Diocese of Willemstad Dioecesis Gulielmopolitana Bisdom Willemstad | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Aruba (NL) Curaçao (NL) Sint Maarten (NL) Caribbean Netherlands |
Ecclesiastical province | Port of Spain |
Metropolitan | Port of Spain |
Statistics | |
Area | 993 km2 (383 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2008) 295,264 217,851 (73.8%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Established | 1758 (as Apostolic Prefecture of Curaçao) 1842 Apostolic Vicariate of Curaçao 1958 Diocese of Willemstad |
Cathedral | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Willemstad |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Luigi Antonio Secco |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Joseph Everard Harris |
Map | |
Website | |
Website of the Diocese |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Willemstad (Latin : Dioecesis Gulielmopolitana; Dutch : Bisdom Willemstad; Papiamento : Diosesano (di Obispado) di Willemstad) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese encompasses the territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean: the countries (Dutch: landen) Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten (the southern half of St. Martin) and the islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba (which are part of the Netherlands). The cathedra is in the city of Curaçao. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
The Diocese of Willemstad was erected in 1752 as the Prefecture Apostolic of Curaçao. It was elevated to an apostolic vicariate on 20 September 1842 and to the Diocese of Willemstad on 28 April 1958. The language spoken in many of the Catholic churches here is Papiamento and English. The diocese has maintained a website in this language and in English. Some priests are members of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), Order of Preachers (OP), Michaelites (CSMA), and Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB).
Listed by island (alphabetically), neighborhood (alphabetically), and church name and full address:
Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuela peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Curaçao. It measures 32 kilometres (20 mi) long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 10 kilometres (6 mi) across at its widest point. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, these and the other three Dutch substantial islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean, of which Aruba has about one-third of the population. In 1986, it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba.
Aruba is an island in the south of the Caribbean in the Caribbean Sea. It is westernmost island of the ABC Islands and of the Leeward Antilles. It is located 25 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 68 km northwest of Curaçao. The island has a total area of 193 km2 (75 sq mi) and a coast line of 68.5 km (42.6 mi). Mount Jamanota of 188 m (617 ft) is the highest point.
Papiamento or Papiamentu is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, with official status in Aruba and Curaçao. Papiamento is also a recognised language in the Dutch public bodies of Sint-Eustatius and Saba.
Oranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country. In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is often referred to as "Playa". In 2010, the population of the capital was 28,294.
Kralendijk is the capital city and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. As of 2017, the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or "beach".
Noord is a town and region in Aruba. This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction.
Alto Vista Chapel is a small Catholic chapel that stands on the hills above the north shore of the sea and to the northeast of the town of Noord, on the island of Aruba, 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela. The church, painted on the outside in stark bright yellow, makes it a conspicuous religious monument for people to visit. The present Chapel of Alto Vista was completed in 1952 and stands in the same location as the original chapel, which was built by Domingo Silvestre, the Venezuelan missionary from Santa Ana de Coro, Venezuela, in 1750.
Aruban Division di Honor or Campeonato AVB Aruba Bank is the top level association football league in Aruba. It is overseen by the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond and was created in 1960. Up to and including 1985, the top clubs from Aruba also entered the Kopa Antiano for the championship of the Netherlands Antilles, RCA and Estrella were the only Aruban teams to win that championship in 1965 and 1970.
The Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Pos Chiquito or Pos Chikito is a town in Savaneta on the island of Aruba. It is located on the main road between Oranjestad and San Nicolaas. It has become known for its coral reef, and has a small diving cove. Pos Chiquito is noted for its snorkelling, especially during September and October during the coral spawning season, and sea turtles and manta rays can be seen.
Statistics of the 2013–14 Aruban Division di Honor
The St. Francis of Assisi Church also alternatively called Pro Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and serves as the pro-cathedral or temporary cathedral in the city of Oranjestad, on the Caribbean island of Aruba, an autonomous country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Lesser Antilles.
The St. Philomena's Church is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church located in the town of Paradera, on the Caribbean island of Aruba, an autonomous country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Lesser Antilles.
The St. Louis Bertrand Church is a religious building affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in the town of Rincon on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, organized within the Dutch Caribbean as a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The St. Bernard Church is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Kralendijk the capital of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a territory in the Caribbean Dutch organized as a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Antilles.
The Our Lady of Coromoto Church also known as the Parish of Our Lady of Coromoto is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the town of Antriol on the island of Bonaire, a dependent territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea.
Evelina Betancourt-Anthony is an Aruban-born Bonairean health administrator and politician. From 1 December 2015 she has served as the Deputy Lieutenant Governor of the island and in the absence of the Island Governor fills the duties of that office.
Tanki Leendert is a town in Noord on the island of Aruba. The parish of Tanki Leendert has been split from Noord since 1968.