Oceania—2

This blog covers Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and other Pacific islands.  Note:  see my blog of June 27, 2018 for Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

Fiji

Fiji gained independence in 1970 after a century of British rule.  Catholic missionaries came to Fiji in 1844 and today there are 85,000 Catholics, or 8 percent of the total population.  About two-thirds of the people in Fiji are Christian and 28 percent are Hindu.

Province of Suva

The Province of Suva serves Catholics in Fiji (the Archdiocese of Suva), as well as Kiribati, Naura, the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tuvalu.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Fiji Island was established in 1863 and became the Apostolic Vicariate of Fiji Island in 1887.  It was promoted to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Suva in 1966.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Suva was completed in 1902.  It was designed to resemble churches in Rome and is constructed with Australian sandstone.  See shcsuva.org.

Pictures are from TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Tarawa and Naura (which serves Kiribati and Naura) was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Gilbert Islands in 1897 and became the Diocese of Tarawa in 1966.  It acquired its current name in 1982.  Kiribati (which includes the island of Tarawa) is a former British colony that became independent in 1979.  French missionaries brought Catholicism to Kiribati in the late 1800s.  Today 60,000 of the nation’s 110,000 people are Catholic (and most of the rest are Protestant).  Naura is a former German colony that gained independence in 1968.  Naura has a population of 14,000, 5,000 of whom are Catholic.  Most of the people are Protestant.
• The Diocese of Rarotonga (which serves the Cook Islands and Niue) began as the Apostolic Prefecture of Cook and Mnihiki in 1922 and became the Apostolic Vicariate of Cook Islands in 1948.  It was promoted as the Diocese of Rarotonga in 1966.  The Cook Islands were once a British protectorate that chose self-government in free association with New Zealand in 1965.  Most of its 9,000 people are Protestant.  There are about 1,000 Catholics.  Niue is administered by New Zealand.  Most of Niue’s 1,600 people are Protestant, 10 percent are Catholic.
• The Mission sui juris of Funafuti (Tuvalu) was established in 1982.  Tuvalu gained independence from the British in 1978.  Over 90 percent of Tuvalu’s 11,000 people are Protestant—mostly Congregationalists.  There are about 1,000 Catholics.

Samoa

Samoa had been a German territory before the First World War, at which time New Zealand took control until granting independence in 1962.  Catholic missionary work began in 1845 and today Samoa has 40,000 Catholics or 20 percent of the total population.  Most Samoans are Protestant.  

Province of Samoa-Apia

The Province of Samoa-Apia serves Catholics in Samoa (the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia), American Samoa (Diocese of Samoa—Pago Pago), and Tokelau (the Mission sui juris of Tokelau).  The Apostolic Vicariate of the Archipelago of the Navigators was established in 1850, which became the Diocese of Apia in 1966.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia and Tokelau was established in 1982 and acquired its current name in 1992.   

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Apia was built in 1857, but was heavily damaged in a 2009 earthquake.  The Cathedral was restored and enlarged—from a seating capacity of 400 to 2000.  The rebuilt cathedral opened in 2014.  Among the Cathedral’s features are stained glass windows depicting Samoan themes, a wooden ceiling based on the design of traditional Samoan mats, and a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles in traditional Samoan dress.

Pictures are from Flickr, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Samoa—Pago Pago (American Samoa) was established in 1982.
• The Mission sui juris of Tokelau (Tokelau) was established in 1992.  Tokelau was once a British protectorate that came under the administration of New Zealand in 1925.  About 60 percent of Tokelau’s 1,300 people are Protestant and the rest are Catholic.

Solomon Islands

The British claimed the Solomon Islands in the 1890s and it was about this time that Marist missionaries came to the islands.  The Solomons became independent in 1978.  The Solomon Islands have 120,000 Catholics or 20 percent of the total population.  Most of the people are Protestant.  

Province of Honiara

The Province consists of the Solomon Islands.  The Apostolic Prefecture of the British Solomon Islands was created in 1897 and became the Apostolic Vicariate of the Southern Solomon Islands in 1912.  This became the Diocese of Honiara in 1966 and the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Honiara in 1978.  Holy Cross Cathedral in Honiara opened in 1957 in a Quonset hut from the Second World War.  Construction of the current Cathedral was completed in 1977.  The Cathedral has a Facebook page.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Gizo was established in 1959 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Solomon Islands and became the Diocese of Gizo in 1966.
• The Diocese of Auki was established in 1982.

French Polynesia

French Polynesia has been a territory of France since the 19^th Century.  Catholics number about 80,000 or 30 percent of the total population.  A slight majority of the people are Protestant.  

Province of Papeete

The province consists of French Polynesia.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Tahiti was created in 1848 and was promoted to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Papeete in 1966.  The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Notre Dame) in Papeete opened in 1875.  It is an example of early colonial architecture and has a single steeple.  The interior features a locally wood-carved Madonna and Child with Jesus holding a breadfruit.  The Stations of the Cross incorporate both Tahitian and Roman cultures.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Apostolic Vicariate of Marquesas Islands was established in 1848 and became the Diocese of Taiohae in 1966.  It was renamed the Diocese of Taiohae and Tefenuaenata in 1974.

New Caledonia

Both the British and the French colonized New Caledonia in the early 1800s, but the French took control in 1853.  It served as a French penal colony for decades and it remains a French territory.  New Caledonia has 85,000 Catholics or about 30 percent of the total.  Protestants account for 60 percent of the total.

Province of Noumea

The Province consists of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Wallis et Futuna.  The Apostolic Vicariate of New Caledonia was established in 1847 and this became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Noumea in 1966.  

The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Noumea was built by convict labor between 1887 and 1897.  The two towers and the area around the doors and windows are made of dressed stone and the rest of the structure is made of rubble masonry.  The Cathedral has 28 stained glass windows and several furnishings made of tamanu wood.  The holy water fonts are made from the shells of giant clams.  The Cathedral has a Facebook page.

Pictures are from Panaramio, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Apostolic Prefecture of New Hebrides was established in 1901 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1904.  The Diocese of Port-Villa was established in 1966.  Europeans came to the New Hebrides in the 18^th Century and Catholic missionaries arrived in 1887.  The British and the French jointly ruled the New Hebrides starting in 1906.  The New Hebrides gained independence in 1980 and took the name Vanuatu.  There are 30,000 Catholics in Vanuatu or about 12 percent of the total population.  About 70 percent of the people are Protestants—mostly Presbyterian and Anglican.
• The Apostolic Vicariate of Wallis et Futuna was created in 1935 and became a diocese in 1966.  Prior to 1800, both the Dutch and British explored this area, but in 1842 the French made Wallis et Futuna a colony and it remains a French overseas territory.  Almost all of the territory’s 16,000 people are Catholic.

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 archdioceses that are not part of a province that are directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic vicariates and apostolic prefectures.  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.