Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre

Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis–Imatelluranus
The Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Basseterre
Location
Country	Antigua and Barbuda Saint Kitts and Nevis Montserrat, UK Anguilla, UK British Virgin Islands, UK
Ecclesiastical province	Province of Castries
Metropolitan	Robert Rivas O.P.
Statistics
Area	1,050 km2 (410 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2010) 169,787 14,878 (8.8%)
Parishes	10
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	16 January 1971 (53 years ago)
Cathedral	Holy Family Cathedral
Co-cathedral	Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Robert Llanos (Apostolic Administrator
Bishops emeritus	Kenneth Richards Donald James Reece Joseph O Bowers
Website
www.diocesesjb.com

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis–Imatellurana) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, covering five English-speaking jurisdictions in the Caribbean. The bishopric is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Castries, and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, but remains dependent on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

It has a cathedral episcopal see, the Holy Family Cathedral in St John's, Antigua and the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Basseterre, St Kitts.

Both churches are the seat of the bishop. The see is currently vacant, with the Most Rev. Robert Llanos, Auxiliary Bishop of Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), not its own Metropolitan, acting as Apostolic Administrator.

Extent and statistics

The diocese encompasses the islands of five Anglophone countries in the Lesser Antilles :

• Antigua and Barbuda, which has the see Holy Family Cathedral in St John's, Antigua
• Saint Kitts and Nevis, which has a co-cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Basseterre, St Kitts
• Anguilla
• Montserrat
• the British Virgin Islands.

As per 2014, it pastorally served 16,743 Catholics (9.0% of 186,880 total) on 1,059 km² in 13 parishes and 20 missions with 12 priests (3 diocesan, 9 religious), 3 deacons and 21 lay religious (9 brothers, 12 sisters).

History

The diocese was erected on 16 January 1971 as Diocese of Saint John’s, on territory split off from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roseau (Dominica).

On 1981.06.21 it was renamed as Diocese of Saint John’s–Basseterre.

Episcopal ordinaries

(all Roman Rite)

Suffragan Bishop of Saint John’s

• Joseph Oliver Bowers, Divine Word Missionaries (S.V.D.) (born Dominica) (1971.01.16 – 1981.06.21 see below); previously Titular Bishop of Ciparissia (1952.11.27 – 1953.01.08) as Auxiliary Bishop of Accra (Ghana, West Africa) (1952.11.27 – 1953.01.08), succeeding as Bishop of the same Accra (1953.01.08 – 1971.01.16)

Suffragan Bishops of Saint John’s–Basseterre

• Joseph Oliver Bowers, S.V.D. (see above 1981.06.21 – retired 1981.07.17), died 2012
• Donald James Reece (1981.07.17 – 2007.10.12) (born Jamaica); later Coadjutor Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica (Jamaica, Greater Antilles) (2007.10.12 – 2008.04.12), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of the same Kingston in Jamaica (2008.04.12 – retired 2011.04.15), President of Antilles Episcopal Conference (2008.05 – 2011.04.15)
• Apostolic Administrator Gabriel Malzaire (born Saint Lucia) (2007.10.12 – 2011.11.19), while Bishop of mother see Roseau (Dominica) (2002.07.10 – ...)
• Kenneth David Oswin Richards (born Jamaica) (2011.11.19 – 2016.04.29); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Kingston in Jamaica (Jamaica) (2016.04.29 – ...)
• Apostolic Administrator Robert Llanos (born Trinidad and Tobago) (29 April 2016 - ...), Titular Bishop of Casæ nigræ (2013.07.13 – ...) as Auxiliary Bishop of and Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) (2013.07.13 – ...).

See also

• List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)

Sources and external links

• Official website
• GCatholic, with Google map and satellite photo
• Radio for the Diocese
• "Saint John's-Basseterre". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-02-27.