Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico (Latin: Archidiœcesis Sancti Joannis Portoricensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, comprising the northeast portion of the island of Puerto Rico.

Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

Archidiœcesis Sancti Joannis Portoricensis

Arquidiócesis de San Juan
de Puerto Rico
Location
TerritoryNorthcentral portion of Puerto Rico
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of San Juan
de Puerto Rico
Statistics
Area407 sq mi (1,050 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2017)
1,330,000
929,000 (69.8%)
Parishes177
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedAugust 8, 1511 (509 years ago)
CathedralCathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
Patron saintSt. John the Baptist and Our Lady of Divine Providence
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopRoberto González Nieves, O.F.M.
Auxiliary BishopsAlberto Arturo Figueroa Morales
Map
Website
arqsj.org
Cathedral of San Juan Bautista

History

On November 15, 1504, Pope Julius II issued the Papal Bull Illius fulciti which erected the first ecclesiastical province in the New World[1] consisting of the Archdiocese of Hyaguata (located at Santo Domingo), the Diocese of Magua (located at Concepción de La Vega), and the Diocese of Bayuna (located at Lares de Guahaba).[2] As all the dioceses were located on the island of Hispañiola, the Spanish Crown requested that the Diocese of Bayuna be transferred to Puerto Rico.[2] The Bull never went into effect due to the objection of Ferdinand II of Aragon 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.[1] 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, Bishop Elect of Bayuna, was reassigned to the Diocese of Santo Domingo.[1]

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, with the new archbishop leading a metropolitan province comprising all the dioceses on the island as suffragan dioceses.

The Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico is the metropolitan see for the Caguas, Fajardo–Humacao, Ponce, Mayagüez and the Arecibo.

The current archbishop is the Most Reverend Roberto González Nieves, O.F.M.

On August 29, 2018, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Reports on September 27, 2018 indicate that federal Judge Edward Godoy protected all archdioceses under Chapter 11, avoiding asset seizures and payment to the retired teachers[3]

Bishops

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

Diocese of Puerto Rico

Erected August 8, 1511

Diocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

Name Changed: November 24, 1924

Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

Elevated April 30, 1960

Auxiliary bishops

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
  • Rafael Grovas Felix, appointed Bishop of Caguas in 1965
  • Antulio Parrilla Bonilla, S.J. (priest here, 1952–1957), appointed auxiliary bishop of Caguas in 1965

High schools

Ecclesiastical Province of San Juan de Puerto Rico
Ecclesiastical Province of San Juan de Puerto Rico map

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.[5] 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.[6] 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 suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of San Juan.[3] On August 29, 2018, the Archdiocese of San Juan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, noting that they were unable find the $4.7 million.[7] On September 7, 2018,[8] 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.[3] However, the bankruptcy will also apply to other Dioceses in Puerto Rico as well.[3]

See also

References
  1. Herbermann, Charles G. (1913). The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. Catholic Way Publishing. p. 292. Magua.
  2. Schwaller, John Frederick (February 2011). The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America: From Conquest to Revolution and Beyond. New York University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0814783603.
  3. "Federal judge decides that bankruptcy filing applies to all of Puerto Rico's Roman Catholic churches". Pasquines.us. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  4. Márquez R.: "Puerto Rican poetry: a selection from aboriginal to contemporary times" Page 22. 2006.
  5. "Bloomberg Law : Document : CATHOLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES PENSION TRUST, Docket No. 3:18-bk-00108 (Bankr. D.P.R. Jan 11, 2018), Court Docket". Bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  6. "Judge orders embargo of Puerto Rico Catholic Church accounts". Cruxnow.com. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  7. "San Juan Archdiocese files for bankruptcy over teacher pensions". Ncronline.org. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  8. "Judge: Bankruptcy applies to all Puerto Rico Catholic churches". Caribbeanbusiness.com. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.

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