VISAKHAPATNAM, DIOCESE of. — Its territory, extending through central-southern India,
was already part of the diocese of Mylapore in 1606.
From 1834 it belonged to the apostolic vicariate of Madras, but no proper missionary work was begun there until 1845, when it was established as an autonomous mission, entrusted to the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales of Annecy. Later, on 3 April 1850, it was constituted a vicariate. On 1 September 1886 it was elevated to a diocese, made suffragan in 1887 to the metropolitan see of Madras.
The first missionaries of St Francis de Sales, arriving at Vizagapatam (now V.), found there an old Theatine priest, who was the last survivor of what had been the mission of Golgonda. There was a small number of Catholics scattered in various localities, mostly soldiers who had come from Europe. In 1850 the number of Catholics was estimated at approximately 4,000, including those living in the district of Nagpur, which was made a diocese by separation from Vizagapatam in 1887. On 18 July 1928, the « sui iuris » mission was detached from it; it is now the diocese of Cuttack, entrusted to the Spanish Province of the Congregation of the Mission. It has an area of 107,520 sq. km and a population of seven and a half million inhabitants (1952). The overwhelming majority of the inhabitants are pagans (Brahmans or animists); there are 45,000 Muslims, 58,000 Protestants, and 33,834 Catholics, with 5,341 catechumens. There are 6 parishes, 20 primary and 180 secondary mission stations, served by 13 secular priests and 33 religious, by 2 male and 11 female congregations, 370 male teachers and 240 female teachers. The diocese has no seminary and sends those aspiring to the priesthood (44 in all) to the seminaries of neighboring dioceses.
Charitable works: 1 hospital with 24 beds, 4 dispensaries or outpatient clinics with a total of 25,000 consultations annually, and 12 orphanages with 608 boys and girls. The baptisms of adults « extra articulum mortis » administered in 1951 numbered 373, that is, 10 for every priest. The work of conversion is slow and difficult.