Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis–Imatellurana) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, covering five English-speaking jurisdictions in the Caribbean. The bishopric is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Castries, and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, but remains dependent on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis–Imatelluranus | |
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| Location | |
| Country |  Antigua and Barbuda
 British Virgin Islands,  UK |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of Castries |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 1,050 km2 (410 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2010) 169,787 14,878 (8.8%) |
| Parishes | 10 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 16 January 1971 (50 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Holy Family Cathedral |
| Co-cathedral | Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Robert Anthony Llanos |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Robert Rivas O.P. |
| Bishops emeritus | Kenneth Richards
Donald James Reece Joseph O Bowers |
| Map | |
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It has a cathedral episcopal see, the Holy Family Cathedral in St John's, Antigua and the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Basseterre, St Kitts. Both churches are the seat of the bishop, who is currently the Most Rev. Robert Llanos, formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago).
Extent and statistics
The diocese encompasses the islands of five Anglophone countries in the Lesser Antilles :
- Antigua and Barbuda, which has the see Holy Family Cathedral in St John's, Antigua
- Saint Kitts and Nevis, which has a co-cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Basseterre, St Kitts
- Anguilla
- Montserrat
- the British Virgin Islands.
As per 2014, it pastorally served 16,743 Catholics (9.0% of 186,880 total) on 1,059 km² in 13 parishes and 20 missions with 12 priests (3 diocesan, 9 religious), 3 deacons and 21 lay religious (9 brothers, 12 sisters).
History
The diocese was erected on 16 January 1971 as Diocese of Saint John's, on territory split off from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roseau (Dominica).
On 1981.06.21 it was renamed as Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre.
Episcopal ordinaries
(all Roman Rite)
- Suffragan Bishop of Saint John's
- Joseph Oliver Bowers, S.V.D. (16 January 1971 — 21 June 1981)
- Suffragan Bishops of Saint John's–Basseterre
- Joseph Oliver Bowers, S.V.D. (21 June 1971 — 17 July 1981, retired)
- Donald James Reece (17 July 1981 — 12 October 2007, appointed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica)
- sede vacante, Apostolic Administrator, Gabriel Malzaire (12 October 2007 — 19 November 2011)
- Kenneth David Oswin Richards (19 November 2011 — 29 April 2016, appointed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica)
- sede vacante, Apostolic Administrator, Robert Anthony Llanos (20 June 2016 — 18 December 2018)
- Robert Anthony Llanos (since 18 December 2018)
Sources and external links
- GCatholic, with Google map and satellite photo
- Radio for the Diocese
- "Saint John's-Basseterre". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-02-27.