The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Aracaju (Latin: Archidioecesis Aracaiuensis) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese in the State of Sergipe, northeastern Brazil.
Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao, dedicated to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, in the city of Aracaju. It has two more World Heritage Site, parish/convent churches in São Cristóvão, Sergipe: Igreja de Santa Casa de Misericórdia and Igreja e Convento de São Cruz (São Francisco).
As per 2014, it pastorally served 1,086,000 Catholics (84.1% of 1,292,000 total) on 7,019 km² in 99 parishes with 159 priests (129 diocesan, 30 religious), 21 deacons, 321 lay religious (119 brothers, 202 sisters) and 34 seminarians.
Established on January 3, 1910 as Diocese of Aracaju, on territory split off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia
Promoted on April 30, 1960 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Aracaju, losing territory to establish its two suffrgans : Diocese of Estância and Diocese of Propriá.
Its Suffragan dioceses are both daughter sees :
Roman Catholic Diocese of Estância
Roman Catholic Diocese of Propriá
(all Latin Rite Brazilians)
Suffragan Bishops of Aracaju
José Tomas Gomes da Silva (1911.05.12 – death 1948.10.31)
Fernando Gomes dos Santos (1949.02.01 – 1957.03.07), previously Bishop of Penedo (Brazil) (1943.01.09 – 1949.02.01); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Goiânia (Brazil) (1957.03.07 – death 1985.06.01)
José Vicente Távora (1957.11.20 – 1960.04.30 see below), previously Titular Bishop of Prusias ad Hypium (1954.06.23 – 1957.11.20) as Auxiliary Bishop of (São Sebastião do) Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (1954.06.23 – 1957.11.20)
Metropolitan Archbishops of Aracaju
José Vicente Távora (see above 1960.04.30 – death 1970.04.03)
Luciano José Cabral Duarte (1971.02.12 – retired 1998.08.26), also First Vice-President of Latin American Episcopal Council (1979 – 1983); succeeded as former Titular Bishop of Gadiaufala (1966.07.14 – 1971.02.12) and Auxiliary Bishop of Aracaju (1966.07.14 – 1971.02.12)
José Palmeira Lessa (1998.08.26 – 2017.01.18); previously Titular Bishop of Sita (1982.06.21 – 1987.10.30) as Auxiliary Bishop of (São Sebastião do) Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (1982.06.21 – 1987.10.30), Bishop of Propriá (Brazil) (1987.10.30 – 1996.12.06), Coadjutor Archbishop of Aracaju (1996.12.06 – succession 1998.08.26)
João José da Costa, Carmelite Order (O. Carm.) (2017.01.18 – ...), previously Bishop of Iguatu (Brazil) (2009.01.07 – 2014.11.05), Coadjutor Archbishop of Aracaju (2014.11.05 – succession 2017.01.18).
