The Catholic Church in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

is part of the worldwide

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, under the spiritual leadership of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Overview

In 2014, Catholics made up a minority of the population at 38%, second to the unaffiliated group, which came in at 41%. There are 9 dioceses and the archdiocese of Montevideo; the ordinaries gather in the

Episcopal Conference of Uruguay The Episcopal Conference of Uruguay ( es, Conferencia Episcopal del Uruguay, acronym CEU) is an episcopal conference of the Roman Catholic Church of Uruguay that gathers the bishops of the country in order to discuss pastoral issues and in general ...

. The current archbishop is Daniel Sturla, who was appointed on 11 February 2014. The

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

of Uruguay is

Our Lady of the Thirty-Three Our Lady of the Thirty-Three ( es, Nuestra Señora de los Treinta y Tres), also known as the Liberator of Uruguay, is a title of the Virgin Mary and the Patroness of Uruguay. History This image dates from the 18th century and is of Guarani ori ...

, venerated at the

Cathedral Basilica of Florida The Cathedral Basilica of Florida ( es, Catedral Basílica de Florida) is the main Roman Catholic church building of Florida, Uruguay. It is the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Florida since 1956. History At this place there was originall ...

History

Evangelization of Uruguay followed Spanish settlement in 1624. Montevideo became a

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

in 1878, after being erected as a Vicarate in 1830. Missionaries followed the reduction pattern of gathering Indians into communities, training them in agriculture, husbandry, and other arts, while forming them in the Faith. The constitution of 1830 made Catholicism the religion of the state and subsidized missions to Indians. In 1878, Montevideo was elevated to Diocese and, in 1897, to Archdiocese. The constitution of 1917 enacted separation of Church and state. Two Eastern Catholic churches are also present in Uruguay, the

Armenian Catholic Church , native_name_lang = hy , image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg , imagewidth = 260px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illumina ...

and the Maronite Church.

Careers

Uruguay is a country where religious calling is low. Every year, some young people engage in religious careers. In 2013, there were 34 students at the Archdiocesan Seminary in Montevideo.

Saints

So far, there are not any Uruguayan saints, but several causes are open: * Servant of God Jacinto Vera * Servant of God Rubén Isidro Alonso * Servant of God Walter Chango * Servant of God Salvador García Pintos * Blessed Francesca Rubatto * Blessed Consuelo Aguiar-Mella y Díaz * Blessed Dolores Aguiar-Mella y Díaz

Institutes of Consecrated Life

Several religious orders are present in Uruguay. Some of them arrived in colonial times (although their presence was intermittent during the first centuries): *

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

(O.F.M.Cap.), since 1624 * Dominicans (O.P.), since 1660 * Society of Jesus (S.J.), 1680–1757, 1842-1859 and since 1872 After Uruguay was established as an independent country, several other religious orders established their own missions in Uruguay: * Conventual Franciscans (O.F.M.Conv.) * Betharram Fathers, known also as "Padres Bayoneses" (S.C.I. di Béth.), since 1856 * Salesians of Don Bosco (S.D.B.), since 1877 *

Sisters of Adoration The Sisters of Adoration, in full the Sisters of Reparative Adoration (french: link=no, Sœurs de l'Adoration réparatrice; Abbreviation: A.R.) are a Catholic Church, Catholic enclosed religious order of women that follows the religious rule of ...

(R.A.), known also as "Adoratrices", since 1885 * Sisters of Christian Charity, known also as "Hermanas Alemanas" (S.C.C.), since 1885 * Pallottine Fathers (S.A.C.), since 1886 * Brothers of the Holy Family of Belley (F.S.F.), since 1889 *

Vincentians Vincentian can refer to: *A citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A person from Saint Vincent (island), the largest island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *A member of one of the orders or societies in the Vincentian Family, both Roman ...

(C.M.), since 1892 * Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto (S.C.M.R.), since 1892 * Claretians (C.M.F.), since 1896 * Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (O.S.F.S.), since 1896 * Discalced Carmelites (O.C.D.), since 1912 * Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, or simply "Dominicas" (D.A.), since 1913 *

Sons of Divine Providence The Sons of Divine Providence ( it, Figli della Divina Provvidenza), commonly called the Orionine Fathers, is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded in 1903 by Luigi Orione Luigi Giovanni Orione w ...

(F.D.P.), since 1921 * Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary (O.M.M.), since 1924 * Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.), since 1929. * Augustinians (O.S.A.), since 1932 *

Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic religious institute of brothers. In 1817, St. Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from France, founded the Marist Brothe ...

(F.M.S.), since 1934 * Brothers of the Sacred Heart, known also as "Corazonistas" (S.C.), since 1935 * Dehonians (S.C.I.), since 1940 * Passionists (C.P.), since 1940 * Brothers of Christian Instruction (F.I.C.P.), known also as "Menesianos", since 1951 * Religious of Jesus and Mary (R.J.M.), since 1952 * Christian Brothers (C.F.C.), since 1955 * Opus Dei, since 1956 * Sisters Hospitaller of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (H.S.C.), since 1961 *

Scalabrinians The Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo ( la, Congregatio Missionariorum a S. Carolo), commonly called the Scalabrinian Missionaries, is a Roman Catholic religious institute of brothers and priests founded by Giovanni Battis ...

(C.S.), since 1970 * Missionaries of Charity (M.C.), since 1991 * Visitandines (V.S.M.) * Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy, known as "Misericordistas" (F.D.M.) * Poor Servants of Divine Providence (P.S.D.P.) *

Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco , image = Maria Dominika Mazzarello jpg..jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = Maria Mazzarello: Founder , abbreviation = FMA , founder = Saint Sr. Maria Domenica Mazzarello, , type ...

(F.M.A.)

Notable Uruguayan Catholic religious leaders

* Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga (1771–1848), naturalist and first Apostolic Vicar of Uruguay * Juan Francisco Larrobla (1775–1842), theologian and patriot, writer of the Declaration of the Independence * José Benito Monterroso (1780–1838), secretary of the national hero

José Artigas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernac ...

José Benito Lamas thumb José Benito Lamas (Montevideo, 12 January 1787 - 9 May 1857) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Banda Oriental. Biography He was ordained in the Franciscan Order and studied theology and philosophy. He was a notable patriot during the fi ...

(1787–1857), patriot and lecturer *

Manuel Barreiro Manuel 'Manu' Barreiro Bustelo (born 8 July 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for CD Lugo as a forward. Club career Born in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Barreiro was a Valencia CF youth graduate. He made his debut as a se ...

(1787–1838), patriot and constituent *

Lorenzo Antonio Fernández Lorenzo Antonio Fernández (1792–1852) was a Uruguayan Roman Catholic priest and politician. Nephew of Juan Francisco Larrobla, he played an important political role as a member of the Constituent and Legislative Assembly of the State and as ...

(1792–1852), constituent and rector of the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

* Servant of God Jacinto Vera (1813–1881), first Bishop of Montevideo * Blessed Francisca Rubatto (1844–1905), founder of the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto * Mariano Soler (1846–1908), first Archbishop of Montevideo * Antonio Barbieri, OFM Cap (1892–1979), first Uruguayan cardinal * Juan Luis Segundo, S.J. (1925–1996),

liberation theologian Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". In ...

* Servant of God Rubén Isidro Alonso,

S.D.B. , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...

(1929-1992), streetwise priest * Daniel Sturla,

S.D.B. , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...

(born 1959), second Uruguayan cardinal and current archbishop of Montevideo * Gonzalo Aemilius (born 1978), principal of the Liceo Jubilar

References

External links

*
Episcopal Conference of Uruguay
{{South America in topic, Catholic Church in, groupstyle=background-color:gold, titlestyle=background-color:gold