolitan Archdiocese ...

on 1973.03.01 and again on 1983.12.05 to establish the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Diphu The Roman Catholic Diocese of Diphu ( la, Diphuen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Diphu in the ecclesiastical province of Guwahati in India. History * 5 December 1983: Established as Diocese of Diphu from the Metropolitan Archdioces ...

* 30 March 1992: Renamed as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shillong * Lost territory on 28 January 2006 to establish the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nongstoin The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nongstoin ( la, Nongstoinen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Nongstoin in the ecclesiastical province of Shillong in India. In a land area of 5, 247 square kilometers, the diocesan territory covers the W ...

and the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Jowai The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jowai ( la, Iovaien(sis)) is a diocese located in the town of Jowai in the Ecclesiastical province of Shillong in India. In a land area of 3,819 square kilometers, the diocesan territory covers the districts of Eas ...

Cathedrals

The

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 ...

of the Archdiocese is the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, in

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in ...

. It was built over 50 years ago. This place of worship stands on the very site of the first Church built by the German fathers (

Salvatorians The Society of the Divine Saviour ( la, Societas Divini Salvatoris), abbreviated SDS and also known as the Salvatorians, is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church. The members of the congrega ...

from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). The earlier 1913 building – the Church of the Divine Saviour – was a wooden structure. It was destroyed in the Good Friday fire of 10 April 1936. Built by the first Catholic missionaries to set foot on these hills, the Salvatorians from Germany, it was the first Catholic Cathedral in what was then the Mission of Assam.

Ordinaries

; ''Apostolic Prefects of Assam'' * Fr. Otto Hopfenmüller,

(S.D.S.) (1890) * Fr.

Angelus Münzloher The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name ''Angelus'' is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: ("The Angel of the Lord de ...

, (S.D.S.) (1890 - 1906) * Fr.

Cristoforo Becker Cristoforo may refer to: See also * Cristoforo Colombo (disambiguation) * Cristian (disambiguation) Cristian is the Romanian and Spanish form of the male given name Christian. In Romanian, it is also a surname. Cristian may refer to: Peopl ...

, (S.D.S.) (1906 – 1921) * Fr. Louis Mathias, S.D.B. (December 15, 1922 – July 9, 1934 ''see below'') ; ''Bishops of Shillong'' *

Louis Mathias Louis Mathias (born 20 July 1887, Paris, died 3 August 1965, Legnano, Italy) was the first Catholic bishop of Shillong who later became the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore (1935-1952). He belonged to Salesian c ...

, S.D.B. (''see above'' 9 July 1934 – 25 March 1935), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

(India) (1935.03.25 – 1952.11.13) and Metropolitan Archbishop of (renamed) Madras and Mylapore(India) (1952.11.13 – 1965.08.02) *

Stephen Ferrando Stephen Ferrando (28 September 1895 – 21 June 1978) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest belonging to the Salesians of Don Bosco. He served in the missions in Asia once he was ordained and was stationed in India where he led a diocese of his own. ...

, S.D.B. (26 November 1935 – 26 June 1969); previously Bishop of

Krishnagar Krishnanagar (; also spelled Krishnagar) is a city and a municipality. in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarter of the Nadia district. History Krishnanagar municipality was established in 1864 and is one of the oldest municipali ...

(India) (1934.07.09 – 1935.11.26), later

Titular Archbishop 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 ...

Troina Troina ( Sicilian: ''Traina'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Enna, Sicily, southern Italy. It is located in the Nebrodi Park. History Excavations have proved that the area of Troina was settled as early as the 7t ...

(1969.06.26 – 1978.06.21) ; ''Metropolitan Archbishops of Gauhati–Shillong'' * Hubert D Rosario, S.D.B. (1969.06.26 – 1970.01.22 ''see below''), previously Bishop of

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in ...

(India) (1964.07.06 – 1969.06.26) ; Metropolitan Archbishops ''of Shillong – Gauhati'' * Hubert D’Rosario, S.D.B. (''as above'' 26 June 1969 – 30 March 1992 ''see below'') ; Metropolitan Archbishops of Shillong *

Hubert D’Rosario Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. ...

, S.D.B. (''as above'' 30 March 1992 – 30 August 1994) * Tarcisius Resto Phanrang, S.D.B. (2 August 1995 – 5 May 1999), previously Titular Bishop of Corniculana & Auxiliary Bishop of Shillong (India) (1990.06.11 – 1995.08.02) * Dominic Jala, S.D.B. (22 December 1999 – 10 October 2019) * Victor Lyngdoh (28 December 2020 – Present)

Ecclesiastical Province of Shillong

The Province of Shillong comprises the following

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

dioceses that has Shillong as its

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a t ...

: *

Agartala Agartala () is the capital city of the Indian state of Tripura, and is one of the largest cities in northeast India. The city is governed by the Agartala Municipal Corporation. The city is the seat of the Government of Tripura. It is located on ...

Aizawl Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...

Jowai Jowai (IPA: ʤəʊˈwaɪ) is the headquarters of the West Jaintia Hills district of the state of Meghalaya, India, and is home to the Pnar people, Pnar, a sub-tribe of the Khasi people. It is located on a plateau surrounded on three sides by the ...

Nongstoin Nongstoin (IPA: ˈnɒŋˌstɔɪn) is the headquarters of West Khasi Hills district in the state of Meghalaya in India. Geography Nongstoin is located at . It has an average elevation of 1409 metres (4622 feet).e The Langshiang Falls is locat ...

* Tura

Saints and causes for canonisation

* Ven.

* Servant of God

Constantine Vendrame Constantine Vendrame, also known as the "Apostle of Shillong" was a Salesian missionary from Italy who worked for the welfare of Khasis, in North East, India. Early life and education Constantine Vendrame was born on 27 August 1893 to Pietro ...

, SDB *

Lorenz Hopfenmuller Lorenz is an originally German name derived from the Roman surname Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum". Given name People with the given name Lorenz include: * Prince Lorenz of Belgium (born 1955), member of the Belgian royal family by his ...

(Otto)

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links

Catholic Hierarchy

Archdiocese website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shillong Roman Catholic dioceses in India Christianity in Meghalaya Religious organizations established in 1889 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century 1889 establishments in India