MYSORE, Diocese of. - Suffragan of Pondicherry and entrusted to the Paris Foreign Missions Society.
The first missionaries in the region were the Dominicans around the middle of the 14th century, but no other monument to the introduction of Christianity has been discovered besides certain inscriptions in the village of Anekal. Towards the end of the 16th century, the Franciscans penetrated the area, founding Christian communities at Kollegal and Seringapatam, whose remains were discovered a century later by the Jesuits. In the territories of Sattianangalam, Coimbatore, Panganur and elsewhere, the Portuguese Jesuits, and later the French Jesuits, preached the Gospel. The suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773) and the persecution by the prince Tippu Sahib (1749-99), ruler of Mysore, brought desolation to the mission. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus, Propaganda, by a letter dated 30 May 1785, extended the jurisdiction of the Superior of the Pondicherry mission to include the territory of Mysore and the other Jesuit missions. However, due to the scarcity of missionary personnel, the Paris Foreign Missions Society could not work effectively there until after 1833. In 1845, the Mysore mission was separated from the apostolic vicariate of Coromandel, and on 3 April 1850, it was erected as an apostolic vicariate, then on 10 September 1886 as a diocese and declared a suffragan of Pondicherry in 1887. In 1923, it ceded a small part of its territory to help, together with the dioceses of Mangalore and Coimbatore, in the formation of the diocese of Calicut, and in 1930, it joined with the dioceses of Kumbakonam to form the diocese of Salem. In 1940, it underwent a profound transformation with the erection of the new diocese of Bangalore. A large part of its territory, clergy, and faithful were incorporated into the new diocese, while in compensation it was given a portion of the territory, clergy, and faithful from the neighboring diocese of Coimbatore.
At present, the diocese of Mysore covers an area of 51,537 sq. km. and has a population of about 4 million, of whom 65,000 are Catholics, 12,000 Protestants, 181,500 Muslims, and 3,700,000 Hindus. Civilly, it comprises the provinces of Mysore, Coorg, and Nilgiris and part of the Coimbatore district. The most widely spoken languages are Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Konkani, Tulu, and Hindustani. Ecclesiastically, it is divided into 8 districts, 45 quasi-parishes, 17 primary stations, and 64 secondary stations, with 42 churches and 72 chapels. There are about 80 priests, 46 of whom are indigenous secular clergy and the rest French missionaries. The sisters, belonging to various foreign and indigenous congregations, number 300, and there are about 100 catechists. Education is provided in 42 elementary schools, 20 middle schools, 18 high schools, 2 vocational schools, and 1 university college. There is also a major and a minor seminary. The diocese also has 2 hospitals, 8 orphanages, 3 asylums, 7 clinics, and 1 printing press, where 4 periodicals of good circulation are printed. Numerous and well-organized are the confraternities, pious associations, and Catholic Action groups.