NELSON, DIOCESE of. - In the Canadian province of British Columbia. Suffragan of Vancouver, the diocese was erected by Pope Pio XI with the apostolic constitution Uni-
versorum Christi fidelium cura of 22 Feb. 1936. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Most Holy Immaculate Mary. A decree published by the S. Congregazione Concistoriale on 18 Dec. 1937 provides certain specifications regarding the boundaries of the diocese.
The total population is 110,000 inhabitants, and the Catholics number 17,000 (Europeans, indigenous people, and Japanese), scattered over an area of 48,000 square miles. The clergy consists of 24 diocesan priests and 20 religious (Franciscans, Franciscans of the Atonement, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and Redemptorists). The indigenous missions are entrusted to the Oblates. The diocese has 26 parishes, 94 missions, 1 school for indigenous people, 1 school for Japanese, and 4 hospitals; the weekly The Prospector is published there.