Nellore, Diocese of

NELLORE, DIOCESI di. - In southeastern India, on the Bay of Bengal.

In 1701 some French Jesuits began to evangelize the territory of the present diocese of N., which at the time was part of the Carnatic mission founded by the same fathers.

When the Society of Jesus was suppressed (1773), the Carnatic mission was entrusted to the Fathers of the Paris Foreign Missions under the name of the Malabar Mission, which later became the Mission of the Coromandel Coast and was elevated (1836) to an apostolic vicariate with residence in Pondicherry. In 1843 the territory was transferred to the apostolic vicariate of Madras where, in 1875, the Mill Hill missionaries arrived, dedicating themselves especially to the Telugu of the districts of Guntur, Kurnool, N., Anantapur, Cuddapah. These districts, together with part of that of Chittor, detached from the archdiocese of Madras, constituted the first territorial jurisdiction of the diocese of N., erected on July 3, 1928 and entrusted to the Mill Hill Society. At the same time the district of North Arcot (Telugu-speaking) was transferred from the archdiocese of Pondicherry to that of Madras and entrusted to the Salesians. In 1940 the diocese of Guntur was detached from the diocese of N.

The diocese of N. has an area of 83,688 sq. km. and approx. 5 million inhabitants (4,500,000 Hindus, 500,000 Mohammedans, 180,000 Protestants, 25,000 Catholics). The language used everywhere is Telugu. It has 29 primary and 184 secondary stations with 9 churches and 184 chapels, and is served by 38 foreign and 20 indigenous priests, assisted by 4 brothers, approx. 60 sisters (more than half indigenous) and 150 catechists; 46 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 3 high schools, 2 normal schools, 1 vocational school, 1 women's university college, 1 for the training of catechists; furthermore, 1 interdiocesan major seminary and 1 minor seminary. Other works: 2 dispensaries, 2 hospitals, 5 orphanages; 1 printing press, where 3 periodicals are printed; numerous sodalities, pious associations and Catholic Action groups.