Caribbean—Part 2

This blog will discuss five provinces that serve Caribbean nations and territories other than Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

Province of Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago)

The province consists of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Surinam, and several Dutch territories.  

Columbus claimed Trinidad and Tobago for Spain in 1498.  European powers fought over the islands for centuries until the British gained control in 1802.  Missionaries, including the Capuchins, worked there for centuries and the first Catholic church was built in 1591.  Trinidad and Tobago, an English-speaking nation, gained independence in 1962.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Trinidad was established in 1818.  This became the Archdiocese of Port of Spain in 1850 with the creation of the new Province.  The Archdiocese serves 340,000 Catholics (26 percent of the total) in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain is a Gothic Revival building that was constructed between 1816 and 1851.  It was named a minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1851.  The Cathedral has a Facebook page.  The Archdiocesan website is catholictt.org.

Top picture is from Flickr and the bottom is from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan territories.

·        The Diocese of Georgetown (Guyana) consists of the English-speaking nation of Guyana.  It was established as a vicariate apostolic in 1837 and became a diocese in 1956.  The Diocese has 63,000 Catholics (8 percent of the total population) and most are of Portuguese ethnicity.  [Portuguese people, mostly from Madeira, were hired by planters to be field workers after the abolition of slavery in 1834.  Most quickly became small business owners.]  Dutch colonists came to Guyana in the early 17th Century, but the British gained Guyana in 1813.  Catholicism was not given full legal status until 1899.  Guyana became independent in 1966.

·        The Diocese of Bridgetown (Barbados) serves 11,000 Catholics (4 percent of the total population) in Barbados.  The English took possession of Barbados in 1625 and Barbados became an independent English-speaking nation in 1966.  The Diocese of Bridgetown-Kingstown was created in 1970 and was given its current name in 1989.

·        The Diocese of Paramaribo (Surinam) consists of the Dutch-speaking nation of Surinam.  The Diocese started as an apostolic prefecture in 1817 and became a vicariate apostolic in 1842.  The Diocese was created in 1958 and has 140,000 Catholics (24 percent of the total).  The Dutch established colonies in the 17th Century and Catholics came there by 1683.  Catholicism was not encouraged by the Dutch and full Church activity did not come until 1817.  Surinam gained independence in 1975.

·        The Diocese of Willemstad (Curacao) consists of the Dutch territories of Curacao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, and Bonair, Sint Eustatuis, and Saba.  The Diocese began as an apostolic prefecture in 1752, became a vicariate apostolic in 1842, and was raised to a Diocese in 1958.  Together, these islands have 222,000 Catholics (74 percent of the total).

Province of Kingston (Jamaica)

The province consists of Jamaica, Belize, and the Cayman Islands.  

Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain in 1494 and Spanish colonies were established in 1509.  Dominicans and Franciscans evangelized Jamaica until 1655 when the English took Jamaica by force and outlawed the Catholic Faith.  A priest was allowed to come to Jamaica in 1792 to minister to the few Spanish, English, and French Catholics on the island.  Jamaica became an independent nation in 1962.  Jamaica has 70,000 Catholics or 2 percent of the total population.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Jamaica was established in 1837.  This became the Diocese of Kingston in 1956 and the Archdiocese of Kingston in 1967 with the creation of the new Province.

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Kingston was completed in 1911 in a Byzantine Revival architectural style.  It replaced a church that was destroyed in 1907 earthquake.  The Cathedral has 12,600 square feet of floor space and has 3,000 square feet of murals and mosaics.  It also has an 85-foot copper dome and four minarets.  The Cathedral website is 

cathedralofthemostholytrinityjm.com and the Archdiocesan website is archdioceseofkingston.org.

From the Cathedral website.

The Province has four suffragan territories.

The Diocese of Montego Bay (Jamaica) was created in 1967.

The Diocese of Mandeville (Jamaica) was created as a vicariate apostolic in 1991 before becoming a diocese in 1997.

 The Diocese of Belize City-Belmopon (Belize) began as an apostolic prefecture in 1888 and became a vicariate apostolic in 1893.  The Diocese of Belize was created in 1956 and acquired its current name in 1983.  Spain acquired Belize in the early 16^th Century, but the first colonists were British who came in 1638.  The British gained control of Belize (once known as British Honduras) in 1798.  Catholic colonists came in 1830 and Belize gained its independence in 1981.  Belize has 140,000 Catholics or 40 percent of the total.

 The Mission Sui Juris of the Cayman Islands was established in 2000 and is administered by the Archbishop of Detroit.  The Cayman Islands, a British territory since 1670, has 7,000 Catholics (13 percent of the total).  The English settled in the Cayman Islands in the 1730s and brought African slaves with them.

Province of Fort-de-France-Saint-Pierre (Martinique)

The province consists of Martinique, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Saint Barthelemy, and Saint Martin.  

Columbus landed in Martinique in 1502, but the French took possession in 1635.  Martinique remains a French territory today.  French Huguenots originally colonized Martinique, but most had moved to British territories by 1688.  They were replaced with French Catholic colonists.   

The Apostolic Prefecture of Iles de la Terre Ferme was created in 1643 and became the Diocese of Martinique in 1850 and the Diocese of Fort-de-France-Saint-Pierre in 1902.  It was raised to the Archdiocese of Fort-de-France-Saint-Pierre in 1967 with the creation of the new Province.  The Archdiocese consists of Martinique and has 320,000 Catholics or 83 percent of the total population. 

St. Louis Cathedral in Fort-de-France was completed in 1895 and is the parish’s seventh church building.  It was designed by Pierre-Henri Picq, who was inspired by Gustave Eiffel.  The Cathedral was built using Gothic Revival and Neo-Romanesque styles.  The steeple is 187 feet high.  Both the Cathedral and the Archdiocese have a Facebook page.

Both are from Wikipedia

Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Saint-Pierre was built in the 1800s using old stones from previous church buildings, volcanic rock, and brick.  The Cathedral has a Facebook page.

From Wikipedia

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

·        The Diocese of Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) was established in 1850 as the Diocese of Guadeloupe et Basse-Terre and acquired its current name in 1951.  The Diocese consists of the French territories of Guadeloupe, Saint Barthelemy, and Saint Martin.  Together, these islands have 320,000 Catholics or 75 percent of the total population.  Columbus landed in Guadeloupe and in Saint Martin in 1493.  Columbus discovered the pineapple upon landing in Guadeloupe, which became French in 1674.  Saint Martin was divided between France and the Netherlands in 1648.  Saint Barthelemy was acquired by France in 1648, who sold it to Sweden in 1785.  The island once again became French in 1878.

·         The Diocese of Cayenne (French Guiana) started as an apostolic prefecture in 1651 and became a vicariate apostolic in 1933.  The Diocese was created in 1956 and consists of the French territory of French Guiana.  French Guiana has 200,000 Catholics (67 percent of the total).  The French did not settle French Guiana until the 19th Century and many of the early settlers were prisoners—it was the location of the notorious Devil’s Island prison.

Province of Castries (Saint Lucia)

The province consists of St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands. 

The French first settled in St. Lucia in 1660, but possession of the island passed between the French and the British until 1814 when the British finally gained control.  St. Lucia became an independent English-speaking nation in 1979.

The Diocese of Castries was created in 1956.  This became the Archdiocese of Castries in 1974 with the creation of the new Province.  The Archdiocese consists of St. Lucia and has 102,000 Catholics or 62 percent of the total population.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Castries was built in 1897 and is the largest church in the Caribbean.  It has a brick and stone exterior and the interior features a carved altar and a mural depicting Biblical scenes crafted by Dunstan St. Omer, a local artist.  Pope John Paul II gave it the status of minor basilica in 1999.  Both the Cathedral and the Archdiocese have a Facebook page.

Top from Flickr and bottom from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

·       The Diocese of Roseau (Dominica) was created in 1850.  It consists of the English-speaking nation of Dominica and has 43,000 Catholics (61 percent of the total).  Catholic missionaries came to Dominica in 1642, but the French did not began colonization until the 1690s.  France lost Dominica to the British in 1763 and Dominica became independent in 1978.

·        The Diocese of St. George’s in Grenada was erected in 1956.  It consists of the English-speaking island of Grenada which has 46,000 Catholics or 45 percent of the total population.  The French first colonized Granada in 1650, but lost control of the island to the British in 1763.  Granada became independent in 1974.

·        The Diocese of Kingstown (Saint Vincent and Grenadines) was created in 1989.  It consists of the English-speaking nation of Saint Vincent and Grenadines, which has 14,000 Catholics (13 percent of the total).  The French were the first to colonize St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but control passed back and forth between the French and the British over 400 years before the nation gained its independence in 1979.

·        The Diocese of Saint John’s (Antigua and Barbuda)-Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis) was created in 1971 as the Diocese of St. John’s and gained its current name in 1981.  The Diocese consists of the English-speaking nations of Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the English territories of Anguilla, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands.  Together, these islands have 17,000 Catholics or 9 percent of the total population.

Province of Nassau (the Bahamas)

The province consists of the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.  

Columbus landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492 and the first Mass in the Americas was soon celebrated.  The British gained control of the Bahamas in the 17^th Century.  Bahamian Catholics were initially served by priests from South Carolina starting in 1858 and later by priests from New York.  Benedictines from Minnesota took charge of the mission in 1891.  The Bahamas became an independent English-speaking nation in 1973.  The Bahamas has 50,000 Catholics or 14 percent of the total population.

The Apostolic Prefecture of Bahama was created in 1929 and became the Apostolic Vicariate of Bahama Islands in 1941.  The Diocese of Nassau was created in 1960 and this became the Archdiocese of Nassau in 1999 with the creation of the new Province.  The Archdiocese consists of the Bahamas. 

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is the oldest Catholic parish in The Bahamas.  The original church was built between 1885 and 1887.  Newer additions have been added since that time.  The Cathedral website is stfrancisxaviercathedral.org and the Archdiocesan website is

archdioceseofnassau.org.

Top is from the Cathedral website and the bottom is from Flickr.

The Province has two suffragan territories.

·        The Diocese of Hamilton (Bermuda) started as an apostolic prefecture in 1953, became a vicariate apostolic in 1956, before the diocese was created in 1967.  It consists of the British territory of Bermuda.  The Diocese has 9,000 Catholics (15 percent of the total).  The English first settled in Bermuda in 1612.  They did not allow Catholics to settle there until around 1800.  Many of today’s Catholics are descendants of 19^th Century Irish immigrants, Portuguese immigrants and their African slaves, and African slaves captured from Spanish territories.  

·        The Mission Sui Juris of the Turks and Caicos Islands was created in 1984 and is administered by the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey.  The Mission has 11,000 Catholics or 28 percent of the total population.  The Turks and Caicos Islands has been a British territory since 1799.  Many of the first European settlers were British Loyalists who left the United States after the American Revolution.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include vicariates apostolic and prefectures apostolic—both are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.  The difference is that a vicar apostolic holds the rank of a bishop and the prefect apostolic is a priest, but not a bishop.  There is also a jurisdiction called a mission sui juris.  A mission sui juris may be part of a province and is often administered by a bishop of another diocese. 

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell (although some basilicas do not display them).  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.