Chronology of Catholic Dioceses:Notes on the New Metropolitan Province of Taunggyi, 1998

The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has created (January 17^th 1998) the Ecclesiastical Province of Taunggyi (Myanmar) elevating to the rank of Metropolitan Church this Episcopal See, assigning to it as suffragans the dioceses of Kentung, Loikaw and Taungngu.

The newly created Ecclesiastical Province of Taunggyi, the third, with its Metropolitan See at Taunggyi has as suffragans the following dioceses:

Kentung (detached from Mandalay Province)
Loikaw (detahced from Yangon Province)
Taungngu (detached from Yangon Province)

Here are the statistics of the three ecclesiastical provinces:

	YANGON Mawlamyine Pathein Pyay	MANDALAY Hakha Lashio Myitkyina	TAUNGGYI Kentung Loikaw Taungngu
Area	203,549 sq km	352,287 sq km	159,866 sq km
Population	28,248,886	17,513,417	5,487,397
Catholics	164,553	196,006	177,912
Parishes	93	82	77
Priests (diocesan)	126	113	162
Priests (Religious)	0	16	11
Women Religious	374	274	401
Brothers	37	18	10
Catechists	521	655	921
Seminarians major	91	43	70
Seminarians minor	147	255	199

The new Archdiocese of Taunggyi has an area of 52,740 sq km and a population of some 1,709,956 people of whom 95% are Buddhist. 37,377 are Catholics and there are about 10,000 Baptists.

The Catholics, 85% of whom are members of the Kayan people, are gathered in 15 parishes. They are looked after by 28 diocesan priests, 4 Religious priests (all PIME Fathers), assisted by 98 women Religious, 2 Brothers and 148 Catechists. As well as the Catechists there are 155 "Little Evangelizers" also called Zetamanns belonging to a lay association founded in 1987 for the evangelization of non-Christians. They carry out their apostolate in the jungle among the Lahus, Akhas and Lisus tribals who are animists. There are 25 major seminarians preparing for the priesthood.

Source: Fides, March 20th, 1998

- CT