Chronology of Catholic Dioceses:Notes on the Diocese of Bongaigaon
On 10 May 2000, Pope John Paul II created the diocese of Bongaigaon (India) with territory taken from the archdiocese of Guwahati making it suffragan of the same Metropolitan Church. The new diocese of Bongaigaon (India) will include the following civil districts of the State of Assam: Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Nalbari but the last district will not include the territory of Kumaikatta parish.
The reasons for the creation of the new dioceses are as follows: vast extension of the mother-diocese renders pastoral work difficult, particularly in the north-western part of the archdiocese, now the autonomous territory of Bodoland; to help the cultural development of the people of Bodoland.
The diocese will border to the north with the Kingdom of Bhutan (under the jurisdiction of Darjeeling diocese) to the East and South with the mother archdiocese Guwahati, to the West with the State of West Bengal and the diocese of Jalpaiguri. The new bishop will have his See at Bongaigaon where the parish church dedicated to St Albert will be the cathedral.
Here are statistics regarding the new diocese and the mother diocese
Area
Guwahati before - 31,181 sq km
Bongaigaon -13,630 sq km
Guwahati today - 17,551 sq km
Population
Guwahati before - 11,000,000
Bongaigaon - 5,242,716
Guwahati today - 5,757,284
Catholics
Guwahati before - 105,056
Bongaigaon - 61,024
Guwahati today - 44,032
Parishes
Guwahati before - 40
Bongaigaon - 15
Guwahati today - 25
Priests (diocesan)
Guwahati before - 30
Bongaigaon - 14
Guwahati today - 16
Priests (Religious)
Guwahati before - 63
Bongaigaon - 12
Guwahati today - 51
Brothers
Guwahati before - 20
Bongaigaon - 3
Guwahati today - 17
Sisters
Guwahati before - 220
Bongaigaon - 74
Guwahati today - 146
Major seminarians
Guwahati before - 29
Catechists
Guwahati before - 81
Bongaigaon - 37
Guwahati today - 44
Schools
Guwahati before - 102
Bongaigaon - 40
Guwahati today - 62
Charitable institutes
Guwahati before - 11
Bongaigaon - 4
Guwahati today - 7
From www.fides.org