The Roman Catholic Diocese of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo () is a
Latin Rite Latin Rite may refer to:
*The Latin Church, a ''sui iuris'' church of the Catholic Church
*The Latin liturgical rites, a family of Christian rites and uses which includes the Roman Rite
*The Roman Rite
The Roman Rite () is the most common ritua ...
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandr ...
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 ...
of the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Asunción, which covers all of and only
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
.
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 Santa Clara, dedicated to
Saint Clara, in the city of
Villarrica,
Guairá Department Guaira may refer to:
* Guayrá, a former region of the Spanish Empire in what is now modern Paraguay and Brazil
* Guaíra Falls, former waterfalls on the Paraná River along the border between Brazil and Paraguay Brazil
* Guaíra, Paraná
Gu ...
.
Statistics
As of 22 March 2025, it had 198,360 Catholics (88% of 225,410 total) on 3,946 km² in 25 parishes, 42 priests (35 diocesan, 7 religious), 43 deacons, and 12 seminarians.
History
On 1 May 1929, the Diocese of Villarrica was established on territory split off from the then
Diocese of Paraguay.
It received a
papal visit from
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
in May 1988.
On 13 January 1990, the Diocese was renamed, or more precisely given an alternative name, as Diocese of Villarrica del Espíritu Santo to avoid being confused with its
Chilean namesake.
Villarrica del Espíritu Santo has been split to create other dioceses:
*19 January 1957, to establish the
Diocese of San Juan Bautista.
*21 January 1957, to establish the
Territorial Prelature of Encarnación and Alto Paraná (now a diocese).
*5 June 1978, to establish the
Diocese of Carapeguá.
*22 March 2025, to establish the
Diocese of Caazapá.
Leadership
See also
*
List of Catholic dioceses in Paraguay
References
Notes
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villarrica del Espiritu Santo, Roman Catholic Diocese
Roman Catholic dioceses in Paraguay
Religious organizations established in 1929
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Asunción
Guairá Department Guaira may refer to:
* Guayrá, a former region of the Spanish Empire in what is now modern Paraguay and Brazil
* Guaíra Falls, former waterfalls on the Paraná River along the border between Brazil and Paraguay Brazil
* Guaíra, Paraná
Gu ...
Villarrica, Paraguay