Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña

Archdiocese of Agaña
Archidioecesis Aganiensis
Location
Country United States
Territory Guam
Ecclesiastical province Ecclesiastical province of Agaña
Statistics
Area 215 sq mi (560 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2006)
155,687
132,494 (85.1%)
Parishes 26
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established March 1, 1911 (105 years ago)
Cathedral Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M. Cap., D.D.
(suspended)
Coadjutor Michael Jude Byrnes
Map
Website
http://archagana.org

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the United States dependency of Guam. The prelate is an archbishop whose cathedral is the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.

The archdiocese is a member of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC) and of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania, and an observer to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

History

Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica, the seat of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Agana.

The first Catholic church was established on Guam on June 15, 1668 by Spanish colonizers Diego Luis de San Vitores and Pedro Calungsod.[1]:64 Catholics in Guam were part of the Diocese of Cebu, the Philippines. The United States acquired Guam from Spain after the Spanish–American War of 1898. On September 17, 1902, the Apostolic Prefecture of Mariana Islands was established which included Guam.

On March 1, 1911, the Apostolic Vicariate of Guam was canonically erected. On July 4, 1946, territory was added from the suppressed Vicariate Apostolic of Marianne, Caroline, and Marshall Islands.

On October 14, 1965, the Vatican elevated the apostolic vicariate to the Diocese of Agaña, as a suffragan diocese to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco.

On March 8, 1984, in response to the growth of Catholicism in Guam and its vicinity, the diocese was elevated to a metropolitan see, the Archdiocese and Metropolitan Province of Agaña. The metropolitan province consists of the Archdiocese of Agaña and its suffragan Roman Catholic Dioceses of Chalan Kanoa and of Caroline Islands, and the Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands.

Scandal

In 2016, for the first time in the history of the Archdiocese, sexual allegations surfaced against its Ordinary (at the time Archbishop Anthony Apuron).[2] Consequently on June 6, 2016, Pope Francis took charge of the pastoral and administrative governance of the local church through Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, S.D.B. in a status known as sede plena.[3]

On October 31, 2016, after months of an Apostolic Administration, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Michael J. Byrnes of the Archdiocese of Detroit to become coadjutor to Archbishop Anthony with special faculties. Those faculties included complete authority in all pastoral and administrative matters in the Archdiocese, both civilly and ecclesiastically.[4]

Ordinaries

No. Name From Until
1 Francisco Xavier Vilá y Mateu, O.F.M.Cap. August 25, 1911 January 1, 1913
2 Agustín José Bernaus y Serra, O.F.M. May 9, 1913 September 14, 1913
3 Joaquín Felipe Oláiz y Zabalza, O.F.M. July 20, 1914 January 1, 1933
4 León Angel Olano y Urteaga, O.F.M. July 9, 1934 August 20, 1945
5 Apollinaris William Baumgartner, O.F.M. Cap. October 14, 1945 December 18, 1970
6 Felixberto Camacho Flores April 21, 1971 October 25, 1985
7 Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M. Cap May 11, 1986 Present

Education

Bishop Baumgartner Memorial School

Schools operated by the archdiocese include:[5]

Schools previously operated by the archdiocese include:[6]

High schools:[6]

Elementary and middle schools:[6]

Elementary schools:[6]

Parishes

The Archdiocese of Agaña consists of twenty-six parishes on the island of Guam:[7]

Northern Region

Central I Region

Central II Region

Southern Region

Demographics

Year Population Priests Deacons Religious Parishes
Catholic Total Percent

Catholic

 Diocesan Religious Total Catholics

per priest

 Male Female
1911 9,740 12,240 79.6% 0 10 10 974 0 13 n/a 6
1950 32,209 32,700 98.5% 3 24 27 1,192 0 44 120 17
1966 60,046 62,240 96.5% 15 26 41 1,464 0 26 206 24
1970 80,872 115,000 70.3% 23 55 78 1,036 0 57 213 24
1976 111,831 141,871 78.8% 26 28 54 2,070 18 36 148 31
1980 120,659 129,428 93.2% 19 32 51 2,365 11 43 146 35
1990 114,404 126,169 90.7% 19 27 46 2,487 5 29 143 26
1999 122,962 144,997 84.8% 28 15 43 2,859 9 20 120 24
2000 122,962 144,867 84.9% 27 10 37 3,323 9 15 120 24
2001 150,563 167,292 90.0% 31 16 47 3,203 7 22 125 24
2002 125,167 154,805 89.9% 33 5 38 3,293 9 21 120 24
2003 131,430 154,623 85.0% 32 15 47 2,796 8 21 120 24
2004 131,584 154,805 85.0% 32 15 47 2,799 20 16 120 24
2006 132,494 155,687 85.1% 30 12 42 3,154 20 12 103 24
2012 157,000 184,000 85.3% 38 9 47 3,340 17 9 100 24
Sources: 1911:[8] 1950–2012:[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Carano, Paul; Sanchez, Pedro C. (1964). A Complete History of Guam. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company. OCLC 414965.
  2. ↑ "Pope names temporary administrator for Guam archdiocese". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  3. ↑ "Other Pontifical Acts". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  4. ↑ "Pope appoints new coadjutor archbishop who could replace Apuron". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
  5. ↑ "Schools." Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña. Retrieved on October 25, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Catholic Schools." Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña. March 4, 2001. Retrieved on October 25, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Parishes in the Archdiocese of Agaña". Archdiocese of Agana Official Website. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  8. ↑ The Catholic Encyclopedia: Index. encyclopedia Press, Incorporated. 1914-01-01.
  9. ↑ Cheney, David M. "Agaña (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2016-01-29.

Coordinates: 13°28′27″N 144°45′08″E / 13.47417°N 144.75222°E / 13.47417; 144.75222

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