SZEPINGKAI, Diocese of. - Located 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 2 Aug. 1929, with territory detached partly from the present-day archdiocese of Moudken and partly from the current diocese of Jehol. On 26 Mar. 1932, six additional civil prefectures were taken from the mission of Jehol and annexed to the apostolic prefecture of S. On 1 June 1932, the same was elevated to an apostolic vicariate, and on 11 Apr. 1946 to a suffragan diocese of Moudken. The missionary history of S., prior to the arrival of the Fathers of the Canadian Society of Pont-Viau, merges with that of Moudken 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 17 Oct. 1925, developed and organized the work of evangelization and in a short time achieved encouraging progress. Now the mission is under communist rule, which has severely tested the bishop and missionaries, who have been detained or expelled from the diocese.
Before the present state of affairs, there were 14,900 Catholics; 5 native priests and 33 foreign priests; 25 Chinese nuns and 48 foreign nuns; 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.