CALCUTTA [KOLKATA], ARCHDIOCESE OF. - The archdiocese of C. is made up of the western part of the ancient apostolic vicariate of Bengal (1834), divided into two (eastern and western) in 1850: it was erected as an archdiocese in 1887 with the establishment of the hierarchy in India.
It extends, in part, into the provinces of Bengal (Pakistan), Bihar and Orissa (India), over an area of 143,736 sq km, and has a population of about 29 million, for the most part Hindu. It is entrusted to the Belgian Jesuits, who went there in 1899, succeeding their English confreres, though not immediately. Working with them are several Yugoslav Jesuits (among the Bengalis of southern C.) and Maltese Jesuits (among the Santals of northern C.), plus some Salesian fathers (with an industrial school) and a few Maltese Dominicans, who have charge of the missionary district of Orissa. There are many women's Congregations, among them also the Italian Sisters of Charity of the b. Capitanio.
The apostolate, divided between the city and the district, began to develop under the episcopate of Msgr. Goetkals (1878-1902), who through his works of education, especially through the university college of St. Francis Xavier, and through the impetus given to the work of conversion, above all through the enterprise of Fr. Lievens (v.), won for the mission the favor of public opinion. From these developments originated the diocese of Ranchi (v.), which was detached from it in 1927. At Kurseong the mission has its theological studentate for young Jesuits. It carries on an effective work of enlightenment among the educated classes through its three periodicals: Light of the East (since 1922) and New Review (1935), monthlies, and The Herald, a weekly.
The personnel recorded in 1948 consists of 154 foreign fathers and 18 native ones, 56 brothers, 264 sisters. There are 39 parishes, 7 primary stations and 282 secondary stations. Elementary schools 230 with 8,627 pupils, middle schools 19 with 1,237 pupils, secondary schools 34 with 3,781 pupils, vocational schools 7 with 387 pupils, normal schools 3 with 31 pupils. Catholics number 77,060.
Bibliography5 works
Giovanni B. Tragella