Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands Praefectura Apostolica Insularum Marshallensium | |
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Location | |
Country | |
Ecclesiastical province | Agaña |
Statistics | |
Area | 69 sq mi (180 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2021) 59,000 5,123 (8.7%) |
Parishes | 5 |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 23 April 1993 (31 years ago) |
Cathedral | Cathedral of the Assumption (Majuro) |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Apostolic Prefect | Fr. Ariel Galido, M.S.C. |
Map | |
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The Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands (Latin : Praefectura Apostolica Insularum Marshallensium) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church in the Marshall Islands.
The apostolic prefecture is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Agaña (with its see on Guam), yet still depends on the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Although the see of the prefecture, the Cathedral of the Assumption, in Majuro, on Majuro Atoll, is not in the United States, the prelature includes Wake Island, which is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States.
As of 2021 [update] , there were 5,123 Catholics (8.7% of the population) on 181 km2 of islands in a marine area nearly the size of the United States, served by 6 priests, 3 deacons and 6 nuns across 5 parishes. [1] [2]
Missionaries from the Order of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.) arrived in 1898. [3] In 1905, a pre-diocesan jurisdiction was established as Mission sui juris of Marshall Islands, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania (mainly New Britain, in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea).
On April 5, 1923, the independent mission was suppressed, its territory being merged into the then Apostolic Vicariate of Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands.
On April 23, 1993, Pope John Paul II split the former Diocese of Carolines-Marshalls into the Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands and the Diocese of Caroline Islands. In 2007, Father James Gould, apostolic prefect, resigned. Father Raymundo Sabio, a Filipino missionary, was chosen to succeed him. [4]
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Honolulu is the diocesan bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu in the United States, the Latin Church ecclesiastical territory over the entire state of Hawaii and the unincorporated Hawaiian Islands. The Honolulu diocese is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province administered by the metropolitan Archbishop of San Francisco. The Bishop of Honolulu is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He has two ecclesiastical seats: the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, both located in the City of Honolulu.
An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often a promotion for a former apostolic prefecture, while either may have started out as a mission sui iuris. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more. The hope is that the region will generate sufficient numbers of Catholics for the Church to create a diocese one day.
The Catholic Diocese of Caroline Islands is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Federated States of Micronesia and in the Republic of Palau. It is a suffragan diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Agaña. The Diocese of Caroline Islands is led by a bishop who pastors the mother church, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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In the canon law of the Catholic Church, a mission sui iuris, also known as an independent mission, can be defined as: "an ecclesial structure erected from a previous territory, with explicit boundaries, under the care of a religious community or other diocese, responding to a missionary exigency and headed by a superior nominated by the Holy See, under the aegis of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples."
The Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Trondheim Is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, located in Norway. Before March 1979, it was known as the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Norway.
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The Territorial Prelature of Tromsø is a Catholic territorial prelature located in the city of Tromsø in Norway. The territory is divided into 7 parishes located in the following sites: Tromsø, Bodø, Hammerfest, Harstad, Mosjøen, Narvik and Storfjord.
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The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church covering the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, UK Southern Atlantic Ocean overseas possessions.
The Cathedral of the Assumption is a Catholic cathedral located in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. It is the seat of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands, which covers the entire country, as well as Wake Atoll. It is located in the city center.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bikoro was a Latin Church diocese in Congo (Zaire) from 1931 to 1975, named after its then headquarters/ episcopal see Bikoro, run by the Vincentians.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo is a Latin Catholic missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction that cover the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces in southern Philippines.
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