The Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago (

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 ...

: ''Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis'') is a Latin suffragan

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 ...

overseas dependency of

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

, 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 Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia. The ordinary is a

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 ...

whose seat is the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the

Tafuna Tafuna ( sm, Tāfuna) is a village on the east coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is home to Pago Pago International Airport (Tafuna Airport). It is one mile south of Nu'uuli, American Samoa. The Ottoville district is a part of Tafuna. Ne ...

. He is also pastor of the co-cathedral of

Saint Joseph the Worker Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers o ...

Fagatogo Fagatogo is the downtown area of Pago Pago (the territorial capital of American Samoa).Grabowski, John F. (1992). ''U.S. Territories and Possessions (State Report Series)''. Chelsea House Pub. Page 51. . Located in the low grounds at the foot of M ...

. On Friday, May 31, 2013, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop John Quinn Weitzel M.M., and appointed the Rev. Peter Brown, C.Ss.R., the Regional Superior of the

Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

also known as the Redemptorist Congregation in

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bishop-elect In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...

of the diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago. Brown was ordained as a bishop on August 22, 2013.

History

It was canonically erected on 10 September 1982, from a unified diocese of Samoa and Tokelau, the bulk of which became its present Metropolitan. It enjoyed a Papal visit from

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

in November 1970.

Episcopal ordinaries

Bishops of Samoa–Pago Pago

* ''Cardinal Pio Taofinuʻu, S.M., Apostolic Administrator'' (1982–1986) * John Quinn Weitzel, M.M. (1986–2013) * Peter Brown, C.Ss.R. (2013–present)

Coadjutor Bishops

* Kolio Etuale (2022-present)

Coat of arms

The proposal of coat of arms was created by

Marek Sobola Marek Sobola (born 3 July 1981) is an authorised landscape architect, professional gardener and heraldic artist from Slovakia. Biography Sobola was born in Žilina, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) into a family from Lalinok and Divina. He spe ...

, a heraldic specialist from Slovakia. The colors of the new coat of arms are derived from the national colors of American Samoa. The heraldic figures on the coat of arms include a bald eagle (the national symbol) and gold and silver lily - symbols of Pope Paul VI and

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. These two popes contributed to the development of the diocese.Marek Sobola – official site (Slovak)

References

Sources and external links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago Official Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samoa-Pago Pago, Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in American Samoa Samoa-Pago-Pago Catholic Church in American Samoa Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa–Apia Christian organizations established in 1982 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1982 establishments in American Samoa Religious organizations based in American Samoa