The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vijayawada ( la, Viiayavadan(us)) is a

diocese 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 associa ...

located in the city of

Vijayawada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...

in the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

in India. Administratively, the diocese encompasses the geographical Krishna district of the state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. The

Diocese of Vijayawada The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vijayawada ( la, Viiayavadan(us)) is a diocese located in the city of Vijayawada in the Ecclesiastical province of Visakhapatnam in India. Administratively, the diocese encompasses the geographical Krishna distri ...

has the largest catholic population(.35 million) among all the Suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam.

History

* 10 January 1933: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Bezwada from the Diocese of Hyderabad * 13 April 1937: Promoted as Diocese of Bezwada * 21 October 1950: Renamed as Diocese of Vijayawada

Diocesan demographics

As of 2017 the Catholic population of the diocese was 3,50,000. These Catholics were served by 189 diocesan priests and 32 priests of religious orders in 98 parishes. Also laboring in the diocese were 37 religious brothers, and 795 nuns

Leadership

* Bishop Thelagathoti J. Raja Rao, S.M.M. (2 February 2016 – Present) * Bishop Prakash Mallavarapu (26 July 2002 – 3 July 2012); named Metropolitan Archbishop of Visakhapatnam * Bishop Marampudi Joji (Later Archbishop) (8 November 1996 – 29 January 2000) * Bishop Joseph S. Thumma (23 January 1971 – 8 November 1996) * Bishop

Ambrose De Battista Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...

, P.I.M.E. (13 December 1951 – 23 January 1971)

Parishes

Shrines

Gunadala Matha Shrine Gunadala Matha Shrine (also: ''Our Lady of Lourdes'' or ''Mary Matha Church''), located in the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, is a renowned Catholic pilgrimage site attracting approximately 10 lakh devotees during its annual festival. It is ...

* Br Joseph Thamby Shrine Avutapally * Lourdu Matha Shrine, Vennanapudi

Seminaries

* St. Ambrose Minor Seminary, Nuzivid (1957) * Angel Minor Seminary, Nuzivid * St.Paul's Regional Seminary(1984) * St.Joseph's Major Seminary, Chinavutapalli (2000)

Education

As of 2019, the diocese has 27 Elementary schools, 9 Upper primary Schools, 50 High Schools, 3 Higher Secondary Schools, 10 Colleges, 2 Nursing training Institutes, 10 Non-Formal training centers, 16 Parish Elementary Schools departing education from pre-kindergarten through Post Graduation. Catholic Institutions of Repute : * Andhra Loyola college * Maris Stella College * NSM Public School, * Nirmala High School * VSt.Johns, Gannavaram * Atkinsons High * St.Mary's English Medium School, Kankipadu

Media & Publications

* RADIO MARIA, Vijayawada. * DIVYAVANI TV Zonal Productions, Vijayawada. * IN VINCULO CHRISTI (Published since 1957)

Saints and causes for canonisation

* Servant of God Joseph Thamby, OFS