Archdiocese of Toamasina
Toamasinen(sis)
Metropolitan see · Latin Church · Toamasina, Madagascar
The Archdiocese of Toamasina is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese in eastern Madagascar, originating as the Apostolic Prefecture of Vatomandry in 1935 and elevated to archdiocese in 2010. It is led by Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana, with its see at the Cathédrale Saint-Joseph.
The see
- Rank
- Metropolitan see
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 26 February 2010
- Latin
- Toamasinen(sis)
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Annuario code
- 001003239
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 620,022
- Population
- 1,800,000
- Catholic share
- 34.4%
- Extent
- 23,690 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 26
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
- Archbishop
- Désiré Tsarahazana
- Born
- 13 June 1954
- Birthplace
- Amboangibe
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
Cathédrale Saint-Joseph stands in Toamasina, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of Toamasina
This see is the metropolitan of its province.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of AmbatondrazakaAmbatondrazaka
- Diocese of Fenoarivo AtsinananaFenoarivo Atsinanana
- Diocese of MoramangaMoramanga
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
Madagascar counts five Latin metropolitan archdioceses, among them the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toamasina (Latin: Toamasinen(sis)), which nonetheless depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Pope Benedict XVI raised it to the rank of Metropolitan Archdiocese on Friday, February 26, 2010. Its archiepiscopal see is the Cathédrale Saint Joseph, dedicated to Saint Joseph, in the city of Toamasina.
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].