The Diocese of Mayagüez () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory or

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, prov ...

of the

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in the

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and consists of the western part of the island of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, an American

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. The diocese is led by a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, who

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

s the motherchurch in the City of Mayagüez,

Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Catedral may refer to: * Catedral (Buenos Aires Underground), a station * Catedral (district), a district of the San José canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica * Cerro Catedral, a mountain and ski resort in Argentina * Cerro Catedral (U ...

in front of the

Plaza Colón Plaza Colón is the main plaza in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. This plaza and its fountain commemorate the explorer Christopher Columbus, whose name in Spanish was Cristóbal Colón. The plaza presents the traditional urban relationshi ...

. The See of Mayagüez was canonically erected on March 1, 1976, and is a suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Province of San Juan de Puerto Rico. The Diocese is subdivided into 29 Parishes: 17 originally located at the Diocese of Ponce, eight formerly at the Diocese of Arecibo, and four new parishes. Its jurisdiction includes the municipalities of

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is s ...

, Rincón, Aguada, Moca,

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

, Añasco, Mayagüez, Las Marías, Maricao,

Hormigueros Hormigueros (, ) is a Hormigueros barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located in the western region of the island, northeast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Cabo Rojo; northwest of San Germán, Puerto Ri ...

, Cabo Rojo, San Germán, and Sabana Grande. As of July, 2011 the bishop of the See of Mayagüez was Alvaro Corrada del Rio, SJ. He retired on May 9, 2020, and Ángel Luis Ríos Matos was appointed at that time to succeed him.

Ordinaries

The list of the Bishops of Mayagüez (Latin rite) and their tenures of service: # Bishop Ulises Aurelio Casiano Vargas (March 4, 1976 – July 6, 2011) # Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J. (July 6, 2011 – May 9, 2020) # Bishop Ángel Luis Ríos Matos (August 1, 2020 - )

Schools

*Colegio San Agustin, Cabo Rojo, Grades: PK-12 * Colegio San Benito, Mayagüez, Grades PK-12 *Colegio San Carlos, Aguadilla, Grades: PK-12 (Closed) *Academia Inmaculada Concepcion Elemental, Mayaguez, Grades: PK-6 * Academia Inmaculada Concepcion - Superior, Mayagüez, Grades: 7–12 *Colegio San José, San German, Grades: K-12 *Academia San Luis, Lajas, Grades: K-12 *Colegio La Milagrosa, Mayagüez, Grades:PK-12 *Academia San Sebastian Martir, Grades: K-9 *Academia Santa Rosa de Lima, Rincón, Grades PK-6 (closed around 2000). *Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate, Moca, Grades PK-8 *Escuela Catolica de la Salle, Añasco, Grades: 1–9 *Colegio San Agustin y Espiritu Santo, Sabana Grande, Grades: Pre-PreK-8

Statistics

By the year 2004 its population consisted of 491,518 people, of which 376,000 were baptized, being 76.5% of the total population. , - , 1976 , , 352.356 , , ? , , ? , , 56 , , 21 , , 35 , , 6.292 , , , , 4 , , 105 , , 25 , - , 1980 , , 374.000 , , 469.000 , , 79,7 , , 66 , , 21 , , 45 , , 5.666 , , , , 54 , , 115 , , 25 , - , 1990 , , 426.000 , , 519.000 , , 82,1 , , 74 , , 40 , , 34 , , 5.756 , , 2 , , 39 , , 149 , , 29 , - , 1999 , , 360.000 , , 491.518 , , 73,2 , , 77 , , 47 , , 30 , , 4.675 , , 3 , , 32 , , 143 , , 58 , - , 2000 , , 360.000 , , 491.518 , , 73,2 , , 71 , , 41 , , 30 , , 5.070 , , 3 , , 32 , , 135 , , 58 , - , 2001 , , 360.000 , , 491.518 , , 73,2 , , 70 , , 40 , , 30 , , 5.142 , , 3 , , 32 , , 134 , , 58 , - , 2002 , , 360.000 , , 491.518 , , 73,2 , , 68 , , 38 , , 30 , , 5.294 , , 4 , , 32 , , 133 , , 58 , - , 2003 , , 376.000 , , 491.518 , , 76,5 , , 67 , , 37 , , 30 , , 5.611 , , 4 , , 32 , , 133 , , 29 , - , 2004 , , 376.000 , , 491.518 , , 76,5 , , 70 , , 40 , , 30 , , 5.371 , , 4 , , 32 , , 114 , , 29

San Juan Archdiocese bankruptcy

On 7 September 2018, Judge Edward Godoy ruled that the bankruptcy filed by the Archdiocese of San Juan would also apply to every Catholic diocese in Puerto Rico, including Mayagüez, and that all would now have their assets protected under

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

References

External links