The Mission ''sui iuris'' of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ( la, Missio sui iuris Sanctae Helenae, Ascensionis et Tristanensis) 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 ...

. The

Mission sui iuris A mission ''sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic (term), Roman Catholic Church, Catholic mission ...

is located in

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...

and covering the Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena a ...

Churches

* There is a Catholic church on St Helena, the Sacred Heart Church in Jamestown. * There is a Catholic church on Tristan da Cunha, St Joseph's Catholic Church in

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the main settlement of the island of Tristan da Cunha, in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Locally, it is referred to as The S ...

. * There is a Catholic church on Ascension, Church of Our Lady of the Ascension in Cat Hill, near

Wideawake Airfield RAF Ascension Island , also known as Wideawake Airfield or Ascension Island Auxiliary Field, is a military airfield and facility located on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The airfield is jointly operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and ...

History

On August 18, 1986 the Mission sui iuris of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha was established from the Archdiocese of Cape Town in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. From the start, the office of its ecclesiastical superior (also exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See) has been vested in the

Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands The Apostolic Prefecture of Falkland Islands ( la, Apostolica Præfectura de Insulis Falkland) is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic prefecture of the Catholic Church covering the Falkland Islands and South Georgia ...

, another UK Southern Atlantic overseas possession.

Leadership

Prelates A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ( Roman Rite) ** Mgr.

Anton Agreiter Monsignor Anton Agreiter, MHM (18 March 1934 − 15 October 2003) was a Catholic priest who served as the Apostolic Prefect of the Falkland Islands and Ecclesiastic Superior of St. Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha since 1986 to 200 ...

, M.H.M. (October 1, 1986 – August 9, 2002) ** Mgr. Michael Bernard McPartland, S.M.A. (August 9, 2002 – 26 October 2016) ** Abbot Hugh David Renwich Turnbull Allan, o.praem (26 October 2016 – present)

References

External links

Catholic Church in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena Saint Helena {{SaintHelena-stub