Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago
The Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago (Latin: Diœcesis Samoa–Pagopagensis) is a Latin Church 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 | (as of 2010) 68,000 14,000 (20.6%) |
| Parishes | 16 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 10 September 1982 (41 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Holy Family (Tafuna) |
| Co-cathedral | Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker (Fagatogo) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Kolio Etuale |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Alapati Lui Mataeliga |
| Bishops emeritus | |
| 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 10 September 1982,[2] from a unified diocese of Samoa and Tokelau, the bulk of which became its present Metropolitan.
It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope Paul VI in November 1970.
Leadership
- Apostolic administrator
- Cardinal Pio Taofinuʻu, S.M. (1982–1986)
- Ordinaries
- John Quinn Weitzel, M.M. (1986–2013)
- Peter Brown, C.Ss.R. (2013–2023)
- Kolio Etuale (2023–present)
Coat of arms
The proposal of coat of arms was created by Marek Sobola, a heraldic specialist from Slovakia. The colors of the new coat of arms are derived from the national colors of American Samoa. The heraldic figures on the coat of arms include a bald eagle (the national symbol) and gold and silver lily - symbols of Pope Paul VI and John Paul II. These two popes contributed to the development of the diocese.[3]
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
