Shillong, Diocese Of

SHILLONG, DIOCESIS di. — Situated in north-eastern India, suffragan of Calcutta.

In 1889 the apostolic prefecture of Assam was erected, its territory being detached from the archdiocese of Calcutta and the diocese of Krisnagar, and entrusted to the Society of the Divine Saviour. When the First World War broke out, the Salvatorian fathers, all of German nationality, were expelled, and the S. Congr. of Propaganda then appointed the archbishop of Calcutta as its apostolic administrator. After the war, the prefecture of Assam was given to the Salesians of d. Bosco (1921), and on 9 July 1934 was raised to a diocese under the name of S. Its territory includes the principality of Bhutan (46,600 sq. km., population 300,000). It has an area of 185,500 sq. km. and 7,300,000 inhabitants, of whom 4,000,000 are Hindus, 2,200,000 animists, 750,000 Muslims, 224,500 Protestants, and 84,564 Catholics. There are 52 priests, all foreign Salesians except 2 Indians, and 14 brothers. There are also 10 “Irish Christian Brothers,” who run a flourishing college. The missionaries’ work is assisted by 111 nuns, mostly foreigners, belonging to 6 different institutes. There is 1 major seminary with 14 students or seminarians, and 1 minor seminary with 19 boys.

The diocese, unique in its variety of races and languages and in its diversity of climate, is bounded to the north by the Himalayan ranges and has two extremely fertile plains, separated from each other by high hills, where animist tribes live, with the most disparate dialects and customs. Along the plain of the Brahmaputra the majority are Hindus, whereas in the plain of Surna the majority are Muslims. Ecclesiastically, it is divided into 3 districts or deaneries, 18 primary stations, and 10 secondary stations. There are 710 catechists and 19 women catechists, 293 male teachers and 114 female teachers, 308 elementary schools, and 23 middle schools of various levels. The mission also has 3 university colleges. Its charitable institutions include 4 hospitals, 15 dispensaries, 13 orphanages, 4 homes for the elderly, 1 leprosarium, and 26 oratories. It is one of the most promising dioceses in northern India. By decree of 12 July 1951, the civil districts of Lakimpur, North Lakimpur, Naga Hills, Sibsagar, Manipur, and Sadya Fronjer Tract were detached, comprising 3,300,000 inhabitants, of whom 30,000 were Catholics, and an area of 79,000 sq. km., in order to establish the new diocese of Dibrugarh.

BISL.: AAS, 27 (1931), pp. 321-23; 44 (1932), pp. 167-69; MC, 1950, pp. 245-46. Pompeo Borgna