Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong

The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong (CDHK, ) is a Latin Rite ordinary diocese of the Catholic Church headed by Bishop John Tong Hon. Though the bishop is subject to the Roman Pontiff, he is not the vicar of the latter: he governs it in his own name. The diocese takes its name from the see city, the community where the bishop resides. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is part of the Ecclesiastical province of Guangzhou. For more information, see Roman Catholicism in Hong Kong.

There are about 353,000 non-Filipino Catholics (as of August 2009) and 130,000 Filipino Catholics in Hong Kong. They are served by 306 priests, 60 brothers and 496 sister. There are 51 parishes, comprising 41 church, 32 chapels and 25 halls for religious service. In education, there are 317 Catholic schools and kindergartens which have about 202,000 pupils.

History

The organization of what would one day become the Diocese of Hong Kong began immediately after the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony.

Prefecture Apostolic

In 1841, Gregory XVI created a Prefecture Apostolic comprising "Hong Kong with the surrounding six leagues" independent from the Diocese of Macau, but under the authority of the Bishop of Macao. The initial need for the establishment of the prefecture was the spiritual care of the British (Irish Catholic)...
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