Koango, Vicariate Apostolic of

KOANGO, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO di. - Located in the southwestern part of the Belgian Congo and entrusted to the Society of Jesus. It derives from the ancient apostolic vicariate of the independent or Belgian Congo (v. LÉOPOLDVILLE), from which on 8 April 1892 a portion was detached and erected as a mission sui iuris under the name of K., then elevated to an apostolic prefecture on 31 January 1903. This underwent a modification of boundaries with the apostolic vicariate of Upper Kassai (v. LULLABOURG) on 2 March 1921, and with the apostolic vicariate of Léopoldville on 29 January 1924, and was elevated to an apostolic vicariate on 28 March 1928. On 1 April 1931 the apostolic vicariate of Kisantu (v.) was detached from it. It has an area of about 100,000 sq km.

Here are its principal statistical data for 1949: pop. over 840,000, of whom 203,834 indigenous Catholics, 563 foreign Catholics, 36,053 catechumens, about 40,000 Protestants, over 560,000 pagans; indigenous priests 14, foreign priests 68 with 10 scholastics and 11 novices, indigenous lay brothers 24, foreign 28, indigenous sisters 12 with 3 novices, foreign sisters 105, major seminarians 26, educated in the regional Seminary of Kisantu, one minor seminary with 51 students, catechists 2167, male teachers 1910, female teachers 203; almost 2 parishes, principal mission stations 20, secondary 115, churches 110, chapels 1500, hospitals 16 with 700 beds, dispensaries 25 with 765,314 consultations, orphanages 3 with 78 orphans; 1 printing press, which prints two periodicals in a total of 9000 copies, 1857 schools with 56,606 pupils of both sexes. Catholic Action flourishes there.

Carlo Corvo