Stanleyville [Kisangani], Apostolic Vicariate of

STANLEYVILLE [KISANGANI], APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is situated in the north-eastern part of the Belgian Congo.

It was erected as an apostolic prefecture on 3 Aug. 1904 with territory detached from the apostolic vicariate of the independent or Belgian Congo (v. LEOPOLDVILLE) and raised to an apostolic vicariate on 1 May 1909. It suffered several reductions of territory following the creation of new missions. On 10 March 1949 it received its present name of S., whereas previously it was called Stanley Falls. It is entrusted to the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who however also have the help of the Lateran Canons of the Most Holy Savior. The

Various images of the Saint are in the church of S. Andrea al Quirinale in Rome. There, above the altar, where the body of the Saint is preserved, an altarpiece by Carlo Maratta represents St. S. kneeling before the Madonna with the Child Jesus; to the right of the altar is his angelic communion and to the left his ecstasy, painted by Mazzanti. In the room of the house near the church, where the Saint died, transformed into a chapel, above the altar is an excellent model for the typology of the Saint vicariate has an area of 173,385 sq. km., about 500,000 inhabitants, of whom over 140,000 Catholics with almost 37,000 catechumens, few Protestants (almost 13,000) and Muslims (about 13,000) and over 290,000 pagans; it is served by: 5 native priests, 1 Dutch secular priest; foreign priests: 73 of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 10 of the Lateran Canons; foreign lay brothers: 15 of the Congr. of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3 of the Lateran Canons and 17 of the Marists; 97 foreign sisters; 11 major seminarians, 92 minor; 461 catechists and 44 catechist women; 20 principal mission stations and 1112 secondary, 20 churches and 1112 chapels; an imposing complex of charitable works and schools with very numerous pupils of both sexes (23,394). The various confraternities, the lay associations of charity and particularly those of Catholic Action are very flourishing. Since the European population is growing (about 3200 persons), much care is required on the part of the missionaries to keep those Catholics in the practice of religion.

Carlo Corvo