TUNGCHOW, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE OF. - In the center of the province of Shensi (northern China).

It was erected as a mission sui iuris on Nov. 3, 1931 with 12 civil subprefectures of the apostolic vicariate of Sian (v.); on Apr. 8, 1935 it was elevated to an apostolic prefecture and as such depends directly on the Holy See. From the beginning it was entrusted to the Order of Friars Minor, which, for the missionary work, sends there the Italian religious of the regular province of St. James in the Marches.

Over an area of about 17,000 sq km, it counted as of June 30, 1950 about 1,370,000 inhabitants, of whom 6,650 were Catholics; 19 priests, of whom 7 were indigenous, 9 nuns, all Chinese, 8 schools and 6 institutions of welfare and charity.

Old Christian communities dating back two centuries from today are found in the subprefectures of Weinan, Pucheng and Paishui, formed by faithful who immigrated from Shantung. The city of T. at the time of the erection of the mission had only 3 Christians. The greatest development occurred in the first five years of independent life, during which it was possible to work fairly peacefully.

Bibliography6 works

BIBL.: AAS, 24 (1932), pp. 228-29; 28 (1936), pp. 89-90; GM, p. 211; MC, 1950, pp. 333-34; G. B. Tragella, Italia missionaria, Rome-Milan 1939, pp. 143-47; Archivio S. Congr. de Prop. Fide, Relazione T., 1947.

Adamo Pucci

@incollection{ec12_tungchow_prefettura_apostolica, author = {Pucci, Adamo}, title = {Tungchow, prefettura apostolica di}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {607}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/tungchow-prefettura-apostolica-di} }

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Tungchow, Apostolic Prefecture of

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