Territory Marshall Islands Denomination Roman Catholic Area 178.7 km² | Parishes 4 Rite Roman Rite Country Marshall Islands | |
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Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2010)
57,400
4,875 (8.5%) Established 23 April 1993 (23 years ago) Cathedral Cathedral of the Assumption, Majuro (Majuro) Ecclesiastical province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña | ||
The Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands (Latin: Praefectura Apostolica Insularum Marshallensium) is a Latin apostolic prefecture (pre-diocesan missionary ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, below apostolic vicariate, lacking the rank of diocese and the right to a titular bishop), in the South Sea Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Contents
The apostolic prefecture is (atypically) a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Province of Agaña (on Guam, US), yet still depends (like an exempt mission) on the Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Although the see of the prefecture, the Cathedral of the Assumption, in Majuro, on Majuro Atoll, is not in the United States, the prelature includes Wake Island, which is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States.
Its see is the Cathedral of the Assumption in Majuro, on Majuro Atoll.-. The current apostolic prefect and (earlier?) pastor of the Cathedral was appointed from the local missionary Jesuits.
Statistics
As per 2014, it has 4,975 Catholics (9.5% of 52,500 total population) on 181 km² of islands in a marine area nearly the size of the United States, pastorally served in nine churches in 11 parishes, by 6 priests (1 diocesan, 5 religious), 1 deacon, 15 lay religious (5 brothers, 10 sisters) and a seminarian.
History
Missionaries from the Order of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.) arrived in 1898. In 1905, a pre-diocesan jurisdiction was established as Mission sui juris of Marshall Islands, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania (mainly New Britain, in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea).
On April 5, 1923, the independent mission was suppressed, its territory being merged into the then Apostolic Vicariate of Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands.
On April 23, 1993, Pope John Paul II split the former Diocese of Carolines-Marshalls into the Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands and the Diocese of Caroline Islands. In 2007, Father James Gould, apostolic prefect, resigned. Father Raymundo Sabio, a Filipino missionary, was chosen to succeed him.
Ordinaries
(all Latin Rite)
- James C. Gould, Jesuits (S.J.) (23 April 1993 – resigned 21 December 2007) (born USA, no other prelature)
- Raymundo Sabio, M.S.C. (22 December 2007 – ...) (born Philippines, no previous prelature).