MOUKDEN, ARCHDIOCESE of. – Situated in the southwestern part of Manchuria,
it consists of nine civil prefectures, namely: Si-an, Tungfen, Sifeng, Kayuan, Tichling, M., Simmin, Liaochung, Laioyang. The prefecture of M. is the most important and most populous, if not the largest. Before its present status, this mission underwent numerous changes. On 14 Aug. 1898, the apostolic vicariate of Leatong was created by detaching it from the diocese of Peking, with jurisdiction “over all the regions of Tartary, that is, Mongolia and Manchuria, formerly subject to the bishop of Peking,” and it was entrusted to the Seminary of the Foreign Missions of Paris. In 1840, the apostolic vicariate of Mongolia was detached (today the diocese of Siwantze). From the three remaining provinces, M., Kirin, and Heilungkiang, on 10 May 1898 the provinces of Kirin and Heilungkiang were detached for the creation of the apostolic vicariate of Northern Manchuria (today, in part, the diocese of Kirin), while the remaining territory assumed the name of Southern Manchuria, which on 3 Dec. 1924 was changed to that of M. On 11 Apr. 1946, the same vicariate was raised to a metropolitan archdiocese with four suffragans, namely: Kirin, Fushun, Szepingkai, and Yenki. On 14 July 1949, the archdiocese, again reduced by the erection of the diocese of Ying-Kow, was transferred from the Society of the Foreign Missions of Paris to the Chinese secular clergy. Between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Manchuria was visited more than once by some Chinese priest sent there by the Jesuits of Peking. But the first missionaries to exercise a continuous and organized ministry were the fathers of the aforementioned Society. During the persecution of the “boxers” in 1900, the apostolic vicar, Mgr. Guillon, six missionaries, three native priests, and two sisters, as well as a large number of the faithful, suffered death.
The archdiocese of M. has an area of approximately 28,058 sq km. The population is almost entirely
Chinese, and the language spoken is more or less that of Peking (Northern Mandarin). Of approximately 3,905,526 inhabitants, there are 20,000 Catholics and 573 catechumens. There are 29 national priests; 10 major seminarians; 138 national sisters and 16 foreign sisters; 7 hospitals; 6 orphanages; 3 homes for the elderly; 2 secondary schools; and one printing press.
The city of M., capital of Manchuria, is the archiepiscopal see.