Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
: ''Dioecesis Rarotongana'') in the
Cook Islands
)
, image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, capital = Avarua
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Avarua
, official_languages =
, lan ...
is a suffragan diocese of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Suvana'') is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in Fiji. It is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Rarotonga and Tarawa and Nauru and —as of 21 March 2003—the Mission ' ...
in neighbouring
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...
. It was erected as the Prefecture Apostolic of Cook and Manihiki in 1922, elevated to the Vicariate Apostolic of Cook Islands in 1948 and elevated as the Diocese of Rarotonga in 1966.
C.I.M.
The Congregation of Jesus and Mary (), abbreviated CIM also known as the Eudists (Latin: ''Congregatio Eudistarum''), is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church. It was established in March 25, 1643 by Sai ...
Paul Donoghue
Paul Donoghue SM (born 18 January 1949) is the sixth Catholic Bishop of Rarotonga (2011–present) in the Cook Islands. He was appointed bishop by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 April 2011.S.M. (2011– )
Education
Primary Schools
Saint Josephs School, Rarotonga
Saint Mary's School, Mauke Island (now closed down)
Secondary (High) School
Nukutere College
Nukutere College is a Roman Catholic secondary school located in Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the country’s only Catholic secondary school and has an important educational role across the archipelago. "Nukutere" means "people on a jo ...
, Rarotonga
Churches
Catholic Cathedral of Rarotonga (and the Cook Islands)
Saint Joseph's Cathedral is the only Catholic Cathedral in the Cook Islands. The Cathedral is located in
Avarua
Avarua (meaning "Two Harbours" in Cook Islands Māori) is a town and district in the north of the island of Rarotonga, and is the national capital of the Cook Islands.
The town is served by Rarotonga International Airport ( IATA Airport Code ...
.
Three Catholic churches in Rarotonga also serve the local faithful: St Mary's in Arorangi Village, St Paul's in Titikaveka Village and Sacred Heart in Matavera village.
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...