The Diocese of Agartala ( la, Dioecesis Agartalana) is a

Catholic 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 ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

comprising the entire State of

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...

in the

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 ...

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 ...

in India. The cathedral is St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in

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 ...

History

The early beginnings of the Christian community go back to many centuries. Fr. Ignatius Gomes, a Jesuit priest, made the first reference to the Christians of Mariamnagar in Agartala when he visited them in 1683 says Historian Dr. David Syiemlieh. So Christianity had been here at least from the 17th century? About 200 years later Fr. P. Barbe CSC, the Pastor of Chittagong, visited Tripura in 1843 and he would have come here to minister to the Catholic community opines Dr. Syiemileh. Holy Cross pioneering missionaries Fr. Louis Augustine Verite and Fr. Beboit Adolphe Mercier had visited Agartala in 1856 and administered Sacraments to the Christians in Mariamnagar Village. But it was only from 1937 that priests began to take up permanent residence at Mariamnagar. The first Parish in Tripura was erected at Mariamnagar in 1939 and the first permanent Church was blessed in 1952. Because of its geographical proximity, the Archdiocese of Dhaka would continue to cater to the spiritual needs of the Catholics in Tripura till the erection of the new Ecclesiastical Unit in 1952, namely, the Prefecture of Haflong, when Msgr. George Breen, CSC, was appointed the Prefect Apostolic. In 1969, the Prefecture was upgraded to the position of a Diocese and Most Rev. Denzil D’Souza, was elected the first Bishop of Silchar. At that time the Diocese comprised the States of Mizoram and Tripura and the two Districts of Cachar in Assam. In Venerabiles Fratres Nostri dated 11 January 1996, Pope John Paul II decreed the erection of the Diocese of Agartala. The new Diocese of Agartala, which comprised the whole State of Tripura, was bifurcated from the Diocese of Silchar. The new Diocese of Agartala was made a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Shillong. Fr. Lumen Monteiro, a Holy Cross priest, was appointed as the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Agartala and was consecrated and installed on 26 May 1996. The function was held at Holy Cross School Grounds Agartala, at which the Metropolitan Archbishop of Shillong, Most Rev. Tarcisus Resto Phanrang, SDB, presided over the Episcopal Consecration, which was attended by many Bishops and a huge congregation of people from India and abroad. The Diocese of Agartala is dedicated to Christ the Light of the World with its motto: LEAD US ONWARD (). The Patron of the Diocese is St. Francis Xavier.

Leadership

* Bishop Lumen Monteiro, C.S.C., (11 January 1996 – Incumbent)

References

External links

*
GCatholic.org

Catholic Hierarchy
Roman Catholic dioceses in India Christian organizations established in 1996 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Christianity in Tripura Agartala 1996 establishments in Tripura {{India-RC-diocese-stub

History

Leadership

See also

References

External links