Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago (Latin: Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis) is a Latin suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States overseas dependency of American Samoa, in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia.[1]
Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Territory |  American Samoa |
| Ecclesiastical province | Samoa-Apia |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 76 sq mi (200 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2010) 68,000 14,000 (20.6%) |
| Parishes | 16 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | September 10, 1982 (38 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Holy Family (Tafuna) |
| Co-cathedral | Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker (Fagatogo) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Peter Brown |
| Bishops emeritus | John Quinn Weitzel M.M. |
| Map | |
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The ordinary is a bishop whose seat is the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the Tafuna. He is also pastor of the co-cathedral of Saint Joseph the Worker in Fagatogo.
On Friday, May 31, 2013, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop John Quinn Weitzel M.M., and appointed the Rev. Peter Brown, C.Ss.R., the Regional Superior of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer also known as the Redemptorist Congregation in New Zealand as bishop-elect of the diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago. Brown was ordained as a bishop on August 22, 2013.
History
It was canonically erected on September 10, 1982,[2] taking territory from what once was a unified Diocese of Samoa and Tokelau, the remainder of which became its present Metropolitan.
It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope Paul VI in November 1970.
Episcopal ordinaries
Bishops of Samoa–Pago Pago
- John Quinn Weitzel, M.M. (1986–2013)
- Peter Brown, C.Ss.R. (2013–present)
Coat of arms
The proposal of coat of arms created Marek Sobola, a heraldic specialist from Slovakia. The colors of the new coat of arms are derived from the national colors of American Samoa. Heraldic figures of the coat of arms: Bald eagle - the national symbol, gold and silver lily - symbols of Pope Paul VI and John Paul II. These two popes contributed to the development of the diocese.[3]
See also
- Catholic Church by country
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa-Apia
- Global organisation of the Catholic Church
- List of Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
- List of Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
- List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
References
Sources and external links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago Official Site
- GCatholic, with incumbent bio links
- Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago
