The Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae (or Tefenuaenata, or Hakapehi) (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power of the ...

: ''Dioecesis Taiohaënus seu Humanae Telluris''; French: ''Diocèse de Taiohae ou Tefenuaenata''), in French Polynesia, is a suffragan diocese in the

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 seve ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Papeetensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Papeete'') is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in French Polynesia. It is responsible for the suffragan diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata. T ...

, yet still depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

episcopal see is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Îles Marquises, dedicated to

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, mother of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

at Taiohae, on

Nuku Hiva Nuku Hiva (sometimes spelled Nukahiva or Nukuhiva) is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. It was formerly also known as ''Île Marchand'' and ''Madison Island''. Herman ...

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in ...

(French: îles Marquises).

History

* Erected on 1848.05.09 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Marquesas Islands/ Isole Marchesi (Curiate Italian) / Insularum Marchesi (Latin), on insular territory split off from the suppressed Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Oceania * Promoted on 1966.06.21 as Diocese of Taiohae / Taiohaën(us) (Latin) * Renamed 1974.05.31 as Diocese of Taiohae / Hakapehi (synonym) / Tefenuaenata (Marquesan Islands name) / Humanæ Telluris (Latin) / Taiohaën(us) (Latin adjective).

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 8,970 Catholics (91.2% of 9,835 total) on 1,250 km² in 26 parishes with 4 priests (2 diocesan, 2 religious), 11 lay religious (7 brothers, 4 sisters) and 1 seminarian.

Bishops

(all Roman Rite, so far European:French missionaries)

Ordinaries

;''Apostolic Vicars of Marquesas Islands'' * François Baudichon, SS.CC. (1848.05.09 – retired 1855),

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

Basilinopolis Basilinopolis or Basilinoupolis (Greek: Βασιλινούπολις) was a town in Bithynia Prima (civil Diocese of Pontus), which obtained the rank of a city under, or perhaps shortly before, Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, whose mother was ...

(1844.08.14 – 1882.06.11); died 1882 *

René Ildefonse Dordillon René Ildefonse Dordillon (born in 1808 in Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine) was a French clergyman and bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christ ...

, SS.CC. (1855.12.07 – death 1888.01.11), Titular Bishop of Cambysopolis (1855.12.07 – 1888.01.11) **''

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

Father Rogatien-Joseph Martin, SS.CC. (1890.04.11 – 1892.06.03 ''see below''), no previous prelature *

Rogatien-Joseph Martin Rogatien-Joseph Martin (March 15, 1849-May 27, 1912) was a French clergyman and bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops ...

, SS.CC. (''see above'' 1892.06.03 – death 1912.05.27), Titular Bishop of

Verinopolis Verinopolis or Berinopolis ( gr, Βηρινούπολις or Βερινούπολις) was a city and bishopric in ancient Galatia, central Anatolia (modern Turkey). History The city is known only from its bishopric and as an administrative uni ...

(1892.06.03 – 1912.05.27) *

Pierre-Marie-David Le Cadre Pierre-Marie-David Le Cadre (born in 1875 in Questembert) was a French clergyman and bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bi ...

Picpus Fathers The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary () abbreviated SS.CC., is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men priests and brothers. The congregation is also known as the Picpus because their firs ...

(SS.CC.) (1920.12.30 – death 1952.11.21), Titular Bishop of

Demetrias Demetrias ( grc, Δημητριάς) was a Greek city in Magnesia in ancient Thessaly (east central Greece), situated at the head of the Pagasaean Gulf, near the modern city of Volos. History It was founded in 294 BCE by Demetrius Polior ...

(1921.01.05 – 1952.11.21) * Louis-Bertrand Tirilly, SS.CC. (1953.11.16 – 1966.06.21 ''see below''), Titular Bishop of

Buthrotum Butrint ( el, Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, ''Bouthrōtón'', la, Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and later Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. "Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at differen ...

(1953.11.16 – 1966.06.21) ;''Suffragan Bishops of Taiohae'' * Louis-Bertrand Tirilly, SS.CC. (''see above'' 1966.06.21 – retired 1970.03.17), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Budua (1970.03.17 – resigned 1976.09.27); died 2002 * Hervé Le Cléac'h, SS.CC. (1973.03.01 – retired 1986.05.31), died 2012 * Guy Chevalier, SS.CC. (1986.05.31 – retired 2015.09.05), Bishop Emeritus; succeeded as previous Coadjutor Bishop of Taiohae (1985.03.29 – 1986.05.31) * Pascal Chang-Soï, SS.CC. (5 September 2015 - ...), previously Coadjutor Bishop of Taiohae (French Polynesia) (2010.08.04 – succession 2015.09.05) and

of Papeete (French Polynesia) (2013.03.13 – 2015.08.28).

Coadjutor bishops

* Guy André Dominique Marie Chevalier, SS.CC. (1985-1986) * Pascal Chang-Soï, SS.CC. (2010-2015)

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google map & satellite photo - data for all sections
* Catholic Church in French Polynesia Roman Catholic dioceses in French Polynesia