LARANTUKA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. — Situated on the Island of Flores (Indonesia), it comprises the entire civil district of L., detached from the Apostolic Vicariate of the Lesser Sunda Islands by decree of 8 March 1951, and the two islands of Pantar and Alor, belonging to the Apostolic Vicariate of Atamboca. On the same date, the Apostolic Vicariate of the Lesser Sunda Islands was divided into the two additional Apostolic Vicariates of Endeh and Ruteng.
The evangelization of this territory may be briefly summarized in three periods: 1) from 1556 to 1857: the Dominican Fathers preached the Gospel on the Island of Flores and organized the first Christian communities; but in the painful course of wars and raids by pirates, Muslims, and Dutchmen, the missionary stations were repeatedly devastated, abandoned, and rebuilt; from the beginning of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century, missionary work remained almost paralyzed; 2) from 1857 to 1914: the Fathers of the Society of Jesus from the Dutch province resumed the work of evangelization in the district of L., where the Catholics had been reduced to barely 4,000, having fallen into bad habits and gross religious ignorance; 3) from 1914 to the present day: the Jesuits were succeeded by the Fathers of the Society of the Divine Word, to whom the new vicariate is entrusted.
The mission has an area of approximately 7,575 sq. km. Of a population of 270,750 inhabitants, 90,000 are Catholics and 10,000 Muslims. On the Island of Pantar there are more than 40,000 Protestants. The tribes inhabiting the district of L. are related in customs and languages, whereas the inhabitants of the two aforementioned islands are similar to the Papuans. There are 26 religious priests, of whom 2 are indigenous, 137 churches, and 131 houses of prayer. A minor seminary was recently opened (1950), with 20 students. There are 69 elementary schools, 7 continuation schools, a domestic-science school, and a teacher-training school. The first apostolic vicar is a native of the Island of Timor, a religious of the Society of the Divine Word, and resides at L., the principal city of eastern Flores.