RAIGARH-AMBIKAPUR, DIOCESE OF. — Erected on 13 Dec. 1951, it is situated in north-eastern India and comprises the civil districts of R. and Surguja, detached from the diocese of Ranchi (q.v.), and the small former kingdom of Sarangarh, detached from the diocese of Nagpur and civilly belonging to the district of R.
The diocese takes its name from the city of R., with 20,000 inhabitants, at the southern extremity and the most populous centre, and from the town of A., situated in the middle with 8,500 inhabitants. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Calcutta. It has an area of 34,325 sq. km. and borders on the dioceses of Ranchi, Allahabad, Nagpur, Sambalpur and the Apostolic Prefecture of Jabalpur. There are 65,828 Catholics and 8,968 catechumens and about 8,000 Protestants. The remainder of the population, 1,549,780 inhabitants, consists of Hindus and animists in equal proportion. There are at work 20 Fathers and 4 scholastics of the Society of Jesus, 21 sisters, 83 catechists. There are already 116 elementary schools, 7 middle schools and one high school, 5 colleges for girls and 5 for boys. The missionary stations are 6, the churches with attached presbyteries 5, the chapels 100. Social and charitable works are not lacking, with dispensaries, infirmaries and catechumenates, nor pious associations.