Diocese of Mayagüez
Diocese of the Catholic Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Diocese of Mayagüez (Latin: Dioecesis Maiaguezensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the western part of the island of Puerto Rico. The diocese is led by a prelate bishop, who pastors the mother church in the City of Mayagüez, Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in front of the Plaza Colón.
- Total
- Catholics
- (as of 2004)
- 491,518
- 376,000 (76.5%)
Diocese of Mayagüez Dioecesis Maiaguezensis Diócesis de Mayagüez | |
|---|---|
| |
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Territory | Western coast of Puerto Rico[1] |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of San Juan de Puerto Rico |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,635 km2 (631 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 29 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 1 March 1976 (50 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Ángel Luis Ríos Matos |
| Bishops emeritus | Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J. |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| diocesisdemayaguez.org | |
History
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. As of July, 2011 the bishop of the See of Mayagüez was Alvaro Corrada del Rio. He retired on May 9, 2020, and Ángel Luis Ríos Matos was appointed 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 Retired)
- Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J. (July 6, 2011 – May 9, 2020 Resigned)
- Bishop Ángel Luis Ríos Matos (August 1, 2020 - )
Territory
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, Rincón, Aguada, Moca, San Sebastián, Añasco, Mayagüez, Las Marías, Maricao, Hormigueros, Cabo Rojo, San Germán, and Sabana Grande.[2]
Parishes
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.
| Year | Population | Priests | Deacons | Religious | Parishes | ||||||
| baptised | total | % | number | secular | regular | baptised per priest |
men | women | |||
| 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.[3][4]
