Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toliara

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toliara (Toliarana) is one of five Metropolitan archdioceses with an Ecclesiastical province in Madagascar, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

It cathedral archiepiscopal see is in Toliara (formerly Tuléar).

Ecclesiastical province
Its Suffragan sees are :
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Morombe
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Morondava
 * Roman Catholic Diocese of Tôlagnaro

Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 119,638 Catholics (11.8% of 1,014,000 total) on 43,570 km2 in 23 parishes and 1 mission with 63 priests (26 diocesan, 37 religious), 373 lay religious (68 brothers, 305 sisters) and 18 seminarians.

History

 * Established on 1957.04.08 as Diocese of Tuléar, on territty split off from the Diocese of Fort-Dauphin
 * Renamed on 1989.10.28 like its see as Diocese of Toliara
 * Promoted on 2003.12.03 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toliara

Ordinaries
(all Roman rite)


 * Suffragan Bishops of Tuléar
 * Michel-Henri Canonne, Assumptionists (A.A.) (born France) (1959.04.25 – retired 1974.02.28), died 1991
 * René Joseph Rakotondrabé (1974.02.28 – 1989.05.15), previously Titular Bishop of Umbriatico (1972.03.25 – 1974.02.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Tuléar (1972.03.25 – 1974.02.28); later Bishop of Tamatave (Madagascar) (1989.05.15 – 1990.01.31), Bishop of Toamasina (Madagascar) (1990.01.31 – retired 2008.11.24), died 2012


 * Suffragan Bishops of Toliara
 * Fulgence Rabeony, Jesuits (S.J.) (1990.04.02 – 2003.11.14 see below)


 * Metropolitan Archbishops of Toliara
 * Fulgence Rabeony, S.J. (see above 2003.12.03 - ...), also President of Episcopal Conference of Madagascar (2002 – 2006)

Auxiliary Bishop

 * René Joseph Rakotondrabé (1972-1974), appointed Bishop here

Sources and external links

 * GCatholic.org, with Google satellite photo