The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Joannis Portoricensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or

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, pro ...

of the

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 territorie ...

, comprising the northeast portion 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 ...

. Its jurisdiction includes the municipalities of

Dorado Dorado () is a constellation in the southern sky. It was named in the late 16th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name refers to the dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus''), which is known as ''dorado'' in Spanish, altho ...

Toa Baja Toa Baja (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and ...

, Cataño, Toa Alta, Bayamón,

Guaynabo Guaynabo (, ) is a city, suburb of San Juan and municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas, south of Cataño, east of Bayamón, and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is spr ...

, San Juan,

Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Northern Coastal Plain, on the boundary between the karst zone and Sierra de Luquillo, north of Caguas, and Gurabo; southeast of San Juan, and west of Carolina. Truji ...

, and Carolina.

History

On November 15, 1504,

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

issued the Papal Bull ''Illius fulciti'' which erected the first ecclesiastical province in the New World consisting of the Archdiocese of Hyaguata (located at

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

), the Diocese of Magua (located at

Concepción de La Vega La Vega, is the fourth largest city and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality of the Dominican Republic. It is in La Vega Province. The city is known as the Carnaval epicenter of the Dominican Republic for its tradition and cultur ...

), and the Diocese of Bayuna (located at

Lares de Guahaba Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these. Lare ...

). As all the dioceses were located on the island of Hispañiola, the Spanish Crown requested that the Diocese of Bayuna be transferred to

. The Bull never went into effect due to the objection of

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

who opposed that the Bull gave the dioceses the right to receive a portion of the earnings from the gold and precious stones discovered in the territory. On August 8, 1511, Pope Julius II issued a new Papal Bull ''Pontifax Romanus'' which extinguished the previously granted ecclesiastical province and its dioceses and reassigned their delegated bishops: Pedro Suárez de Deza, Bishop Elect of Hyaguata, was reassigned to the Diocese of Concepción de la Vega; Father Alonso Manso, Bishop Elect of Magua, was reassigned to the Diocese of Puerto Rico; and

Francisco Garcia de Padilla Francisco Garcia de Padilla, O.F.M. (Died 1515) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Santo Domingo (1511–1515) and as Bishop-elect of Bayuna (1504–1511), ''(in Latin)'' one of the first three Roman Catholic bishops in the Ne ...

, Bishop Elect of Bayuna, was reassigned to the

Diocese of Santo Domingo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Sancti Dominici; es, Arquidiócesis Metropolitana de Santo Domingo) is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese in the Dominican Republic. The see was erected ...

. The See of San Juan de Puerto Rico was canonically erected on August 8, 1511, as the Diocese of Puerto Rico on the island of San Juan, as it was then called. Due to the switch of names between the island and the capital its name was changed on November 21, 1924, to the Diocese of San Juan in Puerto Rico. With the creation of the Diocese of Arecibo on April 30, 1960, San Juan was raised to the status of an

archdiocese 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 associate ...

, with the new archbishop leading a

metropolitan 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 sever ...

comprising all the dioceses on the island as

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 Alexandria ...

s. The Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico is the

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a t ...

for the

Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...

, Fajardo–Humacao, Ponce, Mayagüez and the

Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, th ...

. The current archbishop is

Roberto González Nieves Roberto Octavio González Nieves, O.F.M. (born June 2, 1950) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Juan in Puerto Rico since 1999. González previously served as an auxili ...

, O.F.M. On August 29, 2018, the diocese filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy 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, whe ...

protection. On September 27, 2018, federal Judge Edward Godoy protected all assets of the archdiocese and its suffragan dioceses under Chapter 11, protecting them from seizures by individual creditors, for example, as payments to retired teachers.

Bishops

The lists of bishops, archbishops and auxiliary bishops and their terms of service:

Bishops of Puerto Rico

# Alonso Manso (1511–1539 Died) #

Rodrigo de Bastidas y Rodriguez de Romera Rodrigo de Bastidas y Rodriguez de Romera (died 1570) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the second Bishop of Puerto Rico (1541–1567) ''(in Latin)'' and the first Bishop of Coro (1531–1532). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Rodrigo de Bast ...

(1541–1567 Resigned) # Francisco Andrés de Carvajal, O.F.M. (1568–1570 Appointed,

Archbishop of Santo Domingo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Sancti Dominici; es, Arquidiócesis Metropolitana de Santo Domingo) is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese in the Dominican Republic. The see was erected ...

) # Manuel de Mercado Aldrete,

O.S.H. The Hieronymites, also formally known as the Order of Saint Jerome ( la, Ordo Sancti Hieronymi; abbreviated OSH), is a Catholic enclosed religious orders, cloistered religious order and a common name for several congregations of hermit monks livi ...

(1570–1576 Appointed, Bishop of Panamá) # Diego de Salamanca Polanco, O.S.A. (1576–1587 Resigned) #

Nicolás de Ramos y Santos Nicolás de Ramos y Santos (1531 – December 1, 1599) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Santo Domingo (1592–1599) and the third Bishop of Puerto Rico (1588–1592). ''(in Latin)''

, O.F.M. (1588–1592 Appointed,

) # Antonio Calderón de León (1593–1598 Appointed, Bishop of Panamá) #

Martín Vasquez de Arce Martín Vasquez de Arce, O.P. (died January 13, 1609) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Puerto Rico (1599–1609). ''(in Latin)''O.P. (1599–1609 Died) #

Francisco Diaz de Cabrera y Córdoba Francisco Diaz de Cabrera y Córdoba, O.P. (died April 26, 1620) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Trujillo (1614–1620) and the Bishop of Puerto Rico (1611–1614). ''(in Latin)''

, O.P. (1611–1614 Appointed, Bishop of Trujillo) #

Pedro de Solier y Vargas Pedro de Solier y Vargas (1573 – July 9, 1620) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Santo Domingo (1619–1620) and Bishop of Puerto Rico (1614–1619). ''(in Latin)''O.S.A. (1614–1619 Appointed,

) # Bernardo de Valbuena y Villanueva (1620–1627 Died) #

Juan López de Agurto de la Mata Juan López de Agurto de la Mata (December 22, 1572 – December 24, 1637) was a Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Coro (later Bishop of Caracas) (1634–1637) and Bishop of Puerto Rico (1630–1634). Biography Juan López de Agurto ...

(1631–1634 Confirmed, Bishop of Coro) #

Juan Alonso de Solis y Mendoza Juan Alonso de Solis y Mendoza (June 13, 1574 – April 19, 1641) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Puerto Rico (1635–1641). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Juan Alonso de Solis y Mendoza was born in Salamanca, Spain on June ...

O. Carm. , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

(1636–1641 Died) # Damián Lopez de Haro y Villarda, O.SS.T. (1643–1648 Died) # Hernando de Lobo Castrillo,

O. Carm. , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

(1649–1651 Died) # Francisco Naranjo, O.P. (1652–1655 Died) # Juan Francisco Arnaldo Isasi (1656–1661 Died) #

Benito de Rivas Benito de Rivas, O.S.B. (died August 21, 1668) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Puerto Rico (1663–1668). ''(in Latin)''

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(1663–1668 Died) # Bartolomé Garcia de Escañuela, O.F.M. (1670–1676 Appointed,

Bishop of Durango The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Durango ( la, Archidioecesis Durangensis) is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in Mexico. Based in the city of Durango, it is the metropolitan see for the suffragan dioceses of Gómez Palacio, Mazatlán and Torreón as ...

) # Juan de Santiago y León Garabito (1676–1677 Confirmed,

Bishop of Guadalajara The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Guadalajara ( la, Archidioecesis Guadalaiarensis) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese based in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. It currently covers an area of 20,827 km² (8,044 Square Miles). The di ...

) # Marcos de Sobremonte (1677–1681 Died) #

Juan Francisco de Padilla y San Martín Juan Francisco de Padilla y San Martín, O. de M. (August 16, 1646 – 1700) was a Roman Catholic prelate who was Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (1699–1700) and Bishop of Puerto Rico (1683–1699). Biography Juan Francisco de Padilla y San ...

, O. de M. (1683–1699 Appointed,

Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Crucis de Sierra) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bolivia. It was erected as the Diocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra b ...

) # Jerónimo Nosti de Valdés, O.S.Bas. (1704–1705 Appointed, Bishop of San Cristobal de la Habana) # Pedro de la Concepcion y Urtiaga, O.F.M. (1707–1715 Died) # Raimundo Caballero,

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(1716–1716 Died) # Fernando de Valdivia y Mendoza,

O.A.R. O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...

(1718–1725 Died) # Sebastián Lorenzo Pizarro, O.S.Bas. (1727–1736 Died) # Francisco Pérez Lozano, O.S.Bas. (1738–1743 Died) # Francisco Placido de Béjar, O.S.Bas. (1743–1745 Died) # Francisco Julián Antolino (1748–1752 Confirmed, Bishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela) # Pedro Martínez de Oneca (1756–1760 Died) # Mariano Martí (1761–1770 Appointed, Bishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela) # Manuel Jiménez Pérez,

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(1771–1781 Died) # Felipe José de Tres-Palacios y Verdeja (1784–1789 Appointed, Bishop of San Cristobal de la Habana) # Francisco de Cuerda (1790–1795 Resigned) # Juan Bautista de Zengotita y Bengoa, O. de M. (1795–1802 Died) # Juan Alejo de Arizmendi de La Torre (1803–1814 Died) # Mariano Rodríguez de Olmedo y Valle (1815–1825 Confirmed, Bishop of San Cristobal de la Habana) # Pedro Gutiérrez de Cos y Saavedra Seminario (1826–1833 Died) # Francisco Fleix y Soláns (1846–1846 Confirmed, Bishop of San Cristobal de la Habana) # Francisco de La Puente, O.P. (1846–1848 Confirmed, Bishop of Segovia) # Gil Estévez y Tomás (1848–1854 Confirmed,

Bishop of Tarazona The Diocese of Tarazona (Latin, ''Turiasonensis'') is a Roman Catholic bishopric located in north-eastern Spain, in the provinces of Zaragoza, Soria, Navarre and La Rioja, forming part of the autonomous communities of Aragón, Castile-Leon, Nav ...

) # Vicente Benigno Carrión, O.F.M. Cap. (1857–1871 Died) # Juan Antonio Puig y Montserrat, O.F.M. (1874–1894 Died) # Toribio Minguella y Arnedo,

(1894–1898 Appointed, Bishop of Sigüenza) # Francisco Javier Valdés y Noriega, O.S.A. (1898–1899 Resigned) # James Herbert Blenk, S.M. (1899–1906 Appointed, Archbishop of New Orleans, Louisiana) # William Ambrose Jones, O.S.A. (1907–1921 Died) # George Joseph Caruana (1921–1925), Title Changed with Title of Diocese

Bishops of San Juan de Puerto Rico

# George Joseph Caruana (1924–1925), Appointed, Apostolic Delegate to México # Edwin Vincent Byrne (8 Mar 1929 - 12 Jun 1943), Appointed

Archbishop of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

James Peter Davis James Peter Davis (June 9, 1904 – March 4, 1988) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop (later Archbishop) of San Juan (1943–1964) and Archbishop of Santa Fe (1964–1974). Biography James Davis was born in H ...

(1943–1960), Elevated to Archbishop

Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

# James Peter Davis (1960–1964), Appointed

Luis Aponte Martínez Luis Aponte Martínez (August 4, 1922 – April 10, 2012) was a Puerto Rican Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of San Juan from 1965 to 1999. He is the only Puerto Rican to have been named a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He participat ...

(1964–1999) (elevated to Cardinal in 1973) #

, O.F.M. (1999–present)

Auxiliary bishops

* Juan de Dios López de Victoria (1963–1992); died in office * Enrique Manuel Hernández Rivera (1979–1981); named Bishop of Caguas * Héctor Rivera Pérez (1979–2009); retired * Hermín Negrón Santana (1981–2012); died in office * Daniel Fernández Torres (2007–2010); named Bishop of Arecibo * Alberto Arturo Figueroa Morales (2019–2022)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Rafael Grovas Felix Rafael Grovas Felix (November 29, 1905 in Santurce, Puerto Rico – September 9, 1991) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1928, Grovas Felix was named bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Caguas, Puerto Rico Puert ...

, appointed Bishop of Caguas in 1965 * Antulio Parrilla Bonilla, S.J. (priest here, 1952–1957), appointed auxiliary bishop of Caguas in 1965

High schools

* Academia San José, Guaynabo *

Academia del Perpetuo Socorro Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (English: "Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help") was founded in 1921 as a Catholic parochial school of the Perpetuo Socorro Parish at the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The school is located in Miramar in Pu ...

, San Juan *

Academia Maria Reina Academia Maria Reina is a Catholic middle (7th to 12th) and high school for girls in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Educative mission Academia Maria Reina is a school of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Brentwood, New York. The educative mission of thi ...

, San Juan *

Academia San Jorge Academia San Jorge ("Saint George Academy") is a private, Roman Catholic school in San Juan, Puerto Rico founded in 1925 by Rev. Msgr. José M. Rivera as a parochial school with 53 students from grades K–3. Shortly after, the school started const ...

, San Juan * Colegio Católico Notre Dame, Caguas * Colegio María Auxiliadora, Carolina *

Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola is a private, Catholic, Jesuit, all-male college-preparatory school run by the U.S. Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1952.

, San Juan * Colegio San José, San Juan

Ecclesiastical Province of San Juan

* Fajardo-Humacao * Mayagüez * Ponce

Bankruptcy

On January 11, 2018, Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of San Juan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, stating that the current pension plan was unworkable and applied for a new plan which has an estimated $10 million in assets and $10 million in liabilities. On March 27, 2018, local Judge Anthony Cuevas issued an embargo against the Archdiocese of San Juan which would remain in effect until they could find $4.7 million to pay for teachers pension. It was also ruled that the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico was a single entity and that the embargo would also apply to all the

s of the Archdiocese of San Juan. On August 29, 2018, the Archdiocese of San Juan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, noting that they were unable find the $4.7 million. On September 7, 2018, US Bankruptcy Judge Edward Godoy protected the Archdiocese of San Juan under Chapter 11, avoiding seizure of assets and payment of pensions to their retired teachers. However, the bankruptcy will also apply to other Dioceses in Puerto Rico as well.

References

External links

Arquidiócesis de San Juan de Puerto Rico(Official Site in Spanish)

GCatholic.org website

* ttps://www.canal13pr.tv/ Teleoro Canal 13- Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico TV Channel (Official Site in Spanish)
Radio Oro 92.5 FM
- Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico FM Radio Station (Official Site in Spanish)
Radio Paz 810 AM
- Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico AM Radio Station (Official Site in Spanish)(Former Radio Station)
Periódico El Visitante de Puerto Rico
(''The Visitor of Puerto Rico'') Official Weekly of the

Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference The Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference ( es, Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña) (CEP)
GCatholic.org website. Ret ...

(Official Site in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan De Puerto Rico Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States Roman Catholic dioceses in Puerto Rico Religious organizations established in the 1510s 1511 establishments in the Spanish Empire Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 16th century Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018 ''Cadena Pérez Perry''

History

Bishops

Bishops of Puerto Rico

Bishops of San Juan de Puerto Rico

Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

Auxiliary bishops

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

High schools

Ecclesiastical Province of San Juan

Bankruptcy

See also

References

External links