Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce

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Diocese of Ponce

Dioecesis Poncensis

Diócesis de Ponce
Catedral Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Plaza Las Delicias, Ponce, Puerto Rico, mirando al noreste (Ponce002).jpg
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Ponce.svg
Coat of arms
Location
CountryFlag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico
TerritorySouthern portion of Puerto Rico
Ecclesiastical province San Juan de Puerto Rico
Statistics
Area2,045 km2 (790 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
593,548
474,959 [1]  (80%)
Parishes42
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established21 November 1924 (99 years ago)
Cathedral Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Ruben Antonio Gonzalez Medina
Bishops emeritus Félix Lázaro Martínez
Map
Porto Rico - Diocesi di Ponce.png

The Diocese of Ponce (Latin : Dioecesis Poncensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. The diocese is led by a prelate bishop who pastors the mother church in the City of Ponce, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Its current bishop is S.E.R. Mons. Rubén Antonio González Medina, C.M.F. Its jurisdiction includes the municipalities of Adjuntas, Jayuya, Guánica, Guayanilla, Yauco, Peñuelas, Ponce, Juana Díaz, Villalba, Coamo, Santa Isabel, Salinas, Guayama, Arroyo, and Patillas. [2]

Contents

History

In 1978, Bishop Fremiot Torres Oliver acquired a large property in the Rio Chiquito sector of Barrio Portugués where the Diocese is currently (2019) located. [3]

Spanish colonial system

Under the Spanish colonial system (1692–1898) the Diocese of Ponce operated and its bishop in 1877 was Juan Puig. [4] From 25 October 1892 to 1897, the bishop was Lorenzo Roura y Bayer. [5]

Other Padres Paules bishops at the Cathedral were: [6]

From 1970 on, Padres Paules left Ponce and the Cathedral was then run by the Diocese of Ponce directly. [7]

Commonwealth

The See of Ponce was canonically erected on 21 November 1924, and is a suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Province of San Juan de Puerto Rico. [8]

San Juan Archdiocese bankruptcy

On 7 September 2018, Judge Edward Godoy ruled that the bankruptcy filed by the Archdiocese of San Juan would also apply to every Catholic diocese in Puerto Rico, including Ponce, and that all would now have their assets protected under Chapter 11. [9] [10]

Bishops

Bishops of Ponce

  1. Edwin Byrne (1925–1929), appointed Bishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico
  2. Aloysius Joseph Willinger (1929–1946), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Monterey-Fresno
  3. James Edward McManus (1947–1963), resigned
  4. Luis Aponte Martinez (1963–1964), appointed Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico
  5. Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver (1964–2000), retired
  6. Ricardo Antonio Suriñach Carreras (2000–2003), retired
  7. Félix Lázaro Martínez (2003–2015), retired
  8. Ruben Antonio Gonzalez Medina, C.M.F. (2015–present) [11]

Coadjutor bishops

Auxiliary bishops

Parish churches

Parish churches listed by founding dates:

See also

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References

  1. Diocese of Ponce: Statistics. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  2. Diocesis de Ponce. Accessed 10 June 2018.
  3. Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce, Notas Para Su Historia. p. 20
  4. Ramon Marin. La Villa de Ponce Considerada en tres distintas épocas: Estudio Histórico, Descriptivo, y Estadístico, hasta fines del año 1876. Ponce, PR: Establecimiento Tipográfico "El Vapor". 1877. (Section III of Ramon Marin's Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce. p.191. San Juan, PR: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1994.)
  5. Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce: Notas para su Historia. San Juan, PR: Comite Historia de los Pueblos. Segunda Edición. 1986. p. 18.
  6. Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce, Notas para Su Historia. 1986. pp. 18-19.
  7. Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce, Notas para Su Historia. 1986. p. 19.
  8. Diocese of Ponce: General Information. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  9. "Federal judge decides that bankruptcy filing applies to all of Puerto Rico's Roman Catholic churches". Pasquines. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  10. "Judge: Bankruptcy applies to all Puerto Rico Catholic churches". Caribbean Business. 7 September 2018.
  11. Diocesis of Ponce Via: Directorio Diocesano > Episcopologio Ponceño > Diócesis de Ponce. Retrieved February 16, 2011.

18°00′42″N66°36′51″W / 18.0118°N 66.6142°W / 18.0118; -66.6142