The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Solomon Islands was an exempt Roman Catholic
Apostolic vicariate (missionary jurisdiction akin to a diocese) in the
Northern Solomon Islands
The Northern Solomons were the more northerly group of islands in the Solomon Islands (archipelago) over which Germany declared a protectorate in 1885. Initially, the German Solomon Islands Protectorate included, in the south-east, Choiseu ...
(in
Oceania
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
).
History
On 23 May 1898, it was established as Apostolic Prefecture of German Solomon Islands on territory split from the
Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the ...
which was entrusted to the
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; la, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis; french: Missionnaires du Sacré-Coeur) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (182 ...
of Issoudun. On 21 January 1904, it was renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Northern Solomon Islands.
On 31 May 1930, it was Promoted as
Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Solomon Islands, with titular bishops as ordinaries. On 11 June 1959, it lost territory to establish the
Apostolic Vicariate of Western Solomon Islands.
On 15 November 1966, it was promoted
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bougainville
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bougainville is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul. It was erected as the Prefecture Apostolic of German Solomon Islands in 1898 and elevated to a Vicariate Apostolic in 1930. It was furth ...
and made suffragan of the Metropolitan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabaul is a Latin Rite Metropolitan Archdiocese in Papua New Guinea.
It has its cathedral episcopal see Sacred Heart Cathedral in Vunapope and a Co-Cathedral, St Francis Xavier's Co-Cathedral, in Rabaul.
On J ...
.
Missionary Ordinaries
''all in cumbents were members of the missionary congregation of
Marists
The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM, commonly known as the Marist Fathers, is a men's Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded by Jean-Claude Colin and a group of seminarians in ...
(S.M.)''
; ''Prefect Apostolic'' of ''German'' Solomon Islands
* Friar Eugen Englert, S.M. (1899 – 1904)
; Prefects Apostolic of ''Northern'' Solomon Islands
* Friar Joseph Forestier, S.M. (1904 – 1918)
* Friar Maurice Boch, S.M. (1920 – 1929)
; ''Vicars Apostolic'' of Northern Solomon Islands
* Thomas James Wade, S.M. (1930.07.03 – 1960), Titular Bishop of
Barbalissus
Barbalissos ( grc, Βαρβαλισσός, la, Barbalissus) was a city in the Roman province of Euphratensis. Its site is marked by the ruins at Qala'at Balis ( ar, قلعة بالس), which partly retains the old name, south of Maskanah (the anc ...
* Leo Lemay, S.M. (1960.06.14 – 1966.11.15),
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 ...
of
Agbia, who went on as first bishop of Bougainville (1966.11.15 – 1974.07.01)
See also
*
Catholic Church in Oceania
References
External links
GigaCatholic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Solomon Islands, Apostolic Vicariate
1898 establishments in Oceania
Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Oceania
Catholic Church in the Solomon Islands