Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Toliara
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toliara (Latin: 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.
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Toliara_Cath%C3%A9drale.jpg/300px-Toliara_Cath%C3%A9drale.jpg)
Toliara Cathedral
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Toliara_Monument_du_dioc%C3%A8se.jpg/300px-Toliara_Monument_du_dioc%C3%A8se.jpg)
Monument of the foundation of the diocesis
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 km 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
Bishops
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Toliara_Cath%C3%A9drale.jpg/300px-Toliara_Cath%C3%A9drale.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Toliara_Monument_du_dioc%C3%A8se.jpg/300px-Toliara_Monument_du_dioc%C3%A8se.jpg)
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