Roman Catholic Diocese of Carolina

"Diocese of Carolina" redirects here. For the Anglican Church in North America diocese, see Diocese of the Carolinas.

Diocese of Carolina Dioecesis Carolinensis in Brasilia
Catedral São Pedro de Alcântara in 2011
Location
Country	Brazil
Ecclesiastical province	São Luís do Maranhão
Statistics
Area	18,252 km^2 (7,047 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 150,000 121,000 (80.7%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	14 January 1958 (67 years ago)
Cathedral	Catedral São Pedro de Alcântara
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Francisco Lima Soares
Metropolitan Archbishop	José Belisário da Silva, OFM
Bishops emeritus	José Soares Filho, OFMCap

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Carolina (Latin: Dioecesis Carolinensis in Brasilia) is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of São Luís do Maranhão in northeastern Brazil's Maranhão state.

Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral São Pedro de Alcântara, dedicated to Saint Peter of Alcantara, in the city of Carolina, Maranhão.

History

• 14 January 1958: Established as Territorial Prelature of Carolina, on territory split off from the Diocese of Rio Preto
• 16 October 1979: Promoted as Diocese of Carolina
• Lost territory on 1987.06.27 to establish Diocese of Imperatriz

Statistics

As per 2015, it pastorally served 158,100 Catholics (89.9% of 175,800 total) on 18,252 km² in 11 parishes and 1 mission with 12 priests (diocesan), 2 lay religious (2 sisters) and 4 seminarians.

Bishops

(all Roman Rite)

Episcopal ordinaries

Territorial Bishop-Prelates of Carolina

• Cesário Alexandre Minali, OFMCap (born Italy) (1958.04.09 – death 1969.06.13), Titular Bishop of Achyraus (1955.03.01 – 1969.06.13), previously Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Alto Solimões (Brazil) (1955.03.01 – 1958.04.09)
• Marcelino Sérgio Bicego, OFMCap (first native incumbent) (1971.08.06 – 1979.10.16 see below), Titular Bishop of Lydda (1971.08.06 – 1978.05.26)

Suffragan Bishops of Carolina

• Marcelino Sérgio Bicego, OFMCap (see above 1979.10.16 – death 1980.01.22)
• Evangelista Alcimar Caldas Magalhães, OFMCap (1981.09.03 – 1990.09.12), next Prelate (later Bishop) of Alto Solimões (Brazil) (1990.09.12 – retired 2015.05.20)
• Marcelino Correr, OFMCap (1991.03.13 – retired 2003.10.15), died 2006
• José Soares Filho, OFMCap (2003.10.15 – retired 2017.07.05), also Apostolic Administrator of Diocese of Tocantinópolis (Brazil) (2008.01 – 2009.03.04); succeeded as previous Coadjutor Bishop of Carolina (2003.01.15 – 2003.10.15)
• Francisco Lima Soares (2018.11.21 -)

Coadjutor bishop

• José Soares Filho, OFMCap (2003)

See also

• List of Catholic dioceses in Brazil

Sources and external links

• GCatholic.org - data for all sections
• Catholic Hierarchy

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