Diocese of Simla and Chandigarh
Simlen(sis) et Chandigarhen(sis)
Suffragan diocese · Latin Church · Chandigarh, India
Latin-rite diocese covering Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and adjoining areas of north India, erected 4 June 1959 as the Diocese of Simla from the Archdiocese of Delhi and Simla, and renamed Simla and Chandigarh on 12 May 1964. A suffragan of Delhi, it is seated at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Joseph in Shimla with a co-cathedral in Chandigarh; the see is vacant pending the installation of a bishop-elect.
The see
- Rank
- Suffragan diocese
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 12 May 1964
- Latin
- Simlen(sis) et Chandigarhen(sis)
- Patron
- St Joseph and St Michael
- Annuario code
- 001003062
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 14,780
- Population
- 18,670,000
- Catholic share
- 0.1%
- Priests
- 148
- Catholics per priest
- 100
- Extent
- 83,566 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 0.2
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Bishop
- Sahaya Thatheus Thomas
- Born
- 6 November 1971
- Birthplace
- Chinnavilai
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Cathedral of St Michael and St Joseph, Shimla stands in Chandigarh, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
Its co-cathedral is Christ the King Co-Cathedral, Chandigarh.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Delhi
A suffragan of Archdiocese of Delhi.
The sees of this province:
- Archdiocese of DelhiDelhi
- Diocese of Jammu-SrinagarJammu-Srinagar
- Diocese of JullundurJullundur
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
The cities of Simla and Chandigarh give this Latin Catholic diocese (Latin: Simlen(sis) et Chandigarhen(sis)) its name and its seats; it lies within the ecclesiastical province of Delhi in India.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].