Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saigon

Archdiocese of Saigon

Archidioecesis Saigonensis
Archidioecesis Hochiminhopolitana

Tổng giáo phận Sài Gòn
Tổng giáo phận đô thành Sài Gòn
Catholic
Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Saigon
The coat of arms of Archbishop Joseph Nguyễn Năng
Location
CountrySaigon, Vietnam
Ecclesiastical provinceSaigon
Deaneries14
Coordinates10°46′48″N 106°41′56″E / 10.7799°N 106.6990°E / 10.7799; 106.6990
Statistics
Area2,093 km2 (808 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2022)
8,465,401
722,098 (8.5%)
Parishes203
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
CathedralCathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Patron saintImmaculate Conception
Secular priests379
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
Metropolitan ArchbishopJoseph Nguyễn Năng
Suffragans
Auxiliary BishopsJoseph Bùi Công Trác
Bishops emeritusJean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn
Website
tgpsaigon.net

The Archdiocese of Saigon (Vietnamese: Tổng giáo phận Sài Gòn, Latin: Archidioecesis Saigonensis) or Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Tổng giáo phận Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Latin: Archidioecesis Hochiminhopolitana) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the south of Vietnam. By far the largest diocese in the country by population of people and second in the number of Catholics, yet like most big cities it only covers a small area of 2,390 km2 (920 sq mi).

The suffragan dioceses are:

Immaculate Conception Cathedral Basilica (Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Mẹ Vô nhiễm Nguyên tội – Nhà thờ Đức Bà Sài Gòn) in Ho Chi Minh City has been assigned as the cathedral of the archdiocese.[1] There are also Saint Francis Xavier Church, Jeanne d'Arc Church, Saint Joseph Church, Sacred Heart Church, Saint Philip Church, Tân Định Church.

By 2004, the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City had about 602,478 believers (11.0% of the population), 519 priests and 195 parishes.[2]

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh city is a "sister" diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles (United States) since 2008.[3]

The archdiocese ministers often take part in international exchanges and contacts, though with special permission of the Vietnamese authorities.

The young Catholics from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh city and Archdiocese of Hanoi formed in 2006 an organization for helping children in rural and underdeveloped areas of Vietnam.[4] The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City regularly organizes special mass events including the Youth Day in December 2007, which was attended by more than 7 000 young people, who take part in volunteer and charitable activities,[5] and two prayer vigils "God is rich in compassion" in March 2008 with the participation of several thousand faithful.[6]

There is a center of social work organized by the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh city, which consists of priests, laypeople and members of civil groups. The center is occupied with three main problems: helping street children, activities to reduce HIV/AIDS level and help its victims, social and psychological work with prostitutes to get them off the streets.[7]

  1. ^ GCatholic.org
  2. ^ Catholic Hierarchy Directory
  3. ^ LA Times, August 2008
  4. ^ "Catholic youth accompany abandoned children", May 2006, in Asia News
  5. ^ "More than 7,000 young people take part in Saigon diocese's Youth day", Asia News on Vietnam, December 2007
  6. ^ "More than 7 thousand faithful gather to reflect on God's compassion", Asia News, March 2008
  7. ^ "Ho Chi Minh City, Catholics at work against AIDS and prostitution", Asia News, February 2008