Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Archidioecesis Metropolitanae Hochiminhopolitana (-Saigonensis) Tổng Giáo phận Sài Gòn (Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh) Archidiocèse Métropolitain d'Sài Gòn (Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville) | |
|---|---|
The coat of arms of Archbishop Joseph Nguyễn Năng | |
| Location | |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Ecclesiastical province | Saigon |
| Metropolitan | Ho Chi Minh city (except Cu Chi) |
| Deaneries | 14 |
| Coordinates | 10°46′48″N 106°41′56″E / 10.7799°N 106.6990°E |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,093 km2 (808 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 203 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception |
| Patron saint | The Immaculate Conception |
| Secular priests | 379 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Joseph Nguyễn Năng |
| Suffragans | |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Joseph Bùi Công Trác |
| Bishops emeritus | Jean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn |
| Website | |
| tgpsaigon | |
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:
- Diocese of Bà Rịa
- Diocese of Cần Thơ
- Diocese of Đà Lạt
- Diocese of Long Xuyên
- Diocese of Mỹ Tho
- Diocese of Phan Thiết
- Diocese of Phú Cường
- Diocese of Vĩnh Long
- Diocese of Xuân Lộc.
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. 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.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh city is a "sister" diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles (United States) since 2008.
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. 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, and two prayer vigils "God is rich in compassion" in March 2008 with the participation of several thousand faithful.
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.