Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay

Infobox Roman Catholic diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay
Latin name of diocese=Archidioecesis Bombayensis


caption=Cathedral of the Holy Name
location=Mumbai (formerly "Bombay")
territory=Maharashtra
population=506,976 (2006)
rite=Latin (or Roman)
patron=
province=India
established=September 1, 1886
cathedral=Cathedral of the Holy Name
co-cathedral=
leadership=Archbishop Oswald Gracias
website= [http://www.archbom.org/ www.archbom.org]
pope=Benedict XVI
metropolitan=
ordinary=
coadjutor archbishop=
coadjutor bishop=
auxiliary=Percival Joseph Fernandez, Agnelo Rufino Gracias, Bosco Penha

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in India. It includes the suffragan dioceses of Kalyan, Nashik, Pune, and Vasai. The archdiocese has been a metropolitan see since the time it was elevated by Pope Leo XIII on September 1, 1886. As of 2006, the archdiocese had 277 diocesan priests, 283 religious priests, 383 male religious orders and 1,530 female religious orders. The archdiocese serves a total of 506,976 Catholics in 118 parishes scattered across Mumbai (formerly "Bombay") and its suffragan dioceses.

The current archbishop is Oswald Gracias, who was appointed on 14 October 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. [cite web
url =http://www.apostolicnunciatureindia.com/appointments.htm
title = Appointments
accessdate = 2008-07-08
publisher = Apostolic Nunciature, India] He is also the president of Conference of Catholic Bishop in India (CCBI) and will lead the CCBI delegates for the forthcoming 12th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. [cite news
url = http://www.vaticans.org/index.php?/archives/380-Archbishop-Gracias-to-lead-CCBI-delegates-for-Synod-Of-Bishops.html
title = Archbishop Gracias to lead CCBI delegates for Synod Of Bishops
date=2007-07-19
accessdate = 2008-07-08
publisher = Vaticans.org] [cite news
url =http://www.theindiancatholic.com/report.asp?nid=8143
title = Archbishop Oswald elected for 2008 Synod of Bishops
date=2007-07-18
accessdate = 2008-07-08
publisher = Indian Catholic]

History

The Catholic community of Bombay

The Portuguese first reached the west coast of India when Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498. [cite web |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/gama_vasco_da.shtml
title = Vasco da Gama (c.1460 - 1524)
accessdate = 2008-07-08
publisher = BBC] They finally established themselves at Goa in 1510. [harvnb|Kerr|1812] In 1526, they established a factory in Bassein. In 1534, the islands of Bassein, Salsette, Bombay and Karanja were ceded to the Portuguese by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. [harvnb|Maharashtra State Gazetteer|pp=153-154] [harvnb|Robert|1812] In this very year, the Archdiocese of Goa was created and the whole of the western coast around Bombay formed part of that archdiocese. [cite web
url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06602a.htm
title = Archdiocese of Goa
accessdate = 2008-06-26
publisher = New Advent] Missionary acitivities in Bassein, Salsette and Bombay commenced from 1534 onwards, thus laying the foundation of the future Archdiocese of Bombay. The Portuguese missionaries who accompanied the conquerors were the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans and Augustinians.

In 1665, the Bombay Island was ceded to the British as a part of the marriage dowry to Charles II of England by Catherine of Braganza of Portugal. [cite web
url=http://www.economist.com/cities/findStory.cfm?city_id=MBI&folder=Facts-History
title=A young town
publisher=The Economist
accessdate=2008-08-08] The Church on Bombay Island still continued to be under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa. The year 1692 marks the end of the Jesuit presence in Bombay. The Decree expelling the Portuguese Franciscans from Bombay was issued by the British on May 24, 1720. Later, the British allowed the Italian Carmelites to take charge of the Catholic community in Bombay. In 1794, the double jurisdiction was devised by the British, which threw open to interference of the British in the religious life of the Catholics.

The formation of the archdiocese

On December 12, 1853 the Carmelites decided to give up the administration of the Bombay Mission. The Holy See accepted their resignation and thus ended, after a period of 133 years (1720-1853), the Carmelite administration of the Vicariate of Bombay. On February 16, 1854 the propaganda officially divided the Bombay Vicariate into the northern Vicariate of Bombay (comprising the islands of Bombay, Colaba, Aurangabad, Khandesh, Malwa, Gujarat, and Sindh as far as Kabul and Punjab) and the southern Vicariate of Poona ( comprising the islands of Salsette and Bassein, and the regions of the Konkan and Deccan or Bijapur). Further the propaganda entrusted the Bombay Vicariate to the Capuchin Fathers and the Poona Vicariate to the Jesuit Fathers. Finally, the Archdiocese of Bombay was established by Pope Leo XIII on September 1, 1886. The archdiocese received territorial jurisdiction over Bombay Island and over the northern districts of the Vicariate of Bombay with Poona as a suffragan diocese. Mangalore and Trichinopoly were added as suffragan sees in 1893, in which year the First Provincial Council was held (Acta et Decreta, Bombay, 1898).

Education

Outreach

Media

The Examiner (formerly called the "Bombay Catholic Examiner"), is a diocesan news weekly published at the Examiner Press of the Archdiocese of Bombay. [cite web
url = http://the-examiner.org/profile.asp
title = An era in the service of truth
accessdate = 2008-07-08
publisher = The Examiner] It was established on 10 July 1849 by a Jesuit father. "Tej-Prasarini" is a media and communication institution run by the Salesians of Don Bosco of the Archdiocese of Bombay. It combines a multimedia production centre with training programmes in creativity, media and peace education. It is a member of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication. [cite web
url = http://tejonline.com/about/about.asp
title = History
accessdate = 2008-07-08
publisher = Tej-Prasarini]

Leadership

List of Archbishops of Bombay

*Archbishop George Porter (21 December 1886 – 26 September 1889)
*Archbishop Theodore Dalhoff (6 December 1891 – 1906)
*Archbishop Hermann Jurgens (28 May 1907 – 28 September 1916)
*Archbishop Alban Goodier (15 December 1919 – 1 October 1926)
*Archbishop Joachim Lima (4 May 1928 – 21 July 1936)
*Archbishop Thomas Roberts (12 August 1937 – 4 December 1950)
*Archbishop Valerian Cardinal Gracias (1 December 1950 – 11 September 1978)
*Archbishop Simon Cardinal Pimenta (1 September 1978 – 8 November 1996)
*Archbishop Ivan Cardinal Dias (8 November 1996 – 20 May 2006)
*Archbishop Oswald Cardinal Gracias (14 October 2006 – present)

Notes

References

*Harvard reference
last=Kerr
first=Robert
title=A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels
url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/kerr/vol06chap01sect05.html
chapter=Discoveries, Navigations, and Conquests of the Portuguese in India, from 1505 to 1539
volume=6
year=1812
accessdate=2008-08-08
publisher=George Ramsay and Company

*Harvard reference
last=Maharashtra State Gazetteer
title=Portuguese Settlements on the Western Coast
url=http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/pdf/gazeetter_reprint/Medieval/chapter_4.pdf
accessdate=2008-08-08
publisher=Government of Maharashtra

*Harvard reference
last=Robert
first=Kerr
title=A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels
url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/kerr/vol06chap01sect07.html
chapter=Discoveries, Navigations, and Conquests of the Portuguese in India, from 1505 to 1539
volume=6
year=1812
accessdate=2008-08-08
publisher=George Ramsay and Company

External links

* [http://www.archbom.org/ Official site of the Archdiocese of Bombay]
* [http://www.cbcisite.com/Bombay%20Archdiocese.htm History of the Archdiocese of Bombay]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbomb.html Archdiocese of Bombay on "Catholic Hierarchy"]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02644a.htm Archdiocese of Bombay on "Catholic Encyclopedia"]
* [http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/diocese/bomb0.htm Archdiocese of Bombay on "Giga-Catholic Information"]