Monday, March 8, 2021

Central America

This blog will discuss Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Central America was conquered by Spain in the 16th Century. Much of Central American declared independence in 1821 and became a republic in 1823, known as the Federal Republic of Central America or the United Provinces of Central America. The Republic consisted of what is now Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and part of Mexico. The constituent states left the Republic beginning in 1838.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica was colonized by Spain in 1563 and joined the independent United Provinces of Central America in 1823. Costa Rica became its own nation in 1838. Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Costa Rica.

About 72 percent of Costa Rica’s 5.1 million people are Catholic and 15 percent are Protestant. Ten percent claim no religion. Costa Rica has one ecclesiastic province: San Jose.

Province of San Jose

The province consists of Costa Rica. The Diocese of San Jose was established in 1850 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Jose in 1921.

The Cathedral of St. Joseph in San Jose was built in 1871 to replace a building destroyed by an earthquake. The Cathedral employs Greek Orthodox, Neoclassical, and Baroque styles. The interior has Spanish-tiled floors and a vaulted ceiling. The main altar has statues of cherubs and a wooden figure of Christ made in Guatemala. The Cathedral has a restored 19th Century pipe organ.

The first picture is from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has seven suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of Alajuela was created in 1921.
The Diocese of San Isidro de El General was created in 1954.
The Diocese of Tilaran-Liberia was created in 1961.
The Diocese of Limon was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1921 and became a diocese in 1994.
The Diocese of Ciudad Quesada was established in 1995.
The Diocese of Puntarenas was created in 1998.
The Diocese of Cartago was created in 2005.

El Salvador

The Spanish established San Salvador in 1525. El Salvador joined the independent United Provinces of Central America in 1823 and became its own nation in 1839. Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to El Salvador.

Half of El Salvador’s 6.5 million people are Catholic. Protestants account for 36 percent and 12 percent have no religion. El Salvador has one ecclesiastic province: San Salvador. In addition, there is a military diocese created in 1968.

Province of San Salvador

The province consists of El Salvador. The Diocese of San Salvador was established in 1842 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Salvador in 1913.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Savior in San Salvador is the third cathedral. The first church was built in the 16th Century and was destroyed by an earthquake in 1873. Pope Gregory XVI designated this church as a minor basilica in 1846, four years after it became a cathedral. The second cathedral opened in 1888, but burned completely in 1951. Work on the current cathedral began in 1956, but it was not completed until 1999 due to the civil war in the 1980s. St. Oscar Romero is buried in the Cathedral. The main altar features an image of the Divine Savior donated by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, in 1546. The altar is surrounded by eight paintings depicting the life of Christ by Andres Garcia Ibanez.

The first picture is from Flickr and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has seven suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of San Miguel was created in 1913.
The Diocese of Santa Ana was established in 1913.
The Diocese of San Vincente was established in 1943.
The Diocese of Santiago de Maria was created in 1954.
The Diocese of Sonsonate was created in 1986.
The Diocese of Zacatecoluca was created in 1987.
The Diocese of Chalatenango was created in 1987.

Guatemala

Guatemala came under Spanish control beginning in 1519. Guatemala joined the independent United Provinces of Central America in 1823. Guatemala became an independent republic in 1847. Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Costa Rica and the nation was once predominantly Catholic. In 1882, Guatemala’s president invited Protestant missionaries in an effort to reduce the influence of the Church. Only a few converts were made at that time, but many more were made starting in the 1950s with the work of Pentecostal missionaries from the United States.

Guatemala has 17 million people and 47 percent are Catholic, 41 percent are Protestant, and 8 percent claim no specific religion. Guatemala has two ecclesiastic provinces: Santiago de Guatemala and Los Altos, Quetzaltenango-Totonicapán. In addition, there are the following:

The Apostolic Vicariate of El Peten covers the civil department of Peten. It was established as an apostolic administration in 1951 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1984. It is immediately subject to the Pope.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Izabal covers the civil department of Izabal. It was established as an apostolic administration in 1968 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1988. It is immediately subject to the Pope.

Province of Santiago de Guatemala

The province consists of the civil departments of Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Sacatepéquez, Santa Rosa, and Zacapa, in southeastern Guatemala. The Diocese of Guatemala was established in 1534 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guatemala in 1743. It acquired its current name in 2013.

Construction of the Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of St. James in Guatemala City began in 1783 and the building was consecrated in 1815, although construction went on until 1871. The Neoclassical and Baroque cathedral has been damaged by earthquakes at least twice and has been restored. The stone church has a dome and two towers. The main altar is made of gold and Carrara marble. The façade has twelve large pillars with the names of thousands of victims of Guatemala’s civil unrest in the late 20th Century.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the others from Wikipedia.

The Province has six suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of Vera Paz was created in 1561, suppressed in 1603, restored as an apostolic vicariate in 1921, and once again became a diocese in 1935.
The Diocese of Jalapa was created in 1951.
The Diocese of Zacapa was created in 1951.
The Diocese of Escuintla was created as a territorial prelature in 1969 and became a diocese in 1994.
The Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima was established in 1996.
The Diocese of San Francisco de Asis de Jutiapa was established in 2016.

I do not usually cover diocesan churches, but I will make an exception here. The Basilica of the Black Christ of Esquipulas is in Esquipulas in the Diocese of Zacapa. The Baroque church was completed in 1759 and is the largest Catholic church in Central America and southern Mexico. It has four bell towers and was declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961. Four and a half million pilgrims annually visit the Basilica to venerate the image of the Black Christ which was carved in 1594.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the last from Wikipedia.

Province of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango-Totonicapán

The province consists of the civil departments of Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, Quiché, Retalhuleu, San Marcos, Sololá, Suchitepéquez, and Totonicapán, in southwestern Guatemala. The Diocese of Quetzaltenango, Los Altos was established in 1921 and became a metropolitan archdiocese under its current name in 1996.

Holy Spirit Cathedral in Quetzaltenango was originally built in the 1530s, although the Baroque façade was built in the 17th Century. Much of the church was rebuilt in the late 19th Century, except for the façade, bell tower, and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. Much of the new construction was destroyed by an earthquake in 1902 and was rebuilt in a neoclassical style in the 1930s. The Cathedral contains two images that are important to the people of the region: one of Jesus as the Divine Just Judge and one of Mary as the Virgin of the Rosary.

The top picture is from Flickr and the other two from Wikipedia.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is in Totonicapan.

The second picture is from Panaramio.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of San Marco was established in 1951.
The Diocese of Solola-Chimaltenango was established in 1951 and acquired its current name in 1996.
The Diocese of Quiche was created in 1967.
The Diocese of Huehuetenango was created as a territorial prelature in 1961 and became a diocese in 1967.
The Diocese of Suchitepequez-Retalhuleu was created in 1996.

Honduras

Honduras became a Spanish colony in 1524, although it took several years before the Spanish controlled all of Honduras. Honduras joined the independent United Provinces of Central America in 1823 and became its own nation in 1838. Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Honduras.

Honduras’ 9.2 million people are 46 percent Catholic and 41 percent Protestant. Ten percent profess no religion. Honduras has one ecclesiastic province: Tegucigalpa.

Province of Tegucigalpa

The province consists of southern Honduras. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa was established in 1916.

The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Tegucigalpa was built between 1765 and 1786 in a Baroque style. The Cathedral has a dome and contains several paintings by 18th Century Honduran artist Jose Miguel Gomez. The Cathedral features an 18th Century golden altarpiece.

The first two pictures are from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of Comayagua was created in 1561, was suppressed in 1916, and restored in 1963.
The Diocese of Choluteca was created as a territorial prelature in 1964 and became a diocese in 1979.
The Diocese of Juticalpa was established as a territorial prelature in 1949 and became a diocese in 1987.
The Diocese of Danli was established in 2017.

Province of San Pedro Sula

The province consists of northern Honduras. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Pedro Sula was established in 2023. It was initially created as an apostolic vicariate in 1916 and became a diocese in 1963.

The Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle was built in 1949 in a Mission Revival style.

The first picture is from Flickr and the second from Wikipedia.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copan was created in 1916.
The Diocese of Trujillo was created in 1539, was suppressed in 1572, and restored in 1987.
The Diocese of Yoro was created in 2005.
The Diocese of La Ceiba was created in 2011.
The Diocese of Gracias was established in 2021.

Nicaragua

The first Spanish settlements in Nicaragua were made in 1524 and the British controlled the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua in the early 1800s. Nicaragua joined the independent United Provinces of Central America in 1823 and became its own nation in 1838. Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Nicaragua.

Nicaragua’s population of 6.2 million is 50 percent Catholic and 33 percent Protestant. Nicaragua has one ecclesiastic province: Managua.

Province of Managua

The province consists of Nicaragua. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Managua was created in 1913.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Managua was built between 1991 and 1993 to replace the Cathedral of St. James which was heavily damaged by a 1972 earthquake. The new Cathedral was designed using a variety of styles, including eclectic, Romanesque, and Arabic. It features 63 cupolas and a large bell tower.

The first two pictures are from Pinterest, the third is from Tripomatic, and the last two are from Wikipedia.

The Province has eight suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of Leon was created as the Diocese of Nicaragua in 1534 and acquired its current name in 1913.
The Diocese of Granada was established in 1913.
The Diocese of Matagalpa was created in 1924.
The Diocese of Esteli was created in 1962.
The Diocese of Juigalpa was created as a territorial prelature in 1962 and became a diocese in 1991.
The Diocese of Jinotega was established as a territorial prelature in 1982 and became a diocese in 1991.
The Diocese of Bluefields was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1913 and became a diocese in 2017.
The Diocese of Siuna was created in 2017.

Panama

Columbus established a settlement in Panama in 1502, but it would take until 1538 for Spain to control Panama. Panama declared independence from Spain in 1821 and became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia, which also included modern day Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. When Gran Colombia broke up in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With help from the United States (so that the Panama Canal could be built), Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903. Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Panama.

About 85 percent of Panama’s 3.9 million people are Catholic. Protestants account for 15 percent. Panama has one ecclesiastic province: Panama (City). In addition the Apostolic Vicariate of Darien was created in 1925 and is immediately subject to the Pope.

Province of Panama

The province consists of most of Panama. The Diocese of Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien was established in 1513 and became the Diocese of Panama in 1520. This was promoted to an archdiocese in 1925 and to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1955.

The stone Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary in Old Panama was built between 1688 and 1796 in a colonial style. Its two 118-foot steeples are inlaid with mother of pearl. Pope Francis declared the cathedral to be a minor basilica in 2014.

The first picture is from Critica, the next two from Pinterest, and the last two from Wikipedia.

The Province has six suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of David was established in 1955.
The Diocese of Chitre was created in 1962.
The Diocese of Santiago de Veraguas was created in 1963.
The Diocese of Colon-Kuna Yala was created in 1988.
The Diocese of Penonome was established in 1993.
The Territorial Prelature of Bocas del Toro was created in 1962.

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 missionary jurisdictions below the level of a diocese, including apostolic vicariates, apostolic administrations, and territorial prelatures.

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. Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.

Monday, March 1, 2021

North Africa

This blog will discuss the Catholic Church in Algeria, Egypt, and the Sudan.

Algeria

Catholicism came to Algeria in or soon after apostolic times, but mostly disappeared after the Muslim conquest in 709. Missionaries returned after the French conquest in 1830. More than a million Europeans, mostly Catholic, fled Algeria after the nation gained its independence in 1962.

Algeria’s 43 million people are almost all Muslim. Other religions account for less than one percent of the population. There were 900,000 Catholics in Algeria in 1950, but today, there are five to seven thousand.

Algeria has one ecclesiastic province—Algiers. There is also the Diocese of Laghouat, which is immediately subject to the Pope. It was established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Ghardaia in 1901 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1948. It was promoted as the Diocese of Laghouat in 1955. The pro-cathedral is in Ghardaia.

Province of Algiers

The province consists of the northern areas of Algeria. The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Algiers began as a Mission sui juris in 1632, became an apostolic vicariate in 1651, a diocese in 1838, before becoming a metropolitan archdiocese in 1866.

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Algiers was completed in 1956 and became the cathedral in 1962. The cathedral is made of reinforced concrete and has a floor plan in the shape of a fish—a symbol of Jesus. A central cylindrical tower lets in natural light. The Cathedral also has a mural from 324. The Cathedral replaced the Cathedral of St. Philip. A 1612 mosque was demolished by the French to build St. Philip’s Cathedral, but the building became a mosque in 1962 after Algerian independence.

The first picture is from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

The Diocese of Constantine was established in the 3rd Century, but was suppressed around 700. It was restored in 1866.
The Diocese of Oran was created in 1866.

Egypt

Egypt is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. In the 7th Century, it was conquered by the Arabs, who introduced Islam. Egypt became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517 and was taken over by Great Britain in 1882. It gained full independence in 1952. Catholicism came to Egypt in Apostolic times—St. Mark is considered to have been the first Bishop of Alexandria.

Egypt has 104 million people and 90 percent are Muslim. The 10 percent who are Christian mostly belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church split from Rome in the 5th Century over a dispute on the human and divine natures of Jesus Christ.

There are about 270,000 Catholics—185,000 belong to the Coptic-rite Catholic church, 65,000 belong to the Roman-rite Catholic church, and about 20,000 belong to one of five other eastern-rite Catholic churches. There is one Catholic ecclesiastic province: the Coptic-Catholic Patriarchal See of Alexandria. The Coptics reunited with Rome in 1741. Catholics in other rites generally came to Egypt during the British occupation or after Egyptian independence. My May 9, 2017, blog discusses most Eastern rite churches.

Province of the Coptic-rite Patriarchal See of Alexandria

The province consists of all Coptic Catholics (including two Coptic parishes in the United States). An apostolic vicariate was created in 1741 for Egypt’s Coptic Catholics and this became the Patriarchal See in 1824. The Eparchy of Alexandria, which is the Patriarch’s direct eparchy, was established in 1895.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt is in Cairo.

From Wikipedia.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection is in Alexandria.

The Province has seven suffragan dioceses.

The Eparchy of Luxor was created in 1895.
The Eparchy of Minya was created in 1895.
The Eparchy of Assiut was created in 1947.
The Eparchy of Sohag was created in 1981.
The Eparchy of Ismailia was created in 1982.
The Eparchy of Giza was created in 2003.
The Eparchy of Abu Qurqas was created in 2020.
The Eparchy of Al Qusia was created in 2022.

Roman-rite

The Roman-rite Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt serves 65,000 Roman-rite Catholics in Egypt, most of whom are of Italian or Maltese descent. The Vicariate has 16 parishes and is immediately subject to the Pope. The Vicariate was established in 1839 and acquired its current name in 1987. The Vicariate has three cathedrals. The Cathedral of St. Catherine is in Alexandria, the Co-Cathedral of Our Lady of Heliopolis is in Cairo, and the Co-Cathedral of Our Lady and St. Michael is in Port Said.

St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Alexandria was built in a neo-Baroque style between 1847 and 1856. The Franciscans built it to serve both as cathedral and as the church for their monastery. The Roman Baroque façade was added in 1927.

The first two pictures are from Pinterest and the last is from Wikipedia.

Our Lady of Heliopolis Co-Cathedral is in Heliopolis—a suburb of Cairo. A Belgian developed Heliopolis in the early 20th Century and laid the foundation for the church in 1910. The church was once the Cathedral for an apostolic vicariate in northern Egypt and became a co-cathedral for the Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt in 2008. The cathedral’s pipe organ was made in Belgium and has 1,470 pipes. It is believed that the first pipe organ was built in Alexandria around 200 BC. It used water pressure to pump air into the pipes.

Pictures are from Flickr and Wikipedia.

The Co-Cathedral of Our Lady and St. Michael in Port Said was once the cathedral for a separate apostolic vicariate serving southern Egypt. It was built in 1937.

Pictures are from Alamy and Flickr.

Armenian-rite

The Armenian-rite Eparchy of Alexandria serves 6,500 Armenian-rite Catholics in Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Eparchy has 4 parishes and was established in 1885. It is part of the Armenian Province of Cilicia, which is the Armenian Patriarch’s province based in Lebanon. The Cathedral of the Annunciation opened in 1926 in Cairo.

From Wikipedia.

Chaldean-rite

The Chaldean-rite Eparchy of Cairo serves 1,000 Chaldean-rite Catholics in Egypt in three parishes. The Eparchy was established in 1980 and is immediately subject to the Chaldean Patriarch. The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima is in Cairo. Pope John Paul II designated the cathedral as a minor basilica in 1993.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

Greek-Melkite-rite

The Greek-Melkite Patriarch, who resides in Damascus, Syria, is the Titular Patriarch of Alexandria. The Titular Patriarchal See was established in 1838. The 6,200 Greek-Melkite Catholics in Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan, are served by the Territory Dependent on the Patriarch, which has 14 parishes. The Territory began in 1835 as a patriarchal vicariate, became a patriarchal exarchate in 1992, before being demoted to its current status in 1997. There were 35,000 Greek Melkites in Egypt prior to the Second World War, but most left. Today, they are mostly of Syrian or Lebanese descent.

The Territory has two Cathedrals: the Cathedral of the Dormition in Alexandria and the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Cairo.

Alexandria cathedral from Flickr.

Maronite-rite

The Maronite-rite Eparchy of Cairo serves 6,300 Maronite-rite Catholics in Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Eparchy has 7 parishes and was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1904 and became an eparchy in 1946. It is immediately subject to the Maronite Patriarch. The Cathedral of St. Joseph is in Cairo. Most Maronite Catholics in Egypt are originally from Syria or Lebanon.

Syriac-rite

There are 1,500 Syrian-rite Catholics in Egypt in three parishes. They are served by the Syriac Eparchy of Cairo, which was established in 1965 and is immediately subject to the Syrian Patriarch. The Cathedral of the Holy Rosary is in Cairo.

Sudan

Catholicism came to Sudan from Egypt in the 4th Century, but it declined over centuries of Arab Muslim rule. By 1600, there were essentially no Christians in Sudan. Catholic missionaries returned in the last half of the 19th Century and met with some success. Sudan was controlled by the British beginning in 1898, but gained its independence in 1956. The southern part of Sudan broke off in 2011 and became South Sudan.

Sudan has 46 million people and almost all are Muslim. There are between 500,000 and 1.2 million Catholics. The Roman-rite Catholics are served by the Province of Khartoum. There are also some Armenian-rite, Greek-Melkite-rite, Maronite-rite, and Syriac-rite Catholics in Sudan under the jurisdiction of bishops in Egypt.

Province of Khartoum

The province consists of Sudan. The Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa was established in 1846 and was renamed Khartoum in 1913. It was promoted to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Khartoum in 1974.

St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Khartoum was completed in 1908 in a neo-Romanesque style. It has one tower, several turrets and spires, and a large rose window.

The first three pictures are from Pinterest and the last three are from Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

The Diocese of El Obeid was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1960 and became a diocese in 1974.

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 mission territories below the level of a diocese, which include apostolic prefectures, apostolic vicariates, and Missions sui juris.

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite. Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage. Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches. Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies. For example, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch. A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy and is led by an exarch.