Diocese of Coimbatore, India

Continent: South and East Asia

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Coimbatore / Coimbaturen(sis) (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Madras and Mylapore

Depends on: Dicastery for Evangelisation

Notes: United æque principaliter with Lamego 1101.03.24–1116.06.18

Website:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: St. Michael the Archangel

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1845.04.03: Established as Apostolic Pro-Vicariate of Coimbatore / Coimbaturen(sis) (Latin) (from Apostolic Vicariate of Pondicherry)
1850.04.03: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Coimbatore / Coimbaturen(sis) (Latin) (gained territory from Apostolic Vicariate of Pondicherry)
1886.09.01: Promoted as Diocese of Coimbatore / Coimbaturen(sis) (Latin)
1887.06.07: Became suffragan of Pondicherry
1923.06.12: Lost territory to establish Diocese of Calicut
1940.02.13: Lost territory to Diocese of Mysore
1953.12.11: Became suffragan of Madras and Mylapore
1955.04.29: Lost territory to Diocese of Trichur
2013.12.28: Lost territory to establish Diocese of Sultanpet

Present Prelates

Bishop (2002.07.10 – ...):

Bishop Thomas Aquinas Lephonse (71)

Ordinaries

Bishops of Coimbatore (Roman Rite)

Bishop Thomas Aquinas Lephonse (71)
(2002.07.10 – ...)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India)

Life full of graces

Born:	1953.03.06 (Pillaithope, India)
Ordained Priest:	1980.05.22
Consecrated Bishop:	2002.08.28

Priest of Vellore (India) (1980.05.22 – 2002.07.10)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (2002.07.10 – ...)

Bishop Ambrose Mathalaimuthu
(1979.12.06 – 2002.07.10)

Born:	1925.07.20 (India)
Ordained Priest:	1951.12.21
Consecrated Bishop:	1971.12.09
Died:	2009.11.15 († 84)

Bishop of Tuticorin (India) (1971.08.30 – 1979.12.06)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1979.12.06 – 2002.07.10)

Bishop Manuel Visuvasam
(1972.02.03 – 1979.06.02)

Born:	1916.06.18 (India)
Ordained Priest:	1941.12.22
Consecrated Bishop:	1972.05.03
Died:	1979.06.02 († 62)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1972.02.03 – 1979.06.02)

Bishop Francis Xavier Muthappa
(1949.12.25 – 1971.11.23)

Born:	1897.12.03 (India)
Ordained Priest:	1923.12.16
Consecrated Bishop:	1950.04.26
Died:	1971.11.23 († 73)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1949.12.25 – 1971.11.23)

Bishop Ubagaraswani Bernadotte
(1940.04.09 – 1949.02.05)

Born:	1899.02.12 (India)
Ordained Priest:	1925.05.23
Consecrated Bishop:	1940.07.25
Died:	1949.02.05 († 49)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1940.04.09 – 1949.02.05)

Bishop Marie-Louis-Joseph-Constantin Tournier, M.E.P.
(1932.01.12 – 1938.01)

Born:	1887.09.01 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1912.03.02
Consecrated Bishop:	1932.04.13
Died:	1938.05.18 († 50)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1932.01.12 – 1938.01)

Titular Bishop of Ipsus (1938.01 – 1938.05.18)

Bishop Augustine-Antoine Roy, M.E.P.
(1904.02.12 – 1930.12.04)

Born:	1863.01.21 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1888.07.08
Consecrated Bishop:	1904.04.17
Died:	1937.12.21 († 74)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1904.02.12 – 1930.12.04)

Titular Bishop of Citharizum (1930.12.04 – 1937.12.21)

Fr. Jacques-Denis Peyramale, M.E.P.
(1903.05.23 – 1903.08.17)

Born:	1844.01.06 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1869.10.28
Died:	1903.08.17 († 59)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1903.05.23 – 1903.08.17)

Bishop Étienne-Auguste-Joseph-Louis Bardou, M.E.P.
(1886.09.01 – 1903.02.07)

Born:	1834.04.28 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1858.05.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1874.08.23
Died:	1903.02.07 († 68)

Titular Bishop of Telmissus (1874.04.30 – 1886.09.01)

Vicar Apostolic of Coimbatore (India) (1874.04.30 – 1886.09.01)

Bishop of Coimbatore (India) (1886.09.01 – 1903.02.07)

Vicars Apostolic of Coimbatore (Roman Rite)

Bishop Étienne-Auguste-Joseph-Louis Bardou, M.E.P.
(1874.04.30 – 1886.09.01)

(see above)

Bishop Claude-Marie Dépommier, M.E.P.
(1865.02.17 – 1873.12.08)

Born:	1815.02.20 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1839.09.21
Consecrated Bishop:	1865.10.08
Died:	1873.12.08 († 58)

Titular Bishop of Chrysopolis in Arabia (1865.02.17 – 1873.12.08)

Vicar Apostolic of Coimbatore (India) (1865.02.17 – 1873.12.08)

Venerable Bishop Melchior-Marie-Joseph Marion de Brésillac, S.M.A.
(1850.04.03 – 1855.03.18)

Born:	1813.12.02 (France)
Consecrated Bishop:	1846.10.04
Died:	1859.06.25 († 45)

Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Coimbatore (India) (1845.03.16 – 1850.04.03)

Titular Bishop of Prusa (1845.03.16 – 1859.06.25)

Vicar Apostolic of Coimbatore (India) (1850.04.03 – 1855.03.18)

Founder of Society of African Missions (1856.12.08)

Vicar Apostolic of Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone) (1858.04.13 – 1859.06.25)

Superior General of Society of African Missions (1858.04.13 – 1859.06.25)

Bishop and religious of Society of African Missions.

Pro-Vicars Apostolic of Coimbatore (Roman Rite)

Venerable Bishop Melchior-Marie-Joseph Marion de Brésillac, S.M.A.
(1845.03.16 – 1850.04.03)

(see above)

Special Churches

Cathedral: St. Michael’s Cathedral, Coimbatore, Tamil Nādu
Minor Basilica: Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Karumathampatti, Tamil Nādu

Sultanpet (↙), Calicut (↖), Ootacamund (↑), Salem (↗), Dindigul (↘), Vijayapuram (↓)

Statistics (2021.12.31)

Area: 28,490 km²

Population: 275,234 Catholics (2.7% of 10,071,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 74 parishes

Personnel: 151 priests (116 diocesan, 35 religious), 686 religious (99 brothers, 587 sisters), 15 seminarians