The Catholic Mission in India takes its origin at the arrival of the Jesuit Fathers in Fatehpur Sikri in the year 1580 at the invitation of the Mugul Emperor Akbar. In 1601, they established their headquarters at Agra. In 1619, the Jesuit Fathers were in Rajasthan, but the ruler there did not encourage the Christian message to spread. The Jesuit Missionaries were invited to Patna in 1620. There were a few Catholic Portuguese soldiers in the army. A Church was built and the foundation for a Catholic community was laid. When Capuchin Fathers arrived in Patna in 1706 on their way to Tibet, they found about 150 Catholics.

When in 1773, the Jesuit Missionaries were suppressed, two Carmelite Fathers from Bombay succeeded them in Agra, who in turn were replaced by the Capuchins. Ever since, the Capuchin Missionaries have laboured relentlessly for the spread of the faith and the progress of the Catholic Church in north India. The year 1885 marks the beginning of the long process of divisions and sub-divisions of the Tibet-Hindustan region which led to the creation of not less than thirty ecclesiastical units of north India.

In the year of the Lord nineteen hundred and eighty nine, on the nineteenth day of the month of January, His Holiness John Paul II, the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church took the momentous decision of erecting a new Diocese - the Diocese of Bareilly and promulgated the Bull "Indorum Inter Gentes". By this Bull, six districts of the Diocese of Lucknow in the state of Uttar Pradesh namely, Bareilly, Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, Shahjahanpur and Pilbhit were carved out to form the new Diocese of Bareilly having the church of St. Alphonsus, its Cathedral. The Diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Agra.

On the same day, the Holy Father appointed and proclaimed Very Rev. Anthony Fernandes, Vicar General of the Diocese of Varanasi as the Bishop - elect of the newly erected Diocese, by promulgating the Bull "Eodem Animi Pastoralis".

Thus was fulfilled the long cherished dream of the late Bishop Conard de Vito, ofm. cap., the first Bishop of Lucknow who, with remarkable foresight and vision had realized that the work of evangelizing and spreading the Gospel could not be achieved in an effective and concerted way if one pastor alone was given the care of the fourteen districts of his Diocese.

Bp ANTHONY FERNANDES
Born: July 06, 1937
Priestly Ordn: Dec. 02, 1964
Episcopal Ordn: Mar. 29, 1984

Address: 
Bishop's House
63, Cantonment, Bareilly,
Uttar Pradesh - 243 001.

Tel: (0581) 42 55 98, 42 31 15 
Fax: (0581) 42 55 98
Mobile: 09 83 70 95 598
E-mail: bishopanthony@yahoo.com, bishopanthony_in@netsewa.com 
Website: www.bareillydiocese.org

Area: 32,860 Sq. kms.
Total Population: 88,98,990
Catholics: 4,650
Languages spoken: English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and
Kumaoni.
Revenue Districts: Almora, Bareilly, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pilibhit, Pithoragarh, Shahjahanpur and Udham Singh Nagar.

Statistics
Diocesan Clergy: 39
Religious Priests: 16
Religious Brothers: 06
Religious Women: 237
No. of Parishes: 34
Houses of Women Religious: 46
Houses of Men Religious: 11

No. of Educational institutions: 40
Sr. Secondary Schools (10+2):06, Students: 14,674
High Schools (10th std): Students: 22,825
Primary Schools Students: 1,783
Hospitals: 02, Beds:170
Dispensaries: 11, Beneficiaries (Annual): 36,163
Other Institutions: 08