KUMBAKONAM, DIOCESE OF. — Erected on 1 September 1889 with territory detached from the archdiocese of Pondichéry and entrusted to the Paris Foreign Missions Society. Situated in southern India, it has uniform and level terrain, in some parts irrigated and very fertile. By the Convention between the Holy See and Portugal of 26 April 1928, part of the territory was ceded to the diocese of Saint Thomas of Meliapur, and later another part, together with areas detached from the dioceses of Pondichéry and Mysore, served to form the diocese of Salem (26 May 1930). In the same year, the diocese of K. passed from the Paris Foreign Missions Society to indigenous clergy.
Its area is 7,500 sq. km. In this mission, the Jesuits S. Giovanni de Britto (1647–93), a Portuguese, and Costantino Beschi (1680–1742), an Italian, who worked from the residence of Madura, carried out their apostolate. Following the method of evangelization of the Jesuit Fr. Roberto de Nobili, they achieved great success. The population numbers 1,580,000, of whom the vast majority, 1,350,000, follow Hinduism; 5,800 are Muslims, 6,200 Protestants, and 105,000 Catholics. Ecclesiastically, the diocese is divided into 7 districts or rural vicariates, 45 parishes or primary stations, and 339 secondary stations, with 73 churches and 163 chapels.
There are 80 priests, all Indian: 70 of the secular clergy and 10 of the regular clergy (Capuchins); there are also 23 brothers. About 200 sisters, mostly Indian and belonging to various institutes, assist the clergy. Education is provided by 213 male and 163 female teachers in 64 elementary schools; 13 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 3 vocational schools, with a total of 12,386 students. Charitable works include 2 hospitals with 100 beds, 8 dispensaries with an average of 131,000 consultations annually, 6 orphanages accommodating 400 orphans, 2 poorhouses with 46 residents, 1 leper asylum with 350 patients, and 1 infant asylum.
Several pious associations and those of Catholic Action have existed for many years. The diocese also owns a printing press.