Ranchi Catholic Archdiocese 

His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Ranchi Visit

Land & People

 PLATINUM JUBILEE 
May 25, 1927 - May 25, 2002

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Miraculous Growth of Ranchi Archdiocese

Ranchi became a Metropolitan See on 19.09.1953.  Both before and after, it gave birth to many other diocese: on 14.06.1951 to Sambalpur (from which was born Rourkela on 04.07.1979), on 13.12.1951 to Raigarh-Ambikapur (from which Ambikapur on 14.12.1977), on 02.07.1962 to Jamshedpur, on 05.06.1971 to Daltonganj (from which Hazaribag on 12.05.1995), on 22.06.1984 to Port Blair, on 01.07.1993 to the twins Gumla and Simdega, on 12.05.1995 to Khunti.  In addition to these eight daughers (and three grand daughters) a number of other farther away dioceses are related to Ranchi because most of their faithful refer to "Ranchi" as their ancestral homeland (f.i. Jalpaiguri, Guwahati, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Bagdogra, etc.) or because they had (or have) "Ranchi" Bishops (f.i. Dumka, Bhagalpur, Purnea, Raipur).  One can see therefore that Ranchi has made an enormous impact on the Church in North India, where in many other dioceses as well "Ranchi" Catholics constitute a large percentage, if not the majority, of their flock (f.i. Delhi, Gorakhpur, Asansol, etc.).  It is therefore not improper to argue that, if the Cause of Beatification of Fr. Lievens requires evidence of a miracle, then "then "the Ranchi Miracle" might well be considered: from zero to well over two million within the short span of a century and a quarter.  A crowning event and special moment of grace was the visit of Pope John Paul II on February 3, 1986.

Ranchi Archdiocese Today

However we cannot remain focused on the past.  Looking at the presently remaining Ranchi Archdiocese alone, we see at the moment of writing an area of 5,299 sq.km., with a population of 2,454,044 inhabitants of whom 114,816 are Catholics spread over 28 parishes and 6 stations.  We count 149 catechists, 102 religious men non-priests, 593 religious women, 134 religious priests, 42 secular priests, 28 major seminarians, and 53 candidates for the religious priesthood.  There are 10 different Clerical Religious Institutes with 33 establishments, 12 houses of Religious Brothers of 5 Congregations, and one Secular Institute.  The Church in the Archdiocese has 34 Kindergartens with 4,250 children, 94 primary schools with 41,807 students, 36 secondary schools with 19,685 students, and 6 colleges with 8,179 students, 2 Ecclesiastical Faculties with 228 students, and a number of other vocational training centers.  There are 5 hospitals which treated 19,722 indoor patients during the preceding year, 17 dispensaries which catered to 44,765 outdoor patients during the same period, 2 leprosaria with 150 inmates, 3 homes for physically/mentally disabled with 138 inmates, and 2 orphanages with 48 children.