Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan (Latin: Dioecesis Belizepolitanus-Belmopanus) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in continental Central America. The diocese comprises the entirety of Belize, the former British dependency British Honduras. It is a Latin suffragan of the Archdiocese of Kingston (on Jamaica) and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference,[1] yet still depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan

Dioecesis Belizepolitanus-Belmopanus
Holy Redeemer Cathedral
Location
CountryBelize
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Kingston in Jamaica
MetropolitanCharles Henry Dufour
Statistics
Area2,591 km2 (1,000 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2014)
334,297
162,100 (48.5%%)
Information
RiteRoman Rite
CathedralHoly Redeemer Cathedral (Belize City)
Co-cathedralOur Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral (Belmopan)
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopLawrence Sydney Nicasio
Auxiliary BishopsChristopher Glancy, C.S.V.

The cathedral of the diocese, also known as its mother church, is Holy Redeemer Cathedral in Belize City.[2] Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral in Belmopan is the co-cathedral of the diocese.[3]

History
  • The diocese was erected as the Apostolic Prefecture of British Honduras (the country's colonial name) on 10 June 1888, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Jamaica.
  • It was elevated on 1 March 1893 as Apostolic Vicariate of British Honduras, hence entitled to a titular bishop. Its name was changed to the Apostolic Vicariate of Belize, after its see, on 15 December 1925.
  • It was elevated to Diocese of Belize on 29 February 1956. On 31 December 1983 the name of the diocese was changed to Diocese of Belize City–Belmopan.[4]

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 162,100 Catholics (48.5% of 334,297 total) on 22,963 km² in 13 parishes and 5 missions with 46 priests (14 diocesan, 32 religious), 2 deacons, 95 lay religious (38 brothers, 57 sisters) and a seminarian.[4]

Bishops

(all Roman Rite)[4]

Ordinaries
Apostolic Prefect of British Honduras
  1. Salvatore di Pietro, SJ (10 June 1888 – 3 January 1893)
Apostolic Vicars of British Honduras
  1. Salvatore di Pietro, SJ (3 January 1893 – 23 August 1898)
  2. Frederick C. Hopkins, SJ (17 August 1899 – 19 April 1923)
  3. Joseph Anthony Murphy, SJ (11 December 1923 – 15 December 1925)
Apostolic Vicars of Belize
  1. Joseph Anthony Murphy, SJ (15 December 1925 – 16 July 1938)
  2. William A. Rice, SJ (19 November 1938 – 28 February 1946)
  3. David Francis Hickey, SJ (10 June 1948 – 29 February 1956)
Bishops of Belize City
  1. David Francis Hickey, SJ (29 February 1956 – 1 August 1957)
  2. Robert Louis Hodapp, SJ (2 March 1958 – 11 November 1983)
Bishops of Belize City–Belmopan
  1. Osmond P. Martin (11 November 1983 – 18 November 2006)
  2. Dorick M. Wright (18 November 2006 – 26 January 2017)
  3. Lawrence Sydney Nicasio (26 January 2017 – )

Auxiliary bishops

See also
  • List of Catholic dioceses in Central America
  • History of Roman Catholicism in Belize

References
  1. Diocese of Belize City & Belmopan; Antilles Episcopal Conference; December 12, 2002; url accessed June 28, 2006
  2. History; Holy Redeemer Cathedral; url accessed June 28, 2006
  3. ; The Belize Journal; December 3, 1996; url accessed June 28, 2006
  4. Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan, GCatholic.org, February, 2017


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