Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Thare and Nonseng

(Redirected from Vicariate Apostolic of Laos)

The (Roman Catholic) Archdiocese of Thare and Nonseng (Archidioecesis Tharensis et Nonsengensis; Thai: อัครสังฆมณฑลท่าแร่-หนองแสง, RTGSAkkhrasangkhamonthon Tha Rae-Nong Saeng) is located in the north-east of Thailand. It is based in Tha Rae, a subdistrict municipality (thesaban tambon) in the Mueang Sakon Nakhon district.

Archdiocese of Thare and Nonseng

Archidioecesis Tharensis et Nonsengensis

อัครสังฆมณฑลท่าแร่-หนองแสง
Location
Country Thailand
Ecclesiastical provinceThare and Nonseng
Statistics
Area25,477 km2 (9,837 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2010)
3,171,478
44,078 (1.4%)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
CathedralCathedral of St Michael the Archangel in Tha Rae
Co-cathedralCo-Cathedral of St Anne in Nakhon Phanom
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopAnthony Weradet Chaiseri
Map
Location of the Archdiocese of Thare and Nonseng
Location of the Archdiocese of Thare and Nonseng
Website
genesis.in.th

Area

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The diocese covers an area of 25,477 km², covering four provinces of Thailand - Kalasin, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Nakhon. As of 2001, of the 3.1 million citizen 49,489 are member of the Catholic Church. It is divided into 30 parishes, having 51 priests altogether. By December 31, 2006, the archdiocese had 51,275 Catholics, 1.61 percent of the territory's population.

3 dioceses are suffragans of the archdiocese:

History

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The archdiocese traces its origin back to the Vicariate Apostolic of Laos, which was established on May 4, 1899, responsible for all of what is now northeast Thailand and modern-day Laos. The seat of the vicariate was at Ban Nonseng, Nakhon Phanom Province. In 1938 the northern part was split off to create the Prefecture Apostolic of Vientiane and Luang-Prabang. After the independence of Laos in 1949 the vicariate was divided: on December 21, 1950, the Laotian part was split off to create the Prefecture Apostolic of Thakhek, while the Thai part became the Vicariate Apostolic of Thare. In 1960 it was renamed the Vicariate Apostolic of Thare and Nonseng, and was promoted as the Archdiocese of Thare and Nonseng on December 18, 1965.

Cathedral

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The St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral is located in Ban Tha Rae, Tha Rae subdistrict, Mueang Sakon Nakhon district, at the northern shore of the Nong Han Lake, 17°15′15″N 104°11′3″E / 17.25417°N 104.18417°E / 17.25417; 104.18417.

Bishops

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Before Thare and Nonseng became a diocese, the administrator had the title vicar, but was also a titular bishop. The ordinary was raised to Archbishop on 18 December 1965.

References

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Sources

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  • Homepage of the diocese
  • catholic-hierarchy.org
  • Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Laos" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.