The Apostolic Vicariate (or Vicariate Apostolic) of Vientiane ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Vientianensis; ) is a territorial jurisdiction of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

located in northern Laos. As an apostolic vicariate, it is a pre-diocesan jurisdiction, entitled to a

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

, and it is exempt, i.e., not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

and instead directly dependent on the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

through the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

. The Apostolic Vicariate's episcopal

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

see is Sacred Heart Cathedral in

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

, one of the country's largest churches. Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun is its apostolic vicar.

Statistics

The vicariate covers 74,195 km² in the civil Laotian provinces of Houaphan Province, Houaphan, Xiangkhoang Province, Xiangkhoang, Vientiane Province, Vientiane (prefecture), Vientiane Prefecture and most of Bolikhamsai Province, Bolikhamsai. As per 2014 it pastorally served 14,947 Catholics (0.7% of 2,216,558 total) in 23 parishes with 5 priests (1 diocesan, 4 religious) and 24 lay religious (4 brothers, 20 sisters).

History

The vicariate dates back to the Apostolic Prefecture of Vientiane and Luang-Prabang, which was created on June 14, 1938, by splitting off the northern part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Laos. On March 13, 1952, it was elevated to an Apostolic vicariate and renamed

after its largest city, the Laotian national capital. The northern part around Luang Prabang was split off on March 3, 1963, to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang, which since then has often been held in personal union with Vientiane or by an Apostolic administrator.

Ordinaries

Apostolic Prefect of Vientiane and Luang-Prabang

* Giovanni Enrico Mazoyer, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, O.M.I. (1938-1952)

Apostolic Vicars of Vientiane

* Etienne-Auguste-Germain Loosdregt, O.M.I. (1952-1975) * Thomas Nantha (1975-1984) * Jean Khamsé Vithavong, O.M.I. (1984-2017) * Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, I.V.D. (2017–present)

Coadjutor Bishop

* Jean Khamsé Vithavong, O.M.I. (1982-1984)

Auxiliary Bishop

* Lionello Berti, O.M.I. (1962-1963), appointed Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang, Apostolic Vicar of Luang Prabang File:Laos1 556.jpg, "Sacred Heart Church" in Vientiane. File:Laos1 558.jpg, "Sacred Heart Church" in Vientiane. File:Laos1 561.jpg, "Sacred Heart Church" in Vientiane.

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google satellite photo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vientiane, Apostolic Vicariate Apostolic vicariates Roman Catholic dioceses in Laos Christian organizations established in 1938, Religious organizations established in 1938 Vientiane, Vientiane Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1938 establishments in Laos, 1938 establishments in Laos