The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mayagüez ( la, Dioecesis Maiaguezensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In 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 provinces were administratively associa ...

of the

Roman 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 ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and consists of the western part of the island of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, an American commonwealth. The diocese is led by a

prelate 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 'pre ...

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 are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

, who

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

s the motherchurch in the City of Mayagüez, Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in front of the Plaza Colón. 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 i ...

, Rincón, Aguada, Moca, San Sebastián, Añasco, Mayagüez, Las Marías,

Maricao Maricao () is a town and the second-least populous municipality of Puerto Rico; it is located at the western edge of the Cordillera Central. It is a small town set around a small square in hilly terrain, north of San Germán, Sabana Grande and ...

, Hormigueros, 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 Colegio San Benito ("CSB") is a private Roman Catholic, university-preparatory and elementary school, founded in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico in 1965. The school was the first boys-only Catholic school founded in the area of Mayagüez. History The ...

, 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, wheth ...

References

External links