VISAKHAPATNAM, DIOCESE OF. - Its territory, which extends across south-central India, was already part of the diocese of Mylapore from 1606.
From 1834 it belonged to the apostolic vicariate of Madras, but no properly missionary work was begun there until 1845, when it was erected as an autonomous mission, entrusted to the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales of Annecy. Later, on 3 April 1850, it was constituted as a vicariate. On 1 September 1886 it was elevated to a diocese, made a suffragan in 1887 of 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 a few localities, mostly soldiers who had come from Europe. In 1850 the number of Catholics was estimated at about 4,000, including also those who lived in the district of Nagpur, elevated to a diocese by separation from Vizagapatam in 1887. On 18 July 1928 the mission "sui iuris", at present the diocese of Cuttack, entrusted to the Spanish Province of the Congregation of the Mission, was dismembered from it. It has an area of 107,520 sq. km. with a population of seven and a half million souls (1952). The vast majority of the inhabitants are pagan (Brahmins or animists), 45,000 are Muslims, 58,000 are Protestants, 33,834 are 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 its aspirants to the priesthood (44 in all) to the seminaries of neighboring dioceses.
Charitable works: 1 hospital with 24 beds, 4 dispensaries or clinics with a total of 25,000 consultations a year, 12 orphanages with 608 orphans, boys and girls. The baptisms of adults "extra articulum mortis", administered in 1951, were 373, that is, 10 for each priest. The work of conversion is slow and difficult.
Bibliography3 works
Pompeo Borgna