KIENOW, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE OF. — In the northern part of the civil province of Fukien, in central China. It was erected as a mission *sui iuris* under the name of Kienning on 6 May 1931, by division of the Apostolic Vicariate of Foochow, and on 8 January 1938 it was raised to the status of an Apostolic Prefecture under the name of Kienow. It is entrusted to the Dominicans of the Regular Province of St. Joseph in the United States of America, who had been present in the area since 1923. As an Apostolic Prefecture, it is directly dependent on the Holy See.
It covers an area of 11,000 sq. km. As of 30 June 1950, with a population of 1,325,258, there were 3,000 Catholics and 258 catechumens; there were also 2,500 Episcopalian Protestants, the rest being pagans. The priests, including the Apostolic Prefect, numbered 15, of whom 3 were Chinese; there were 3 minor seminarians and 2 in the regional seminary based in Foochow. The auxiliary staff consisted of 2 lay Dominican brothers, 8 sisters, 35 catechists, and 30 baptizers.
The Christian community of Kuaten, in the mountainous north-western part of the Prefecture, originated from Catholics who had taken refuge there, especially from the neighbouring civil province of Kiangsi, to escape persecution after the mid-18th century, and who remained faithful despite many years without a priest. Evangelical preaching in the rest of the territory dates from the beginning of the present century.