MYSORE, Diocese of. - Suffragan of Pondicherry and entrusted to the Society for Foreign Missions of Paris.
The first missionaries of the region were the Dominicans around the middle of the 14th century, but of the introduction of Christianity no other monument has so far been discovered besides certain inscriptions in the village of Anekal. Toward the end of the 16th century the Franciscans penetrated there, and they founded Christian communities at Kollegal and Seringapatam, of which a century later the Jesuits discovered the vestiges. In the territories of Sattianangalam, Coimbatore, Panganur and elsewhere the Portuguese Jesuits preached the Gospel, then the French ones. The suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773) and the persecution of the prince Tippu Sahib (1749-99), sultan of Mysore, brought desolation upon the mission. After the suppression of the Society of Jesus, Propaganda extended by a letter of 30 May 1785 the jurisdiction of the Superior of the mission of Pondicherry also over the territory of Mysore and the other Jesuit missions. But because of the scarcity of missionary personnel the Society for Foreign Missions of Paris was unable to work there effectively until after 1833. In 1845, the mission of Mysore was separated from the apostolic vicariate of Coromandel and on 3 April 1850 erected as an apostolic vicariate, then on 1 September 1886 as a diocese and declared a suffragan of Pondicherry, in 1887. In 1923 it ceded a small part of its territory, in order to contribute, together with the dioceses of Mangalore and Coimbatore, to the formation of the diocese of Calicut, and in 1930 it contributed, with the diocese 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 good part of its territory, of its clergy and of its faithful were incorporated into the new diocese, while in compensation there was annexed to it a part of the territory, of the clergy and of the faithful of the neighboring diocese of Coimbatore.
At present the diocese of Mysore has an area of 51,537 sq. km. and counts about 4 million inhabitants, of whom 65 thousand are Catholics, 12 thousand Protestants, 181,500 Muslims and 3 million 700,000 Hindus. Civilly it comprises the provinces of Mysore, of Coorg and of the Nilgiris and part of the district of Coimbatore. The most widely used languages are: Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Konkani, Tulu, Hindustani. Ecclesiastically it is divided into 8 districts, 45 quasi-parishes, 17 primary stations and 64 secondary ones, with 42 churches and 72 chapels. The priests number about 80, 46 of whom are natives of the secular clergy and the others French missionaries. The nuns, belonging to various foreign and native congregations, number 300, and the catechists about a hundred. Instruction is imparted in 42 elementary schools, 29 middle schools, 18 higher schools, 2 vocational schools, 1 university college. There are also a major and a minor seminary. The diocese also has 2 hospitals, 8 orphanages, 3 nurseries, 7 dispensaries and 1 printing press, where 4 propaganda periodicals with a good circulation are printed. The confraternities, the pious associations and those of Catholic Action are numerous and reasonably well organized.