Diocese of Kalay Dioecesis Kalayensis | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Myanmar |
Ecclesiastical province | Mandalay |
Metropolitan | Mandalay |
Statistics | |
Area | 22,235 km2 (8,585 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2011) 845,646 51045 (6%) |
Parishes | 22 |
Congregations | <8!-- Number of congregations in the diocese --> |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 22 May 2010 |
Cathedral | Cathedral of St Mary in Kalaymyo |
Patron saint | <!Ss Peter and Paul-- Patron saint(s) of the diocese (or archdiocese) --> |
Secular priests | 39 |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Felix Lian Khen Thang |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Marco Tinwin |
Vicar General | Msgr. John Deng Cin Khup |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalay is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Burma. It was established by Pope Benedict XVI on 22 May 2010 by bifurcating the Diocese of Hakha and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Mandalay.
Kalay diocese is located in the northwestern part of Myanmar (Burma), bordering India, [1] covering some part of the Chin State and part of Sagaing Division. It is bounded by the diocese of Myitkyina on the Northeast, Mandalay on the East and Hakha on the South. There are 22 parishes grouped into 4 vicariates or zones namely – Kalay, Khampat, Tiddim and Tonzang. It is mainly inhabited by the Zomi ethnic groups who are also known as Chin. [1]
Chin State is a state in western Myanmar. The 36,019-square-kilometre (13,907 sq mi) Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, Bangladesh to the south-west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west and Manipur to the north. The population of Chin state is about 478,801 in 2014 census. The capital of the state is Hakha. The state is a mountainous region with few transportation links. Chin State is sparsely populated and remains one of the least developed areas of the country. Chin State has the highest poverty rate of 73% as per the released figures from the first official survey. The official radio broadcasting dialect of Chin is Falam. There are 53 different subtribes and languages in Chin State. There are nine townships in Chin State: Hakha, Thantlang, Falam, Tedim, Tonzang, Matupi, Mindat, Kanpetlet and Paletwa townships. In 1896, Mindat and Kanpetlet were placed under Pakokku Hill Tracts District of British Burma later emerged into Chin hills. Only Paletwa Township became a part of Arakan Hill Tracts District of British Burma.
Hakha is the capital of Chin State in Myanmar.
Pakokku is the largest city in the Magway Region of Myanmar. It is situated about 30 km north-east of Bagan on the Irrawaddy River. It is the administration seat of Pakokku Township, Pakokku District and Gangaw District. Pakokku Bridge is part of the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway and is the longest bridge in Myanmar. It is home of the Pakokku Airport.
The Diocese of Hakha is located in the Chin State and the Sagaing Division in northwestern Myanmar. It is a suffragan diocese of the archdiocese of Mandalay.
The Catholic Church in Myanmar is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are around 750,000 Catholics in Burma – approximately 1% of the total population. The country is divided into sixteen dioceses including three archdioceses. Each of the archdioceses is also a metropolitan.
Archdiocese of Mandalay is located in the central part of Myanmar. It covers about 212,407 square kilometres (82,011 sq mi) and comprises the southern part of Sagaing Region, almost the whole Mandalay Region and the eastern part of Magwe Region. The archdiocese has the suffragan dioceses of Myitkyina, Banmaw, Lashio and Hakha. Most of the Myanmar people are Buddhist. A few are Muslims and Hindus. Ethnic groups in the city include Myanmar, Kayin, Karen, Tamil and Chinese. The language used in the diocesan territory is Myanmar.
Christianity in Myanmar has a history dating to the early 18th century. According to the 2016 census, Christianity is the country's second largest religion, practiced by 6.3% of the population, primarily among the Kachin, Chin and Kayin, and Eurasians because of missionary work in their respective areas. About four-fifths of the country's Christians are Protestants, in particular Baptists of the Myanmar Baptist Convention; Roman Catholics make up the remainder.
The Church of the Province of Myanmar in Asia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. The province comprises the entire country of Myanmar. The current archbishop of Myanmar and bishop of Yangon is Stephen Than Myint Oo.
Hakha Township is a township of Hakha District in the Chin State of Burma. It surrounds the city of Hakha, the state capital. It became part of Falam District until Hakha District was formed by the first Chin State Hluttaw emergency meeting No. 2/2012 on 1 June 2012.
Kalay, also known as Kale, is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Myittha River, a tributary of the Chindwin River. The town is the district headquarters of the Kalay District. It has gained importance with trans border movement enabled between Myanmar and India following the 165 kilometres (103 mi) Tamu–Kalay section of India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway built by the Border Roads Organization of India under the Look-East Connectivity policy. Consequently, Kalay is now one of the fastest developing towns in Myanmar.
Kale District is the westernmost district in Sagaing Division of Myanmar (Burma).
Kale Township is a township in Kale District in the Sagaing Division of Burma (Myanmar). The principal town is Kalay.
The Chin Association for Christian Communication (CACC) is non-profit, faith-based organization dedicated to the preservation of Chin culture and language. CACC is located in Hakha, Burma. The most well-known projects and activities undertaken by CACC are revising and updating Laiholh. At the moment, CACC is in-charge of standardizing Laiholh, the most widely spoken Chin dialects in Burma. Though there is no common language or official language in Chin State, Laiholh is used as a medium of communication among different Chin groups in Hakha, Thantlang, Matupi, Falam, Burma, and diasporas all over the world.
Lairawn Baptist Association(LBA) is a Baptist Christian denomination throughout Kalay Valley, Sagaing Division, Myanmar. The LBA mainly serves the Chin people who speak Falam dialect. It is one of the twenty eight associations of Chin Baptist Convention which is under the umbrella of Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC). As of 2015, the association has 78 pastors and 21305 members. The association is divided into 12 areas and each area has their own by-law and constitution, but they work together with each other in unity in the context of LBA, encouraging and resourcing each other.
Chin Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination Myanmar. The headquarters is in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar. It is a member of the Myanmar Baptist Convention.
The Tashons people are ethnic tribes that live in the Falam Township, in the central part of Chin State, Myanmar. The Tashons were the most powerful tribes in the north of the Chin Hills prior to the British Empire's annexation of the region. Their influence extended over the borders of Manipur in the north, Hualngo and Lusai Hills in the west, the Phau River in the south and the Kalay-Kabaw Valley and Zanniat land in the east. They practiced a democratic system where the position of Chief was attained not by the virtue of birth but by vote of the people. The Tashons tribe and their villages were ruled by the Fahlam Council or Tashon Democratic Council, locally known as Nam Kap. The Tashons people have their own language, customs and culture.
Coordinates: 23°11′29″N94°03′04″E / 23.1913°N 94.0511°E