Nancheng, Diocese of

NANCHENG, Diocese of. - In the eastern part of the civil and ecclesiastical province of Kiangsi (central China). It was erected as an apostolic prefecture, under the name of Kienchanku, on 29 Nov. 1932, with 5 civil sub-prefectures detached from the mission of Yükiang (v.) and was entrusted to the Society of St. Columban for the Chinese Missions, whose fathers had been working in that territory since 1928. On 13 Dec. 1938 it was elevated to an apostolic vicariate and took its present name; with the establishment of the episcopal hierarchy in China, on 11 Apr. 1946, it became a diocese, suffragan of Nanchang.

It has an area of 8,696 sq km. As of 30 June 1949 it counted about 500,000 inhabitants, of whom 9,037 were Catholics and 273 catechumens. It was served by 17 fathers of the Society of St. Columban and 4 Chinese secular priests, assisted by 4 Irish nuns, 85 catechists, 54 teachers. It had 1 preparatory seminary, 1 minor and 1 major. Primary stations 13, secondary 25; churches 12, chapels 7; 1 hospital; 12 medical dispensaries; 1 orphanage; 1 hospice for the aged and 1 for the blind; 9 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 10 of prayer and first elements.

It seems that Fr. Giovanni de Rocha was the first herald of the Gospel at N., where, having fled from the city of Nanchang because of a persecution unleashed there in 1616, he is said to have founded "a beautiful Christianity." Subsequently the history of Catholicism in this region is merged with that of the other missions of Kiangsi (v. KIAN; NANCHANG; YUKIANG, etc.).

Adamo Pucci