Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del Rei

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
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	21 May 1960 (64 years ago)
Cathedral	Catedral Basílica Nossa Sehora do Pilar
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	José Eudes Campos do Nascimento
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gil Antônio Moreira
Bishops emeritus	Waldemar Chaves de Araújo

The Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del Rei (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis a Rege) is a suffragan Latin rite diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Its (Marian) cathedral episcopal see is Catedral Basílica Nossa Sehora do Pilar, a Minor Basilica, dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar, in the city of São João del-Rei São João del Rei.

History

• May 21, 1960: Established as Diocese of São João del-Rei / Sancti Ioannis a Rege (Latin), on territories split off from the Diocese of Campanha and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mariana

Statistics

As per 2015, it pastorally served 506,000 Catholics (85.1% of 594,800 total) on 9,503 km² in 40 parishes with 72 priests (48 diocesan, 24 religious), 2 deacons, 109 lay religious (57 brothers, 52 sisters) and 9 seminarians.

Episcopal Ordinaries

(all Roman rite native Brazilians)

Suffragan Bishops of São João del-Rei

• 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, 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).

Sources and External links

• GCatholic.org, with Google map - data for all sections
• Catholic Hierarchy
• Diocese website (Portuguese)