Patron : Jesus the Good Shepherd
Area : 1,110 sq.km ; Total Population: 9,35,000
Catholics : 59,034
Languages spoken : Hindi, Bengali, Oraon, Sadri, Santali, Nepali, English.
History : In the early part of the twentieth century, when the Tea Gardens in the foothills of Darjeeling required labourers, many Adivasis from Chotanagpur migrated to the Terai Plains and gradually settled down there. The Jesuit Fathers from St. Mary’s College, Kurseong, looked after the spiritual needs of the Adivasi Catholics, quite regularly. The first Station was established at Gayaganga in 1933 by Fr. A Bossaerts, SJ. The area called the “Terai” (Siliguri sub-division and part of Kurseong sub-division in the district of Darjeeling) was part of the Diocese of Darjeeling which was established in 1962. As the number of Catholics and local vocations increased, and for better care of the Faithful, Pope John Paul II divided the Diocese of Darjeeling, and thus the Diocese of Bagdogra was created on 14th June 1997, with Bishop Thomas D’Souza as its first Bishop. On 12th March 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Thomas D’Souza as Co-adjutor Archbishop of Calcutta, appointing him at the same time Apostolic Administrator of Bagdogra.
After a wait of 4 years on April 08, 2015, pope francis appointed Msgr. Vincent Aind as its second Bishop.
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