ANTSIRABÉ, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - The mission originates from the apostolic prefecture of Betafé, erected on 15 May 1913, by dismemberment of the vicariate of Madagascar (v. TANANARIVE), and elevated to a vicariate on 24 Aug. 1918, named that of A. by decree of 10 Jan. 1921. Its northern boundaries (with the vicariate of Tananarive) were then rectified in 1933, and part of its territory was dismembered for the erection of the prefecture of Morondava in 1938.

Out of a total population of about 212,000 inhabitants, there are about 30,000 pagans, about twice as many Protestants, 98,031 Catholics (including about 300 lodgers) and 4,915 catechumens. The mission is entrusted to 24 priests, Missionaries of La Salette (of whom 11 are indigenous); 14 indigenous brothers and 13 foreign brothers, and 41 sisters. In addition to the minor seminary (68 pupils), there were 136 elementary schools with 5,046 pupils. The continuous and rapid religious progress is due, among other things, to the dense network of secondary stations, where 483 catechists supplement the activity of the 8 quasi-parishes.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Guido delle Miss. Catt., Rome, [1935], p. 275; AAS, 10 (1918), pp. 433-34; 31 (1939), pp. 88-89; MC, pp. 15-16.

Giuseppe Monticone

@incollection{ec1_antsirabe_vicariato_apostolico, author = {Monticone, Giuseppe}, title = {Antsirabé, vicariato apostolico di}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {I}, pages = {1586}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1948}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/antsirabe-vicariato-apostolico-di} }

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Antsirabé, Apostolic Vicariate of

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