ATAMBOEA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. — In Indonesia. It comprises the western part, under Dutch rule, of the island of Timor, the largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands, and the islands of Roti, Savoe, and Panter, while the eastern part, under Portuguese rule, constitutes the diocese of Dili. Erected in 1936 with territory detached from the Apostolic Vicariate of the Lesser Sunda Islands, it was called the Apostolic Vicariate of Dutch Timor. By decree of the Propaganda Fide, dated 11 November 1948, it took the name of Atamboea, after the town where the Ordinary resides.
The Portuguese were the first to begin evangelization on the island of Timor in 1552. But in the seventeenth century Catholicism there suffered a mortal blow with the arrival of the Dutch. The subsequent Christian revival of this island was associated with the destiny of the Lesser Sunda Islands.
The mission is entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word. It has an area of 26,000 sq. km, with a population of approximately 533,300 inhabitants. The number of Catholics is 75,572; catechumens, 8,605; Protestants, 160,000; Muslims, 3,000; pagans, 285,000; 21 Divine Word Fathers. Brothers, 4. Sisters of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, 14. Catechists: 418 men and 5 women. There is no seminary; however, candidates for the priesthood can easily be trained in the seminary on the nearby island of Flores. Major seminarians, 2; minor seminarians, 18. The mission directs 47 elementary schools, 7 secondary schools, one vocational school, and one teacher-training school. Principal stations, 14; secondary stations, 2.
Catholic life may be considered very flourishing, and it can now proceed in complete freedom.