Szepes, Diocese of

SZEPINGKAI, DIOCESE of. - Situated in the western part of Manchuria, it has an area of 126,921 sq. km. and a population of 3,000,000 inhabitants.

This mission was established as an apostolic prefecture on Aug. 2, 1929, with territory detached, in part, from the present-day

archdiocese of Moukden, and in part from the current diocese of Jehol. On March 26, 1932, another six civil prefectures were separated from the mission of Jehol and annexed to the apostolic prefecture of S. On June 1, 1932, the same was elevated to an apostolic vicariate and on April 11, 1946, to a diocese suffragan of Moukden. The missionary history of S., prior to the arrival of the Fathers of the Canadian Society of Pont-Viau, merges with that of Moukden and Jehol. Before 1890 the Catholics of this region were mostly colonists who had immigrated from the neighboring provinces. The Fathers of Pont-Viau, who arrived in Manchuria on Oct. 17, 1925, developed and organized the work of evangelization and in a short time achieved comforting progress. Now the mission is under the communist regime, which has put the bishop and missionaries to a hard test, having detained or expelled them from the diocese.

Before the current state of affairs there were 14,000 Catholics; 5 native priests and 33 foreign priests; 25 Chinese sisters and 48 foreign sisters; 1 minor seminary; 5 elementary schools; 1 middle school; 19 dispensaries; 2 orphanages; 11 homes for the elderly; 2 churches and 50 chapels; 14 primary stations and 35 secondary stations.