List of Roman Catholic archbishops of Dhaka

The Archbishop of Dhaka is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of the Dhaka Division,[1][2] the Archbishop of Dhaka also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Sylhet.[3] The current archbishop is Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze.[4][5]

Archbishop of Dhaka
Archbishopric
catholic
Incumbent: Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze
Information
First holder	Thomas Oliffe (apostolic vicar) Augustine Louage (bishop) Lawrence Leo Graner (archbishop)
Established	1850 (apostolic vicariate) 1886 (bishopric) 1950 (archbishopric)
Archdiocese	Dhaka
Cathedral	St. Mary's Cathedral

The archdiocese began as the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Bengal, which was created on February 12, 1850.[6] Thomas Oliffe was appointed its first vicar. On September 1, 1886, the vicariate was elevated to the status of diocese by Pope Leo XIII. It was renamed as the Diocese of Dacca after its see in 1887. Augustin Louage was appointed its first bishop. On account of the population increase, the Holy See decided to elevate the diocese to the status of archdiocese on July 15, 1950.[3] Lawrence Leo Graner became the first archbishop of the newly-formed metropolitan see.

Six men have been Archbishop of Dhaka; another Five were bishop of its predecessor diocese.[7] One of them was elevated to the College of Cardinals.[8] Theotonius Amal Ganguly, the eleventh ordinary of the archdiocese, was the first archbishop to be born in the Bangladesh, as well as the first born in Dhaka.[9] Patrick D’Rozario became the first cardinal from Bangladesh in 2016. Michael Rozario had the longest tenure as Archbishop of Dhaka, serving for 28 years from 1977 to 2005,[10] while Louage held the position for 42 months (1890–1894), marking the shortest episcopacy.[6]

List of ordinaries

Pierre Dufal, the third Apostolic Vicar of Eastern Bengal.

Peter Joseph Hurth, the second Bishop of Dacca.

Patrick D’Rozario, the first Bangladeshi cardinal

Key

	Denotes archbishop who was elevated to the College of Cardinals
CSC	Congregation of Holy Cross
OMI	Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
OSB	Order of Saint Benedict

Apostolic Vicars

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1850	1855	Thomas Oliffe	Appointed on February 15, 1850. Transferred to Western Bengal on November 2, 1855.	[11]
1855	1860	Louis Verité, CSC	Appointed Pro apostolic vicar on June 6, 1856.	[2]
1860	1876	Pierre Dufal, CSC	Appointed on July 3, 1860. Resigned on July 28, 1876.	[12][13]
1878	1886	Jordan Ballsieper, OSB	Appointed on April 5, 1878. Died on March 1, 1890.	[14]

Bishops

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1890	1894	Augustine Joseph Louage, CSC	Appointed on November 21, 1890. Died on June 8, 1894.	[15]
1894	1909	Peter Joseph Hurth, CSC	Appointed on June 26, 1894. Resigned on February 15, 1909.	[16][17]
1909	1915	Frederick Linneborn, CSC	Appointed on February 13, 1909. Died on July 21, 1915.	[17]
1916	1929	Amand-Théophile-Joseph Legrand, CSC	Appointed on August 16, 1916.[upper-alpha 1] Retired on November 9, 1929. Died on April 10, 1937	[18]
1929	1945	Timothy Joseph Crowley, CSC	Coadjutor bishop[upper-alpha 2] from 1927 to 1929.[upper-alpha 3] Died on October 2, 1945.	[21]
1947	1950	Lawrence Leo Graner, CSC	Appointed on February 13, 1947[upper-alpha 4]	[22]

Archbishops

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1950	1967	Lawrence Leo Graner, CSC	Became the first Archbishop of Dhaka on July 15, 1950. Resigned on November 23, 1967. Died on April 21, 1982	[23]
1967	1977	Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC	Auxiliary bishop from 1960 to 1965.[upper-alpha 5] Coadjutor archbishop[upper-alpha 2] from 1965 to 1967. Appointed on November 23, 1967. First archbishop to be born in Bangladesh and in Dhaka. Died on September 2, 1977.	[24][9]
1977	2005	Michael Rozario	Appointed on December 17, 1977. Retired on July 9, 2005. Died on March 18, 2007.	[10][25]
2005	2011	Paulinus Costa	Appointed on July 9, 2005. Retired on October 22, 2011. Died on January 3, 2015.	[26][27]
2011	2020	Patrick D'Rozario, CSC	Coadjutor Archbishop[upper-alpha 2] from 2010 to 2011. Elevated to cardinal on November 19, 2016. Retired on September 30, 2020	[28][29][8]
2020	present	Bejoy Nicephorus D'Cruze, OMI	Appointed on September 30, 2020.	[5][30]

Notes

1. Legrand was appointed bishop on August 16, 1916, but only received episcopal consecration on November 5, 1916.
2. Under the Code of Canon Law, the coadjutor bishop has the right of succession (cum jure successionis) upon the death, retirement or resignation of the diocesan bishop he is assisting.[19][20]
3. Crowley was appointed coadjutor archbishop on January 26, 1927, but only received episcopal consecration on May 1, 1927.
4. Graner was appointed bishop on February 13, 1947, but only received episcopal consecration on April 23, 1947.
5. Ganguly was appointed auxiliary bishop on September 3, 1960, but only received episcopal consecration on October 7, 1960.

References

General

• "Archdiocese of Dhaka". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
• "Previous Ordinaries | Archdiocese of Dhaka". Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
• "Former Bishops of Dhaka Archdiocese". Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
• "Archdiocese of Dhaka, Bangladesh". GCatholic.org. Retrieved September 3, 2020.

Specific

1. The Catholic Directory of Bangladesh. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh. 1986.
2. "Archdiocese of Dhaka, Bangladesh". www.ucanews.com. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
3. "Bangladesh, The Catholic Church in". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
4. "Bishop Bejoy D'Cruze new archbishop of Bangladesh". The Financial Express. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
5. "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
6. "Dacca". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
7. "Dhaka Diocese". www.cbcbsec.org. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
8. "Holy Cross Celebrates Cardinal Patrick D'Rosario in a Banquet at the Generalate". Congregation of Holy Cross. November 23, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
9. "Servant of God Theotonius Ganguly". Congregation of Holy Cross. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
10. "Archbishop Michael Rozario". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
11. Barr, Colin (January 16, 2020). Ireland's Empire: The Roman Catholic Church in the English-Speaking World, 1829–1914. Cambridge University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-107-04092-2.
12. "Dufal, Pierre". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
13. "Past Superiors General". Congregation of Holy Cross. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
14. "Bishop Jordan Marie Joseph Ballsieper". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
15. "Bishop Augustin Joseph Louage". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
16. "Peter Joseph Hurth". Notre Dame Archives Inventory: HRT. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
17. Robinson, Gabrielle (June 17, 2003). German Settlers of South Bend. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-1385-6.
18. "Bishop Amand-Théophile-Joseph Legrand". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
19. Van Hove, A. (1913). "Bishop". In Charles George Herbermann (ed.). The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. 2. Robert Appleton Company. p. 581. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
20. Agnew, Paddy; McGarry, Patsy (May 5, 2012). "Vatican may appoint bishop to aid Brady". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
21. "Bishop Timothy Joseph Crowley". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
22. Ahmed & Burrell 2018, p. 84.
23. Ahmed & Burrell 2018, p. 25.
24. Ahmed & Burrell 2018, p. 84–132.
25. Ahmed & Burrell 2018, p. 132–136.
26. "Retired Dhaka Archbishop Paulinus Costa passes away". www.archivioradiovaticana.va. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
27. "Archbishop Emeritus Archbishop Paulinus Costa". www.ucanews.com. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
28. "D'ROZARIO Card. Patrick, C.S.C." press.vatican.va. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
29. "Bangladesh gets first Catholic cardinal". Dhaka Tribune. October 9, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
30. "Bishop Bejoy D'Cruze appointed new Archbishop of Dhaka". New Age. Retrieved November 27, 2020.

Bibliography

• Ahmed, S M Tanveer; Burrell, David B CSC (2018). Christian Missions in East Bengal : the Life and Times of Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC (1920-1977). La Vergne: Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4982-4018-5. OCLC 1088333298.