Parishes 37 Rite Roman Rite Vicar General Vincent D’Cruz Bishop Selvister Ponnumuthan Patron saint Thérèse of Lisieux | Sui iuris church Latin Church Pope Francis Area 5,052 km² Country India Metropolitan archbishop Soosa Pakiam | |
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Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2004)
2,482,100
46,708 (1.9%) Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral, Punalur Ecclesiastical province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trivandrum | ||
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Punalur (Latin: Punaluren(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Punalur in the Ecclesiastical province of Trivandrum in India.
Contents
History
Belgian Carmelite missionaries were the First Fathers of Punalur and of places around Punalur. During the Second World War the First Fathers had to go back, entrusting the church work to the diocesan clergy of Quilon (Kollam).
Punalur was separated from the Diocese of Quilon (Kollam) and created into a separate unit by the Bull “Verba Christi” of Pope John Paul II, issued on 21 December 1985.
Territory
Present Diocese of Punalur extended to the entire civil district of Pathanamthitta, taluks of Kottarakkara, Kunnathur, Mavelikara and several pakuthies of the taluks of Karunagappally and Chengannur.