The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shillong (Latin: Shillongensis) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese with its jurisdiction in the two district of Ri Bhoi and East khasi Hills State of Meghalaya, in northeastern India. The Archdiocese of Shillong is also the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Shillong, an ecclesiastical province in Northeast India. It serves 346,060 followers in 45 parishes under 8 zones in the 2 districts. The rural parishes are usually divided into sub districts and further into "Balang shnong" or village churches (which are further divided into blocks for better management ) while urban parishes are divided into CMCs and balang dong in the district. The Archdiocese usually organised programmes,teaching and worship at Diocese level, Zonal Level, Parish level, CMC (Catholic Managing Committee)/ village level and Small Christian communities or Kynhun Balang barit (KBB).
The earlier 1913 building – the Church of the Divine Saviour – was a wooden structure. It was destroyed in the Good Friday fire of 10 April 1936. Built by the first Catholic missionaries to set foot on these hills, the Salvatorians from Germany, it was the first Catholic Cathedral in what was then the Mission of Assam.
Ordinaries
The Catholic Church's presence in the northeastern region of India, particularly in Assam and Meghalaya, has been marked by a succession of ecclesiastical leaders. Beginning with Apostolic Prefects overseeing the early missionary efforts, the hierarchy evolved to include bishops and later metropolitan archbishops.
Fr. Louis Mathias, S.D.B. (15 December 1922 – 9 July 1934 see below)
Bishops of Shillong
Louis Mathias, S.D.B. (see above 9 July 1934 – 25 March 1935), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Madras (India) (1935.03.25 – 1952.11.13) and Metropolitan Archbishop of (renamed) Madras and Mylapore(India) (1952.11.13 – 1965.08.02)
The Shillong Archdiocese serves not only as an ecclesiastical seat but also as the metropolitan Archdiocese of the Shillong province. A province within the Catholic Church is a grouping of dioceses under the authority of an archbishop. In the case of the Shillong province, it comprises the Shillong Archdiocese itself, along with the Tura Diocese, Aizawl Diocese, Agartala Diocese, Jowai Diocese, and Nongstoin Diocese. This arrangement reflects the hierarchical structure of the Church, wherein archbishops oversee the administration and spiritual welfare of multiple dioceses within their respective province.
The Archbishop of Shillong though have no ruling power over the other dioceses but in disputes within a diocese of the province, the diocese may seek assistance from the metropolitan archdiocese of their ecclesiastical province where the metropolitan Archbishop may intervene under canon law.
The Province of Shillong comprises the following suffragan dioceses that has Shillong as its metropolitan see:
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