Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del Rei

The Diocese of São João del Rei (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis a Rege) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Brazil. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Juiz de Fora.^[1]

Diocese of São João del Rei Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis a Rege
Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar
Location
Country	Brazil
Ecclesiastical province	Juiz de Fora
Statistics
Area	9,503 km2 (3,669 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2004) 520,000 468,000 (90.0%)
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	21 May 1960 (65 years ago)
Cathedral	Catedral Basílica Nossa Sehora do Pilar
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	José Eudes Campos do Nascimento
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gil Antônio Moreira
Bishops emeritus	Waldemar Chaves de Araújo

Regional CNBB Leste 2.

Its cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, São João del Rei, a minor basilica, dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar, in the city of São João del-Rei.

History

Saint Anne in Lavras.

On May 21, 1960, the Diocese of São João del-Rei was established as Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis a Rege (Latin), on territories split off from the Diocese of Campanha, Archdiocese of Mariana, and (then) Diocese of Juiz de Fora.

Statistics

As of 2015^[update], its pastoral services reached 506,000 Catholics (85.1% of the total population, 594 800), on 9 503 km², and 40 parishes.^{[citation needed]}

Religious persons

• 72 priests: 48 diocesan, 24 religious;
• 2 deacons;

• 

  Saint Gundisalvus of Amarante in Ibituruna.

  109 lay religious: 57 brothers, 52 sisters;
• 9 seminarians.

Ordinaries

• Delfim Ribeiro Guedes (1960-07-23 – retired 1983-12-07), died 1985; previously Bishop of Leopoldina (Brazil) (1943-06-26 – 1960-07-23)
• Antônio Carlos Mesquita (1983-12-16 – 1996-06-26), died 2005; previously Titular Bishop of Tamada (1974-04-08 – 1977-03-06) as Coadjutor Bishop of Oliveira (Brazil) (1974-04-08 – 1977-03-06) and Apostolic Administrator sede plena of Oliveira (Brazil) (1974-04-08 – 1977-03-06), succeeding as Bishop of Oliveira (Brazil) (1977-03-06 – 1983-12-16)
• Waldemar Chaves de Araújo (1996-06-26 – retired 2010.05.26), previously Bishop of Teófilo Otoni (Brazil) (1989-11-18 – 1996-06-26)
• Célio de Oliveira Goulart,^[2] Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (2010-05-26 – death 2018-01-19), previously Bishop of Leopoldina (Brazil) (1998-06-24 – 2003-07-09), Bishop of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (Brazil) (2003-07-09 – 2010-05-26)
• José Eudes Campos do Nascimento (2018-12-12 - present).

Personalities

• Nhá Chica (1808-1895), lay woman
• José Maria Xavier (1819-1887), priest, composer of sacred music
• Antônio de Almeida Lustosa (1886-1974), Archbishop of Fortaleza
• Miguel Afonso de Andrade Leite (1912-1976), priest
• Lucas Moreira Neves (1925-2002), cardinal
• Benigna Victima de Jesus (1907-1981), nun who lived in Lavras
• Martin de Porres Ward (1918-1999), African American missionary