Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman
Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis
Goy ani Daman Mha-Dhormprant

Location
Country India
Ecclesiastical province Goa and Daman
Coordinates 15°30′08″N 73°54′42″E / 15.50222°N 73.91167°E / 15.50222; 73.91167Coordinates: 15°30′08″N 73°54′42″E / 15.50222°N 73.91167°E / 15.50222; 73.91167
Statistics
Area 4,194 km2 (1,619 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2006)
1,763,598[1]
627,400 (35.6%)
Information
Rite Latin Rite
Cathedral Cathedral of St Catherine of Alexandria in Old Goa
Patron saint St. Joseph Vaz
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão
Suffragan Diocese of Sindhudurg
Emeritus Bishops Raul Nicolau Gonsalves Archbishop Emeritus (1978-2004)
Website
http://www.archgoadaman.org

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman (Latin: Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis, Portuguese: Arquidiocese de Goa e Damão) is an archdiocese encompassing the state of Goa, and the Union Territories of Daman in India. The ecclesiastical province of Goa and Daman includes the suffragan dioceses of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sindhudurg (Dioecesis Sindhudurgiensis) which includes the districts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Kolhapur in Maharashtra state, except the St. Francis Xavier parish in Kolhapur City. The Archdiocese of Sindhudurg was created on July 5, 2005, when it was split off from the Diocese of Poona. It was a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Bombay until 25 November 2006, when Pope Benedict XVI transferred it to the newly established Metropolitan province of Goa and Damão. The archdiocese is the Primatial See of the East, and the archbishop carries the title of the Patriarch of the East Indies.In Konkani, the local Language of Goa this archdiocese is known as Goy ani Damanv Mha-Dhormprant.

It is the oldest diocese in terms of activity in the East, with its origins linked to the arrival of the Portuguese on the Malabar Coast. The Metropolitan Archbishop of Goa and Daman also uses the title of Primate of the Indies or Primate of the East and honorifically receives the title of Patriarch of the East Indies.

The current Metropolitan Archbishop and Patriarch of the East Indies is Filipe Neri Ferrão. The Cathedral of the Archdiocese is the Se Cathedral in Old Goa and has as its co-cathedral the Our Lady of the Sea Sanctuary in Daman. Its minor basilica is the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, Goa. Under its ecclesiastical jurisdiction lie the world heritage site of the Churches and Convents of Goa.

To show his concern towards his flock, To get connected with his people and to share the teachings of the Church, the Archbishop writes a Pastoral Letter, to the congregation and people of Good faith annually. This pastoral letter is based on a theme chosen for the year. This letter helps the faithful to strengthen their faith and live a fruitful life Throughout the year.

Territory

The archdiocese comprises the following territories in India: the State of Goa, the territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The Archbishop's Cathedral is in the city of Old Goa, at "Se Cathedral", the Cathedral of St Catherine.

The territory is divided into 167 parishes and is served by 701 priests.[2]

History

After the Portuguese conquest of Goa by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, King Manuel I built a chapel in honour of St. Catherine, named as the patron of the city in 1518. For governing Christians in the region, the charge was given to Dom Duarte Nunes, O.P., bishop-titular of Laodicea, who ruled until 1527. He was succeeded by Dom Fernando Vaqueiro, OFM, who ruled from 1529 to 1535.[3][3]

John III then commissioned the construction of a cathedral in Goa and Pope Clement VII erected the Diocese of Goa on January 31, 1533, by papal Bull Romani Pontificis Circumspectio.[3][4] The jurisdiction of the new diocese then stretched from the Cape of Good Hope to China and Japan.[5] On November 3, 1534 the erection of the diocese was confirmed by the Bull Aequum reputamus of Pope Paul III, since Clement VII's death had prevented the publication of the erection. The diocese was originally a suffragan of the Diocese of Funchal.

At the request of King Sebastian, on February 4, 1557, Pope Paul IV separated the Goa Diocese from the Ecclesiastical Province of Lisbon and raised it to a metropolitan Archdiocese, with the suffragan dioceses of Cochin and Diocese of Malacca.[3][6] In the course of time other dioceses were included in the metropolitan area of Goa: Macau, Funai in Japan, Cranganore and Meliapor in India, Nanjing and Beijing in China, Mozambique in Africa and Daman, the last of which is still part of it.[7]

By the brief of December 13, 1572 Pope Gregory XIII granted the Archbishop of Goa the title of Primate of the East.[8] In 1857, Goa had gained several suffragan dioceses in the Indian subcontinent but retained only Macau and Mozambique outside that geographical area.[9]

On 23 January 1886, Pope Leo XIII, through the Apostolic Constitution Humanae Salutis Auctor, invested the Archbishop of Goa with the honorary title of Patriarch of the East Indies. In the same year, the Archdiocese of Cranganore, created by the breve Multa praeclare of Pope Gregory XVI on April 24, 1838, was dissolved and the title attached to the Diocese of Daman, created by the Bull Humanae salutis of Pope Leo XIII and dissolved on May 1, 1928 with the Bull Inter Apostolicam and attached to the Goa archdiocese. Since then, the archbishop came to be called by the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, also having the names of Patriarch of the East Indies and Titular Archbishop of Cranganore.

Goan Catholics distribution across India.

In 1940, Dili (in Timor) was elevated to diocese and placed as suffragan of Goa while Mozambique was the same year spun off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese. In 1953 the Archdiocese of Goa lost the suffragan dioceses of Cochin, Meliampor and Canara following the ecclesiastical territorial reorganization of the new Indian state.

On December 19, 1961, the Indian Union annexed the territories of Goa, Daman and Diu and the following year the Patriarch Archbishop José Vieira de Alvernaz left the territory. In 1965, the territory of Diu was entrusted to the Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier. The complex issue of the annexation of the Portuguese-ruled territories, led the Vatican to accept only in 1975 the resignation of the last Patriarch, putting the Goa archdiocese directly subordinate to the Holy See. Dioceses of Dili and Macau were also de-linked from the ecclesiastical province and placed also directly subordinate to the Holy See.

By the Bull "Quoniam Archdioecesi" of January 30, 1978, Pope Paul VI appointed Rev. Bishop Raul Nicolau Gonçalves as Archbishop of Goa and Daman also titled "ad honorem" Patriarch of the East Indies. By the Bull "Inter Capital" of December 12, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed the Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao as new Archbishop of Goa and Daman granting him also the "honorary" Patriarch's title. The award of Patriarch of title is not mandatory and is a prerogative of the Pope.

The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman remained—until November 25, 2006—as just an archdiocese immediately subject to the Holy See. This was as it was headed by an archbishop who was not metropolitan, because the archdiocese had no suffragan dioceses since January 1, 1975, when the dioceses Macao and Dili were separated from it. On November 25, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI addressed this issue with the Bull Cum Christi Evangelii, to make the diocese of Sindhudurg a suffragan of Goa and Daman, which together formed a new ecclesiastical province.

Special churches

Cathedral of St Catherine, Goa

Prelates

Dom José da Costa Nunes, Archbishop of Goa and Daman, later Cardinal.
Dom Sebastião António Valente, first Patriarch of the East Indies.
Dom Aleixo de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, later archbishop of Braga and viceroy of Portugal.
Name Periods Notes
Archbishops
34º Filipe Neri do Rosário Ferrão 2004– present Second Goan Patriarch of the East Indies and Archbishop of Goa and Daman
33º Raul Nicolau Gonçalves 1978–2004 First Goan Patriarch of the East Indies and Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Archbishop-emeritus
32º José Vieira Alvernaz 1953–1975 Last Archbishop of Portuguese period
- José Vieira Alvernaz 1950-1953 Archbishop-coadjutor
31º José da Costa Nunes 1940–1953 Later Cardinal
30º Teotónio Emanuel Ribeira Vieira de Castro 1929–1940
29º Mateus de Oliveira Xavier 1909–1929
28º António Sebastião Valente 1882-1908 first Patriarch of the East Indies
27º Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos 1875-1880
26º João Crisóstomo de Amorim Pessoa 1862-1874 Later archbishop of Braga
25º José Maria da Silva Torres 1844-1851
24º Frei Manuel de São Galdino, O.F.M. 1812-1831
- Frei Manuel de São Galdino, O.F.M. 1804-1812 Archbishop-coadjutor
23º Frei Manuel de Santa Catarina, O.C.D. 1784-1812
22º Frei Francisco da Assunção e Brito, O.S.A. 1773-1783
21º António Taveira da Neiva Brum da Silveira 1750-1773
20º Frei Lourenço de Santa Maria e Melo, O.F.M. 1741-1750 Later archbishop-bishop of Faro
19º Frei Eugénio de Trigueiros, O.S.A. 1741 Died before taking office.
18º Frei Inácio de Santa Teresa, O.S.A. 1721-1740
17º Sebastião de Andrade Pessanha 1715-1721
16º Frei Agostinho da Anunciação, O.C. 1690-1713
15º Frei Alberto de São Gonçalo da Silva, O.S.A. 1686-1688
14º Manuel de Sousa Meneses 1680-1684
13º Frei António Brandão, O.C. 1674-1678
12º Frei Cristóvão da Silveira, O.S.A. 1670-1673
11º Frei Francisco dos Mártires, O.F.M. 1635-1652
10º Frei Manuel Teles de Brito, O.P. 1631-1633
Frei Sebastião de São Pedro, O.S.A. 1624-1629
Frei Cristóvão de Sá e Lisboa, O.S.H. 1612-1622
Frei Aleixo de Meneses 1595-1612 Later archbishop of Braga and viceroy of Portugal
Frei Mateus de Medina, O. Carm. 1588-1593
Frei João Vicente da Fonseca, O.P. 1583-1586
Frei Henrique de Távora e Brito, O.P. 1578-1581
Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira 1571-1576 reappointed
Frei Jorge Temudo, O.P. 1567-1571
Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira 1558-1567
Bishops
- Filipe do Rosário Ferrão 1993-2004 Auxiliary Bishop
- Raul Nicolau Gonçalves 1967-1978 Auxiliary Bishop
- Francisco Xavier da Piedade Rebelo 1963-1966 Auxiliary bishop, apostolic administrator sede plena between 1966 and 1972.
- António Joaquim de Medeiros 1882-1884 Auxiliary Bishop after bishop of Macau
- Tomás Gomes de Almeida 1879-1883 Auxiliary Bishop
- Joaquim de Santa Rita Botelho 1851 - ???? Bishop of Cochin, head vicar and governor of Goa archbishop
- Pedro da Silva 1688-1690 Bishop of Cochin, as Apostolic Administrator
- Frei Miguel da Cruz Rangel, O.P. 1634-1635 Bishop of Cochin, as Apostolic Administrator
- Frei João da Rocha 1630-1631 titular bishop of Hierapolis, as Apostolic Administrator
- Domingos Torrado, O.E.S.A. 1605-1612 Auxiliary Bishop, titular bishop of Fisicula
- Diego da Conceição de Araújo, O.E.S.A. 1595-1597 Auxiliary Bishop, titular bishop of Calama
- André de Santa Maria, O.F.M. 1593-1595 Bishop of Cochin, as Apostolic Administrator
- Jorge de Santa Luzia, O.P. 1559-1560 Bishop of Malacca, as Apostolic Administrator
Frei João Afonso de Albuquerque, O.F.M. 1539-1553
Francisco de Melo 1533-1536 First bishop of Goa, did not take possession.
Priests and friars as administrators
- António João de Ataíde 1839-1844 priest
- António Feliciano de Santa Rita Carvalho 1837-1839 head vicar and governor of the archbishopric of Goa
- Paulo António Dias da Conceição 1835-1837 priest, Cathedral administrator
- José Paulo da Costa Pereira de Almeida 1831-1835 priest, Dean of the Cathedral
- Gonçalo Veloso 1629 - 1630 head vicar
- Frei Domingos da Trindade 1612 governor

Suffragan dioceses

See also

Bibliography

Pontifical documents

Sources

References

  1. www.catholic-hierarchy.org | Statistics - Archdiocese of Goa
  2. [de 2014]
  3. 1 2 3 4 Conselho Ultramarino, pág. 455
  4. Stephen Neill (2004). A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707. Cambridge University Press. p. 117. ISBN 0521548853.
  5. Gabriel Saldanha, pág. 356
  6. Associação Marítima e Colonial, pág. 314
  7. Associação Marítima e Colonial, p. 314-315
  8. Instituto Histórico, Geographico e Ethnographico do Brasil, p. 171-172
  9. Gabriel Saldanha, pág. 361
  10. 1 2 3 Archdiocese of Goa - suffragan sees of Cochin and Malacca
  11. Archdiocese of Goa | Original Catholic Encyclopedia
  12. Diocese of Cochin erected | Original Catholic Encyclopedia
  13. www.gcatholic.org | Diocese of Cochin
  14. www.catholic-hierarchy.org | Diocese of Cochin
  15. Diocese of Malacca | Original Catholic Encyclopedia
  16. www.gcatholic.org | Diocese of Malacca
  17. www.catholic-hierarchy.org | Diocese of Malacca

External links

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