The Roman Catholic Diocese of Formosa () is a Latin

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

in central

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

episcopal see is Catedral Nossa Senhora da Imaculada Conceição, dedicated to

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not defined as a ...

, in the city of

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...

, in the state of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

, central Brazil.

History

* Established on March 26, 1956, as the

Territorial Prelature A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

of Formosa, on territory split off from the then Archdiocese of Goiás (at the same time demoted to a suffragan itself) and from the suppressed Territorial Prelature of São José de Alto Tocantins * Promoted on October 16, 1979, as the Diocese of Formosa.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally serves 256,900 Catholics (73.5% of 349,500 total) on 47,604 km² in 27 parishes and 240 missions with 37 priests (diocesan), 52 lay religious (4 brothers, 48 sisters) and 14 seminarians.

Bishops

(all

Roman rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

)

Ordinaries

;''Bishop-Prelates of Formosa'' * Victor João Herman José Tielbeek,

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

(SS.CC.) (February 4, 1961 - October 16, 1979 ''see below''),

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 an ...

Tipasa in Numidia Tipasa, distinguished as Tipasa in Numidia, was a town in the Roman province of Numidia in North Africa. Its ruins are located above sea level near present-day Tifesh in Constantine Province, Algeria, south of Annaba. History Tipasa was a C ...

(1961.02.04 – 1978.05.26), born 1919.08.16 in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

;''Suffragan Bishops of Formosa'' * Victor João Herman José Tielbeek, SS.CC. (''see above'' October 16, 1979 - death December 24, 1997) * João Casimiro Wilk,

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

(O.F.M. Conv.) (January 28, 1998 - June 9, 2006), transferred Bishop of

Anápolis Anápolis ( , ) is a Brazilian city in the state of Goiás. It is located between two capitals, the federal capital Brasília and state capital Goiânia. It is the third most populous city in the state, with 398,869 inhabitants according to the ...

(Brazil) (2004.06.09 – ...), born Poland 1951.09.18 * Paulo Roberto Beloto (November 16, 2005 – 2013.10.23), first Brazilian incumbent; transferred Bishop of

Franca Franca is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northeastern portion of the state, distant 401 km (249 mi) from the state capital São Paulo, and 676 km (420 mi) from Brasilia. It covers a total area of 60 ...

(Brazil) (2013.10.23 – ...) * José Ronaldo Ribeiro (2014.09.24 – 2018.09.12), previously Bishop of

Janaúba Janaúba is a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 72,018 in a total area of 2,189 km2. The elevation is 692 meters above sea level. Geography Location The distance to the state c ...

(Brazil) (2007.06.06 – 2014.09.24); retired *

Adair José Guimarães Adair José Guimarães (Mara Rosa, state of Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states o ...

(2019.02.27 -

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Dilmo Franco de Campos, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Anápolis, Goias in 2019

Sources and external links