MONTAGNOSA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - In the 16th century the entire northern part of the island of Luzón, where the apostolic vicariate of M. is located, was erected as a diocese under the name of New Segovia. The territory of the present-day mission always formed part of the aforesaid diocese until its erection as an apostolic prefecture, which took place on 15 July 1932.
Toward the end of the 17th century or at the beginning of the following century, the religious of the Order of St. Augustine founded the first mission in that region. These were followed by the Dominicans, who established various missions there. But in the last decade of the past century all the missionaries were persecuted and expelled from the province of M. In 1907 it was entrusted to the Fathers of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scheut, who found there very few Catholics who had remained faithful and all the churches and residences destroyed. But in a short time they succeeded in setting up as many as fifteen stations and in converting 40,000 pagans.
The mission of M., so called because it is entirely a knot of mountains and cordilleras, bounded in large part by two great rivers, the Abra to the west and the Cagayan to the east, has an area of 14,693 sq km and comprises the entire territory of the province of the same name. Civilly the territory is divided into five subprovinces, and in that of Benguet is found the city of Baguio, the summer resort of the Philippines, with a mild or cold temperature, given its position at an average height of 1500 meters above sea level. It is the residence of the Ordinary of M.
On 10 June 1948 this mission was elevated to the rank of apostolic vicariate. The population is about 290,364 inhabitants, of whom 89,860 are Catholics, 18,695 heretics, 5,420 schismatics, 179,628 pagans (animists); 1,239 catechumens; 22 stations and 5 districts; 50 foreign priests, one native; 103 foreign sisters; 37 native sisters; 49 catechists; 5 seminarians; 2 churches; 75 chapels; one hospital; 122 teachers; 6 higher schools with 795 pupils; 21 lower schools with 2,828 pupils. A printing press, with two periodicals: The little apostle of 3,300 copies; El misionero of 1,000 copies.
Bibliography
Edoardo Pecoraro