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 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 Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Uruguay is Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, venerated at the Cathedral Basilica of Florida.

History

Evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

of Uruguay followed

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

settlement in 1624.

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

became a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

in 1878, after being erected as a Vicarate in 1830.

Missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

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 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 associate ...

. 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 Illuminat ...

and the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maro ...

Careers

Uruguay is a country where

religious calling A calling, in the religious sense of the word, is a religious vocation (which comes from the Latin for "call") that may be professional or voluntary and, idiosyncratic to different religions, may come from another person, from a divine messenger, ...

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 Anna Maria Rubatto (14 February 1844 – 6 August 1904) was an Italian Roman Catholic nun who assumed the name of Maria Francesca. She was the founder of the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto. Most of her work was done in Uruguay where she die ...

* 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 , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

(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 The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

(O.F.M.Conv.) * Betharram Fathers, known also as "Padres Bayoneses" (S.C.I. di Béth.), since 1856 *

Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in the late 19th century by Italian priest Saint John Bosco to help poor children du ...

(S.D.B.), since 1877 * Sisters of Adoration (R.A.), known also as "Adoratrices", since 1885 *

Sisters of Christian Charity The Sisters of Christian Charity (S.C.C.), officially called Sisters of Christian Charity, Daughters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, is a Roman Catholic papal congregation of consecrated Religious Sisters. They were founded ...

, known also as "Hermanas Alemanas" (S.C.C.), since 1885 *

Pallottine Fathers The Pallottines officially named the Society of the Catholic Apostolate ( la, Societas Apostolatus Catholici), abbreviated SAC is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1835 by the Roman C ...

(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 The Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto ( it, Suore Cappuccine di Madre Rubatto) are a religious institute of pontificial right (acronym S.C.M.R.).''Ann. Pont. 2007'', p. 1542. It was established at Loano on 23 January 1885.DIP, vol. II (1975), ...

(S.C.M.R.), since 1892 *

Claretians , image = Herb CMF.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = Coat of arms of the Claretians , abbreviation = CMF , nickname = Claretians , formation = , founders = Anto ...

(C.M.F.), since 1896 *

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (Latin: ''Oblati Sancti Francisci Salesii'', O.S.F.S.) are a congregation of Roman Catholic priests and brothers who follow the teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. The community was foun ...

(O.S.F.S.), since 1896 *

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

(O.C.D.), since 1912 *

Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin The Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin or Dominican Sisters of the Anunciata constitute a Catholic religious congregation of apostolic life and pontifical right, founded in Vic (Catalonia, Spain) by the Dominican religious, ...

, 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 (1872–1940) in Turin, ...

(F.D.P.), since 1921 *

Maronite Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mariamite Maronite Order (O.M.M.) is a Catholic religious order in the Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic particular church in Lebanon belonging to the Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is th ...

(O.M.M.), since 1924 *

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

(O.M.I.), since 1929. *

Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

(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 Brother ...

(F.M.S.), since 1934 *

Brothers of the Sacred Heart The Brothers of the Sacred Heart ( la, Fratres a Sacratissimo Corde Iesu) is a Catholic lay religious congregation of Pontifical Right for Men founded by the Reverend Fr. André Coindre (1787–1826) in 1821. Its Constitution was modeled upon that ...

, known also as "Corazonistas" (S.C.), since 1935 *

Dehonians The Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart ( la, Congregatio Sacerdotum a Sacro Corde Iesu) abbreviated SCI, also called the Dehonians, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church f ...

(S.C.I.), since 1940 *

Passionists The Passionists, officially named Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720 with a special emphasis on and de ...

(C.P.), since 1940 *

Brothers of Christian Instruction The Brothers of Christian Instruction ( la, Institutum Fratrum Instructionis Christianae de Ploërmel, F.I.C.P.''Ann. Pont. 2007'', p. 1499.), commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers, is a Catholic educational organization founded in 1819 by G ...

(F.I.C.P.), known also as "Menesianos", since 1951 *

Religious of Jesus and Mary The Religious of Jesus and Mary (french: Religieuses de Jésus-Marie), abbreviated as R.J.M., form a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to the education and service of the poor. It was founded at Lyon, France, in October 1818 ...

(R.J.M.), since 1952 * Christian Brothers (C.F.C.), since 1955 *

Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work an ...

, since 1956 * Sisters Hospitaller of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (H.S.C.), since 1961 * Scalabrinians (C.S.), since 1970 *

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...

(M.C.), since 1991 *

Visitandines , image = Salesas-escut.gif , size = 175px , abbreviation = V.S.M. , nickname = Visitandines , motto = , formation = , founder = Saint Bishop Francis de ...

(V.S.M.) * Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy, known as "Misericordistas" (F.D.M.) *

Poor Servants of Divine Providence Giovanni Calabria (8 October 1873 – 4 December 1954) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest who dedicated his life to the plight of the poor and the ill. He established two congregations, the Poor Servants of Divine Providence and the Poor Sisters ...

(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 Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga (Montevideo, 9 December 1771 – Montevideo, 16 February 1848) was a Uruguayan priest, naturalist and botanist. He was one of those principally responsible for the founding of the National Library of Uruguay The ' ...

(1771–1848), naturalist and first Apostolic Vicar of Uruguay *

Juan Francisco Larrobla Juan Francisco de Larrobla Pereyra (Montevideo, 9 January 1775 - Canelones, Uruguay, Canelones, 5 July 1842) was a Uruguayan Roman Catholic cleric, theologian and patriot. Biography Larrobla studied at the Real Colegio de San Carlos in Buenos Air ...

(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 vernacul ...

* José Benito Lamas (1787–1857), patriot and lecturer * Manuel Barreiro (1787–1838), patriot and constituent * Lorenzo Antonio Fernández (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. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

* Servant of God Jacinto Vera (1813–1881), first Bishop of Montevideo * Blessed Francisca Rubatto (1844–1905), founder of the

* Mariano Soler (1846–1908), first

Archbishop of Montevideo The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montevideo ( la, Archidioecesis Montisvidei) is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic church in Uruguay. History Erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Montevideo by Pope Gregory XVI on 14 Augus ...

Antonio Barbieri Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

OFM Cap The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

(1892–1979), first Uruguayan cardinal *

Juan Luis Segundo Juan Luis Segundo (March 31, 1925, in Montevideo, Uruguay – January 17, 1996, in Montevideo) was a Jesuit priest and Uruguayan theologian who was an important figure in the movement known as Latin American liberation theology. He wrote numero ...

, S.J. (1925–1996), liberation theologian * Servant of God Rubén Isidro Alonso, S.D.B. (1929-1992),

streetwise priest Streetwise priests ( it, preti di strada; es, curas de la calle; french: prêtres de rue; german: Priester der Straße) are Roman Catholic priests who exercise their spiritual mandate by living in structures in direct contact with the "street" ...

* Daniel Sturla, S.D.B. (born 1959), second Uruguayan cardinal and current archbishop of Montevideo *

Gonzalo Aemilius Gonzalo Aemilius (born 18 September 1979 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan Roman Catholic cleric who has served as a personal secretary to Pope Francis since 2020. Biography Gonzalo Aemilius was born in Montevideo on 18 September 1979. His parents ...

(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