A. Catholic Population
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According to Taiwan's Catholic Church Directory 2007, the Kaohsiung diocese has 47,206 Catholics. They make up 1.29 percent of the total population of 3.65 million (3,653,163) in the territories covered by the diocese. The diocese has 57 parishes, and 55 mission stations in 9 deaneries served by 85 priests.
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People in the Diocese
Baptized Catholics: 47,206, or 1.29%
Members of other Christian denominations: numbers not available
Followers of other religions: numbers not available
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B. Diocesan and Religious Priests
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Diocesan Priests: 17
Religious Priests: 68
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C. Religious Brothers, Sisters
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Religious Brothers: 1 Chinese
Religious Sisters: 129 (91 Chinese, 38 foreigners)
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D. Seminaries, Houses of Formation
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Minor seminary: none
Major seminary: 1 (Diocesan Missionary Seminary Redemptoris Mater)
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E. There are 57 parishes and 55 mission stations in 9 deaneries
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About 15,000 people from different parts of Taiwan
attended the National Eucharistic Congress,
held in Kaohsiung diocese in 2004 |
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Dean of First Deanery: Father Anthony Huang
Dean of Second Deanery: Father Kurt Anderson, MM
Dean of Third Deanery: Father Ignatius Tu
Dean of Fourth Deanery: Father Alexander Tsao
Dean of Fifth Deanery: Father Paul Hsieh
Dean of Sixth Deanery: Father Ruben Martinez, O.P.
Dean of Seventh Deanery: Father Giovanni Venturucci
Dean of Eighth Deanery: Father Jose Ignacio Moronta, O. P.
Dean of Ninth Deanery: Father Dominic Tu
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Diocesan Activities and Organizations
A. Major Diocesan Commissions and Organizations
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Christian Union and Religious Communication Commission
Commission for Aborigines Apostolate
Commission for Children's Catechism and Catechists Formation
Commission for Education & Culture
Commission for Lay Apostolate
Commission for Pastoral and Evangelization Activities
Commission for Social Apostolate
Commission for Social Communications
Commission for the Diocesan Clergy
Commission for Youth Apostolate
Diocesan Commission for Liturgy
Diocesan Commission for Promotion of Vocations and Formation of Seminarians
Diocesan Directors of Lay Associations
Diocesan Finance Commission
Immigrants and Foreign Workers Pastoral Commission
Sexual Harassment Prevention and Cure Processing Team
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B. Catholic Educational Institutions
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Statistics:
| Schools |
Students |
| Kindergartens |
28 |
| Primary Schools |
2 |
| High Schools |
3 |
| Colleges and Universities |
1 |
| Hostels |
4 |
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C. Catholic Social Welfare
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Hospitals: 1 (beneficiaries: 398,259)
Orphanages: 2 (44)
Homes for the Aged: 1 (130)
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D. Social Communications
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The diocese has 1 weekly: Shantao Catholic Weekly
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Religious Congregations, Societies and Institutes
A. Religious Institutes of Men
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Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord ~ CDD
Congregation of the Mission ~ CM
Society of the Divine Word ~ SVD
Maryknoll Missionaries ~ MM
Order of Augustinian Recollects ~ OAR
Order of Preachers ~ OP
Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions ~ PIME
Salesians of Don Bosco ~ SDB
Scalabrinian Fathers ~ CS
Societas Missionaria De Bethlehem ~ SMB
Society of Jesus (Jesuit) ~ SJ
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B. Religious Institutes of Women
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Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ ASCJ
Chinese Dominican Sisters ~ OP
Contemplative Nuns of St. Dominic ~ OP
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul ~ DC
Daughters of Jesus ~ FI
Daughters of St. Paul ~ FSP
Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph ~ OP
Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies ~ OP
Maryknoll Sisters ~ MM
Missionary Augustinian Recollect Sisters ~ MAR
Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary ~ OP
Missionary Sisters Oblates of the Holy Family ~ OHF
Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic ~ OP
Roman Union of the Order of St. Ursula ~ OSU
Sheng Kung Sister ~ SMIC
Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ SSH
Sisters of St. Paul De Charters ~ SPC
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| General Characteristics of the Diocese
The diocese of Kaohsiung covers 5,721.8674 square kilometers and includes Kaohsiung City and the counties of Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
Kaohsiung used to be called "Takau" or "Takou" and both names were used in the historical records of the Ming (1368-1644 A.D.) and Qing (1644-1911 A.D.) dynasties. "Takau" means "bamboo forest" in the language of the Pingpu Tribe who used to live along the Kaohsiung harbor before the 15th century.
Transportation
Kaohsiung is an important hub for international transportation in the southern part of Taiwan. It is where the busiest container port and one of the two international airports of Taiwan locate.
Kaohsiung City
Kaohsiung city covers 153.6 square kilometers and has a population of 1,523,649 as of July 2008. There are 21 parishes in the city.
Kaohsiung County
Kaohsuing county covers 2,793 square kilometers and has a population of 1,243,000 as of July 2008. The 15 parishes there cover one city, 23 townships and one town in the county.
Pingtung County
Pingtung county covers 2,776 square kilometers and has a population of 886,514 as of July. 2008. It comprises one city, three towns and 29 townships, and has 21 parishes.
A famous place in the county is Wanchin, Taiwans's only Catholic village. Wanchin marks the earliest introduction of Catholicism in Taiwan which was in 2009 exactly 150 years ago. Immaculate Conception Minor Basilica (PHOTO ON TOP) in Wanchin is the oldest church in Taiwan. The parish belongs to Kaohsiung diocese, which is based 290 kilometers south of Taipei.
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| A bird's-eye view of Kaohsiung city, southern Taiwan |
The church was completed in 1863. In 1984, Pope John Paul II elevated it to the status of minor basilica, a church that enjoys special privileges.
That same year, the Ministry of the Interior classified the building as a grade-three historical monument. The ministry thereby bears 60 percent of maintenance costs, while the Catholic Church covers the rest.
The building facade was painted snow white during the June 2001 renovation and busloads of tourists have since made it a famous tourist site. Built in an architectural style reminiscent of a Spanish castle, it is a favorite photography venue for wedding couples and companies specializing in weddings.
Language
Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Taiwan. However, at least half the population prefer to speak Taiwanese at home, especially for those living the southern region. Taiwanese, or the "Minnan" dialect, originated from Fujian province of mainland China. Minnan means "south of the Min River." Many elderly people also understand Japanese as a result of the 1895-1945 occupation of Taiwan by Japan. Taiwan's 10 aboriginal tribes each have its own language. These languages bear no relation at all to Chinese, and are generally regarded as Malayo Polynesian in origin.
Climate
Kaohsiung is located at the latitude of 22° 30´N, characterized by the subtropical monsoon climate. The city has an average temperature of 18.6 degrees Celsius in February while the highest average is 28.7 degrees Celsius in June. It has a dry winter but receives the most precipitation of 569.1mm in July.
Economy
According to the website of the city government, the industry of Kaohsiung is transforming into a precision industry featuring high technology, automation, high added value and low pollution. Kaohsiung also plays an important role in the world's pelagic fishery industry.
< Last updated on: July 29, 2009 >
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