Hong Kong was established as an Apostolic Prefecture on 22 April 1841, raised to Apostolic Vicariate on 17 November 1874, and raised to Diocese on 11 April 1946.


一八四一年四月廿二日,羅馬天主教會在香港設立宗座監牧區;一八七四年十一月十七日該宗座監牧區晉升為宗座代牧區;又於一九四六年四月十一日由宗座代牧區晉升為聖統制的主教區 。
 

宗座監牧區  APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE (1841-1874)

An Apostolic Prefecture is generally the first step toward organization of a church hierarchy in a determined territory. It is ordinarily headed by a priest, the Prefect Apostolic, a representative from Rome appointed simply by the decree of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide.

一八四一年教廷在香港成立宗座監牧區。所謂「宗座監牧區」是直屬教廷傳信部的一個最雛型的傳教區,通常由一位神父擔任宗座監牧 。

1841 - 1842 JOSET Theodore (若瑟)  Prefect Apostolic (宗座監牧)
1842 - 1847 FELICIANI Antonio (裴 [傅安當]) Prefect Apostolic ad Interim (暫代監牧)
1847 - 1850 FORCADE Theodore Augustin (科) Pro-prefect Apostolic (宗座代監牧)
1850 - 1855 FELICIANI Antonio (裴 [傅安當]) Prefect Apostolic ad Interim (暫代監牧)
1855 - 1867 AMBROSI Luigi (盎) Prefect Apostolic (宗座監牧)
1867 - 1868 RAIMONDI Giovanni Timoleone (高) Pro-prefect Apostolic (宗座代監牧)
1868 - 1874 RAIMONDI Giovanni Timoleone (高) Prefect Apostolic (宗座監牧)

 

宗座代牧區 APOSTOLIC VICARIATE (1874-1946)

An Apostolic Vicariate is a local church governed by the Pope through the actual direction of the central missionary agency in Rome, the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, which assigned a titular bishop with apostolic letters to govern the vicariate.

一八七四年,香港宗座監牧區升格為宗座代牧區。「宗座代牧區」也是直屬教廷傳信部的傳教區,但其首長由一位主教擔任。不過,這位主教按照天主教教律不是該區的主教,而是歷史上一個古老教區的領銜主教 。

1874 - 1894 RAIMONDI Giovanni Timoleone (高) Vicar Apostolic (宗座代牧)
1895 - 1904 PIAZZOLI Luigi (和) Vicar Apostolic (宗座代牧)
1905 - 1924 POZZONI Dominico (師多敏) Vicar Apostolic (宗座代牧)
1924 - 1926 SPADA Giovanni (德若翰 [施巴達]) Vicar Capitular (代牧區署理)
1926 - 1946 VALTORTA Enrico (恩理覺) Vicar Apostolic (宗座代牧)

 

教區 DIOCESE OF HONG KONG (1946 -     )

A Diocese is an ordinary territorial division of the church headed by a bishop, who governs it in his own name. The bishop, though he is subject to the Roman Pontiff, is not the vicar of the latter. A Diocese ordinarily takes its name from the see city, the community where the bishop resides and his cathedral is located.

一九四六年,教廷把中國的所有宗座代牧區一起升格為教區,就此成立中國聖統制。香港宗座代牧區也成了教區,當時仍由宗座外方傳教會管理 。

1946 - 1951 VALTORTA Enrico (恩理覺) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
1951 - 1952 RIGANTI Antonius (戴遐齡) Vicar Capitular (教區署理)
1952 - 1969 BIANCHI Lorenzo (白英奇) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
1969 - 1973 HSU Chen-Ping Francis Xavier (徐誠斌) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
1973 LEI Wang-Kei Peter (李宏基) Vicar Capitular (教區署理)
1973 - 1974 LEI Wang-Kei Peter (李宏基) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
1974 - 1975 LAM Cheuk-Wai Gabriel (林焯煒) Vicar Capitular (教區署理)
1975 - 2002 WU Cheng-Chung John Baptist  (胡振中) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
[1988: Cardinal 樞機]
2002 - 2009 ZEN Ze-Kiun Joseph (陳日君) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
[2006: Cardinal 樞機]
2009 - 2017 TONG Hon John (湯漢) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
[2012: Cardinal 樞機]
2014 - 2019 YEUNG Ming-Cheung Michael (楊鳴章) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
2014 - HA Chi-Shing Joseph (夏志誠) Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong (香港教區輔理主教)
2019 - 2021 TONG Hon John (湯漢) Apostolic Administrator (宗座署理)
2021 - CHOW Sau-Yan Stephen (周守仁) Bishop of Hong Kong (香港主教)
[2023: Cardinal 樞機]