Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/764

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Ubanghl (cf. C. E., XV — 115a), PRErEcruRE tical buriab 58. There are no non-Catholics in the

Apostolic of, in Bel^an Congo, is governed by mefecture, the attempt made by the American

Mgr. Fulgence Camonckel, a native ofGrammont, Protestants in 1916 having failed to make any con-

Bddum. The mission of Ubanghi was accepted by verts. The elementary or rural schools teach Cn»-

theBelgianCapuchinsin January, 1910, at the request tian doctrine, reading and writing of the vernacular

of the Belgian Government, and on 7 April, 1911, the secondary schools teach in addition elementary

was raised to a prefecture Apostolic. On 10 ^ptem- arithmetic and the history and geography of Belgium

ber. Fathers Fulgence Camonckel, liberatus Maas and the Conpo; the normal or catechists' schools

of Tumhout. Basnius Tanghe of Bruges. Ferdinandus teach in addition the art of speaking and cones-

Peeters of Antwerp and two lay brothers, Humilis pondence. The trade schools teacn carpentry,

Ceulemans of Gravenwezel and Amandus de Laimoy brickmaking, masonry, tanning, tailoring and shc^

of Hoozlede left Belgium to found the mission, making, arriving on 1 December at Bansyville when the first

station was started. No missionary had even been Ubanghl-Oliarl, Prefecturb Apobtouc of; (cf.

there, but there were a score of natives here and there C. £., XV — 115a), in French Eauatorial Africa, is

who had been baptized while doingmilitaiy service, confided to the Consregation of the Holy Ghost. V.

The boundaries are: On the W. and N. the Rev. Jean-Rene Calloch, C. S. Sp., b. in the Diocese

River Ubanghi from 1^ SO' N. lat. to the of Quimper. France, in 1876, appointed 21 January,

junction of the Bomu and Uele; on the E. a 1904, stul fills the see. On 14 May, 1914, t^e pre-

line from there to the confluence of the Trim- fecture was detached from the Vicariate of Central

biri and Con^o, and continued to the south Africa and the new boundaries were fixed." It is as

of Abumombazi (3^ 38'46 N.: 22^ b' E.), and on the large as France with several millions of inhabitants to

S. the watershed separating the Congo and Uban^^, convert. Prior to the war the miasionarieB were

the Ubanghi and Ngiri, ana then l"" SO' S. lat. to the gaining foothold slowly but surely. In 1920 five

Ubanghi. To the west lies the Vicariate Apostolic of missionaries did wonderful woric in the missions

French Equatorial Congo: to the west and north established. There were (1918) 565 conversions and

the Prefecture Apostolic ot Ubanghi-Chari-Tchad; to baptisms, and 250 children educated and cared for

the east, the I^ecture Apostolic of Western Uelle; by the Bangui and the Bessou charities, and the Vicariate Apostolic of New Antwerp, the

latter also Iving to the south. Many lan^ages are Uberabai Diocbsb or (db Ubbraba; cf . C. E..

spoken in the orefecture adding to the missionary's XV — 115d), in Minas Genies, Brazil, suffragan ot

labors — the Ngombe and Lubala use a Bantu Marianna. The word Uberaba is from I'benU>-a,

tongue, while the Ngbandi, Banza and Bwaka use which in Tupi means "smiling water," the Indian

Sudanese languages. The natives niunber over 150.- name of the ruin on which the city stands. On 8

000. Sleeping sickness is prevalent. It is curable July, 1918, the parishes of 8t. Jerome and 8t. Francis

if treated without delay, consequently the mission- were transferred to the newly-erected Diocese of

aries have established dispensanes in three stations, Aterrado (a . v.) . In 1921 the diocese had an area

where suspected cases can be treated. Leprosy of about 58,000 square miles (150,000 square Vilo-

occurs here and there but not in a contagious form, meters) with 44 parishes, and a po^mlation <tf about

Before the arrival of the Belgians and especially 375,000, mostly Catholics. The city of Uberaba

the missionaries the tribes were all cannibal; now has 13 canons, of whom 3 are supernumerary; by

cannibalism is a very rare occurence. The natives Apostolic indult the canons are exempt from the

are very superstitous and addicted to fetichism, but obligation of reciting the office in common and resid*

they are not idolators. Polygamy is the great ob- ing m the episcopal city. The diocesan statistics

Steele to their conversion, but even that is yielding record as follows: Religious Orders — Dominicans,

slowly. Catechumens receive six months special 5 priests, 5 lay brothers; Marist Brothers, 18; Vinoen-

trainmg at the mission station, before being baptized; tian Fathers, 2; Dominican Sisters, 20, with 30

after baptism they remain there four weeks longer novices; Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

to prepare for Holv Communion. From 1913 to 13; Portuguese Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph;

1921 the number of Catholics has been as follows: Catholic press — "Unifio Popular," "Estrella Matu-

83; 325; 501; 668; 1361; 2259; 2945; 3467; 4238. The tina," "Mensageiro do Rosario," and "A Cruz;"

mission statistics for 1921 furnished by the Prefect Sodalities — Apostleship of Prayer, Perpetual Rosaxy,

Apostolic who resides at Moleghe are: priests 12, Daughters of Mary, Franciscan Tertianes, Dominican

lay brothers 5; Capuchins; Sisters, 4 (Augustinians Tertianes, Crusaders of the Blessed Sacrament, St.

from Mons); churches and chapels, 5 public, 2 private Gerald's Association, Men's Rosary Sodality, Ai^geli-

Ca^olics 4238; catedusts 61: chapel schools 49; cal Militia of St. Tnomas Aquinas, St. Vincent de

catechumens 5737; normal scnools (for catechists) Paul Society, Ladies' Charitable Association; Homes

2, pupils 37; rural schools 45; pupils 718; trade — 2 Houses of Mercy, 2 Asylums: Ornanizations — ^the

schools 14, pupils 115 girls, 86 boys; orphanages 4; Altar Society to care for poor churches, the Unilo

orphans 213 boys, 131 girls, who receive secondary Popular, which conducts a night school for working-

edfucation; laboratories and dispensaries 3; hospitals men, with 40 students; Schools — ^besides many

2; with 167 deeping sickness patients; 4 cemeteries; parochial schools there are 3 girls' colleges, one witn


baptism 1 189 of which 789 were solemn, 400 in articvla 700 students, ranking as a normal school, 1

marHB (186 of these baptized parties recovered); gymnasium with 500 pupils, and 2 private CaUioUc Holy Communions 105,466; marriages 80; ecclesias- schools conducted by secular ladies. There were

748