SOOCHOW [SUZHOU], Diocese of. - In the southern part of the province of Kiangsu, in central-eastern China.

It was erected on 9 June 1949 from 5 civil sub-prefectures of the diocese of Shanghai and was entrusted to the Chinese secular clergy. It is a suffragan of Nanking.

It has an area of about 5,600 sq km. At the time of its erection, out of a total population of 3,100,000 inhabitants, Catholics numbered 26,981 and catechumens 1,051; priests 18, major seminarians 9; 17 Presentation Sisters; 112 teachers; 2 secondary schools and several primary schools; 74 churches and chapels.

The Christian origins of S. go back to Fr. Matteo Ricci, who visited the city (which he called the Venice of China) in Dec. 1598 and in Jan. 1799, and who came close to establishing his residence there; his confreres founded two churches there, which the Chinese emperors endowed with two inscriptions: "Honor the heavenly doctrine" and "Honor Heaven." Subsequently there were martyrs among the missionaries and among the Christians. Chinese secular priests cared for the faithful after the suppression of the Jesuits, who returned to Kiangsu in 1842 and intensified the apostolate to such an extent as to bring about the establishment of an indigenous diocese in the territory.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: AAS, 41 (1949), pp. 588-91; Arch. di Prop. Fide. Incarto erezione S. 1949; MC, 1950, p. 342.

Adamo Pucci

@incollection{ec11_soochow_diocesi_di, author = {Pucci, Adamo}, title = {Soochow, diocesi di}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XI}, pages = {968}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/soochow-diocesi-di} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Soochow [Suzhou], Diocese of

About this entry