SUCHOW [XUZHOU], Diocese of. - In the north-eastern part of the province of Kiangsu, in central China.

It was erected as an apostolic prefecture on 1 July 1931 with 8 civil sub-prefectures of the apostolic vicariate of Nanking; on 18 June 1935 it was elevated to an apostolic vicariate and on 11 April 1946, with the establishment of the episcopal hierarchy in China, to a diocese suffragan of Nanking. It has been entrusted, from the beginning, to the Society of Jesus, which, for the missionary work, sends there the religious of the regular province of Lower Canada.

It has an area of 20,000 sq km. As of 30 June 1947, out of a population of 4,500,000 inhabitants, Catholics numbered 88,329 and catechumens 15,691; foreign priests 49 and Chinese priests 27; major seminarians 5 and minor seminarians likewise 5; 15 lay brothers, of whom 5 Chinese; 20 nuns, of whom 5 native. Among the works were 1 hospital, 15 medicine dispensaries, 122 schools with 8382 pupils.

The missionaries, who settled permanently in the territory of S. in 1890, found only 98 Christians and of recent date: by 1900 they had risen to 5171, by 1929 to 52,349. The population, in very poor conditions, found in the Church, besides the faith, material help for its needs and defence against local brigandage.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: AAS, 33 (1931), pp. 403-404; 28 (1936), pp. 97-98; GM, p. 209; Annuaire de l'Église cath. en Chine 1948, Sciangai 1948, passim; MC, 1950, pp. 342-43.

Adamo Pucci

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Suchow [Xuzhou], Diocese of

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