The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rourkela ( la, Rurkelaën(sis)) 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 associ ...

located in the city of

Rourkela Rourkela is a planned city located in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha, India. It is the third-largest Urban Agglomeration in Odisha after Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. It is situated about west of state capital Bhubaneswar and is surrou ...

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 sev ...

of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in India.

History

* 4 July 1979: Established as Diocese of Rourkela from the Diocese of Sambalpur *The Diocese of Rourkela was created by the Papal Bull "cum Cordi" dated 4 July 1979 by taking the entire civil district of Sundargarh from the diocese of Sambalpur in Orissa. At the time of erection of Rourkela, the diocese of Sambalpur, erected in 1951, comprised the four Orissa districts of Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bolangir and Dhenkanal. The new diocese of Rourkela is bounded on the north by Archdiocese of Ranchi and on the South by the diocese of Sambalpur to the west and the north-west lies the diocese of Raigarh, while the diocese of Jamshedpur and Balasore lie to the east and South-East. Jesuit Missionaries began evangelization of this part of the Chotanagpur Mission, Fr Constant Livens (1856–1893) being the most prominent among them. After the Second World War, the Jesuits faced two major problems - personnel and finance. They, therefore, requested the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) who had been working in the neighbouring states of Central India since 1932, to take up the Gangpur Mission in Northern Orissa. The SVDs set their feet in this mission land in 1948. The Late Bishop Herman Westermann, SVD, who had several years of experience in Central India, was ordained the first Bishop of Sambalpur in 1951. During his tenure as well as that of Bishop Raphael Cheenath, SVD (1974–1979), mission work in this ecclesiastical territory progressed in leaps and bounds. Rt. Rev. Alphonse Billung, S.V.D. was appointed the first Bishop of Rourkela on 3 November 1979. Today the Diocese of Rourkela owes a lot to the relentless zeal and indefatigable labour of these eminent personalities, and their co - Missionaries - Priests, Brothers, Sisters, Lay people, generous benefactors and all well-wishers.

Leadership

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

s of Rourkela (

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language onc ...

) ** Bishop Kishore Kumar Kujur (26 July 2013 – present)

Statistics

Statistical Overview Area: 9675 km². Total Population: 19,25,000 Catholics: 2,72,453 Personal Bishop: 1 Retired Bishop: 1 Diocesan Priests :85 Religious Priests: 96 Religious Brother: 250 Religious Sisters: 421 Seminarians: 25 Parishes Total Number of Parishes: 42 Institutes Ecclesiastical/Formation Centers: 12 Junior Colleges:5 High Schools:5 Middle Schools:1 Primary Schools:151 Vocational Training Centers: 4

Parishes

Sacred heart church hamirpur rourkela out old

There are 44 parishes in the Diocese of Rourkela. # Ambapani Parish, St Joseph Church (Estd:1997) # Bamahanmara Parish # Barilapta Parish, St Marys Church (1959) # Barsuan Parish, St Thomas Church (1972) # Bihabandh Parish # Birmitrapur Parish, St Paul's Church (1950) # Bonaigarh Parish, Prabhu Prakash Church (1985) # Bondamunda Parish, Good Shepherd Church (1968) # Deonapara Parish, St Francis Xavier Church (2003) # Gaibira Parish, St Ignatius Church (1922) # Ghoghea Parish, St John the Baptist Church (1974) # Gomardih Parish, St Marys Church (1968) # Hamirpur Parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral (1918) # Harasmara Parish, St Francis of Assisi Church (1992) # Hemgir Parish, St Francis Xavier Church (1995) # Jhirpani parish, Immaculate Conception Church (2014) # Jhorabahal Parish, Holy Trinity Church (1961) # Jhunmur Parish, St Marys Church (1925) # Jolda Parish, Christ The King Church (1968) # Kahuchuan Parish, St Marys Church (2001) # Kahupani Parish, St Marys Church (1972) # Kalunga Parish, Risen Christ Church (1951) # Kansbahal Parish, St Joseph The Worker Church (1981) # Kantapali Parish, Holy Family Church (1953) # Kesramal Parish, St Francis Xavier Church (1908) # Kirelega Parish, St Marys Church (1977) # Koira Parish, St Francis Assisi Church (2001) # Kuarmunda Parish, St John Bosco Church (1988) # Kusumdegi Parish, Our Lady Assumed into Heaven (1929) # Nuagaon Parish, All Saints Church (2000) # Pankadih Parish, Catholic Church (1996) # Pandrepali Parish, St. Francis De Sales Church (1993) # Phalsa Parish, St Thomas Church (1961) # Raidih Parish, St Peters Church (1995) # Rajgangpur Parish, St Marys Church (1961) # Salangabahal Parish, St Thomas The Apostle Church (1972) # Saunamara Parish, Jagat Mata Church (1998) # Siabahal Parish, St Vincent Palloti Church (1995) # Sikajor Parish, St Joseph Church (1966) # Singarmunda Parish, St Marys Church (1968) # Sundargarh Parish, St Marys Church (1952) # Tangrain parish, St Francis Xavier Church (2010) # Telendih Parish, St Josephs Church (1957) # Thakurpali Parish, Our Lady of Holy Rosary Church (1979)

Religious Congregation working in the diocese

Religious Men

# Congregation of Rosarian (CR) #

Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

(CSSR) #

Missionaries of Saint Francis De Sales A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

(MSFS) # Order of Friars Minor Capuchins (OFM Cap) # Society of Mary (SM) # Society of St Francis De Sales (

Salesians of Don Bosco , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...

) (SDB) # Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines)(SAC) #

Society of the Divine Word The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation ...

(SVD) #

Third Order Regular of St. Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many married men and women to w ...

(TOR)

Religious Brothers

# Missionaries of Charity Brothers (MC) # Missionaries of the Poor (MOP)

Religious Sisters

# Apostolic Carmel (AC) # Carmelite Missionaries (CM) # Congregation of Sisters of St Joseph of Chambéry (CSJ) # Daughters of the Cross (FC) # Franciscan Sisters of St Mary of the Angels (FSMA) # Handmaids of Mary (HM) # Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (ACI) #

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...

(MC) # Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (SAC) # Missionary Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles (SAR) # Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSPS) # Saint Joseph Sevika Sanstha (SJS) # Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross (SCSC) # Sisters of St Joseph of Lyon (SJL) # Sisters of St Joseph of Saint-Marc (SJSM) # Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk (OSU)

References

GCatholic.org

Diocese website

Catholic Bishops Conference of India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rourkela Roman Catholic dioceses in India Christian organizations established in 1979 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Christianity in Odisha 1979 establishments in Orissa Rourkela