The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands ( la, Apostolica Præfectura de Insulis Falkland) is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or

apostolic prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of the Catholic Church covering the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubou ...

and

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

, UK Southern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

overseas possessions. It is immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

and not part of an

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sever ...

. Its only church in the Falklands is its

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...

, St Mary's, in the Falklands capital

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

. ( Christ Church Cathedral is not a Catholic church but is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world, consecrated in 1892.)

History

The Latin missionary jurisdiction was established on 1 October 1952 as

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

, splitting the offshore territory of Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands from the

Diocese of Punta Arenas The Roman Catholic Diocese of Punta Arenas (in Latin: ''Dioecesis Punta Arenas'') is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Puerto Montt, in Chile. Its current bishop is Mgr. Óscar Hernán Blanco Martínez, O.M.D. History In 1883 the Holy S ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Mission Sui Iuris of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha

The Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands has a close relationship with the Mission Sui Iuris of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. An exempt

mission sui juris A mission ''sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rankin ...

, it was created on 18 August 1986 for the British overseas territory of

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name ...

, comprising the

islands of

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of ...

and

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena ...

, splitting these territories from the Archdiocese of Cape Town. It comprises a church or chapel on each island: * Church of the Sacred Heart in

Jamestown, Saint Helena Jamestown is the capital city of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, located on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is also the historic main settlement of the island and is on ...

* Grotto of Our Lady on Ascension * Church of Saint Joseph on

. From the start, the office of its ecclesiastical superior has been vested in the Apostolic Prefect of the Falklands, another UK Southern Atlantic overseas possession.

Incumbent ordinaries

''So far, all incumbents have been members of Roman rite missionary congregations, none titular bishops ;

Prelates A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the Falkland Islands * Friar James Ireland, M.H.M. (March 28, 1952 – †1973) * Friar Daniel Martin Spraggon, M.H.M. (May 7, 1973 – †September 27, 1985) ; Prelates of the Falkland Islands and

Ecclesiastical Superior A mission ''sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rankin ...

s of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha * Mgr. Anton Agreiter, M.H.M. (October 1, 1986 – August 9, 2002; †2003) * Mgr. Michael Bernard McPartland, S.M.A. (August 9, 2002 – 26 October 2016; †2017) * Abbot

Hugh Allan Sir Hugh Allan (September 29, 1810 – December 9, 1882) was a Scottish-Canadian shipping magnate, financier and capitalist. By the time of his death, the Allan Shipping Line had become the largest privately owned shipping empire in the wo ...

, O.Praem. (26 October 2016 – present)

Sources, References and External links

GigaCatholic Falkland Islands, with incumbent biography links

* ttps://prefecturemission.org Prefecture Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkland Islands, Apostolic Prefecture Apostolic prefectures Christian organizations established in 1952 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Catholic Church in the Falkland Islands 1952 establishments in the Falkland Islands