Roman Catholic Diocese of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo
Diocese of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo Dioecesis Villaricensis Spiritus Sancti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Paraguay |
| Metropolitan | Asunción |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 13,342 km2 (5,151 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2004) 293,500 290,140 (98.9%) |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Adalberto Martínez Flores |
| Map | |
 | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo (
Latin: Dioecesis Villaricensis Spiritus Sancti) is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Asunción, which cover all and only Paraguay
.
Its
Saint Clara, in the city of Villarrica, Guairá Department
.
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 342,000 Catholics (99.7% of 343,000 total) on 13,342 km² in 35 parishes, 43 priests (39 diocesan, 4 religious), 65 deacons, 89 lay religious (13 brothers, 76 sisters), 27 seminarians.
History
- On May 1, 1929, the Diocese of Villarrica was established on territory split off from the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Paraguay
- It lost territories thrice : on 1957.01.19 to establish Diocese of Carapeguá.
- It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul IIin May 1988.
- On January 13, 1990, the diocese was renamed, or more precisely given an alternative name, as Diocese of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo (avoiding confusing with its Chilean namesake)
Bishops
(all Roman Rite and natives)
Episcopal Ordinaries
- Suffragan Bishops of Villarrica
- Paraguay(1965.12.07 – death 1968.12.25)
- Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Asunción(Paraguay) (1961.08.10 – 1965.12.04); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Asunción (Paraguay) (1989.05.20 – retired 2002.06.15), President of Episcopal Conference of Paraguay (1989 – 1990), died 2009
- Lamdia (1975.12.22 – 1978.06.05); later Bishop of Carapeguá(Paraguay) (1978.06.05 – death 1982.06.24)
- Suffragan Bishops of Villarrica (del Espíritu Santo)
- Auxiliary Bishop of Villarrica (1979.03.05 – succession 1990.04.19); later Bishop of San Lorenzo(Paraguay) (2008.12.27 – death 2014.11.19)
- Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Rios (25 June 2010 – 29 June 2017), also (Paraguay) (2017.06.29 – ...)
- Military Ordinary of Paraguay(2012.03.14 – 2018.06.23).
Auxiliary bishops
- Angel Nicolás Acha Duarte (1975-1978), appointed Bishop of Carapeguá
- Sebelio Peralta Alvarez(1979-1990), appointed Bishop here
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Amancio Francisco Benítez Candia, appointed Bishop of Benjamín Aceval in 2018
See also
Sources and external links