Diocese of Tonga
| Diocese of Tonga | |
 |
|
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Country |
Tonga Niue ( New Zealand ) |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediate |
| Diocesan bishop | Soane Cardinal Patita Paini Mafi |
| surface | 1,008 km² |
| Parishes | 14 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| Residents | 103,391 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| Catholics | 14,332 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| proportion of | 13.9% |
| Diocesan priest | 19 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| Religious priest | 12 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| Catholics per priest | 462 |
| Friars | 20 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| Religious sisters | 39 (2014 / AP 2015 ) |
| rite | Roman rite |
| Liturgical language | Tongan , English |
| cathedral |
St. Mary's Cathedral (Malia Tupu Imakulata) |
| address | PO Box 1 Nuku'alofa Tonga |
The diocese of Tonga ( Latin : Dioecesis Tongana ), located on the island states of Tonga and Niue , was founded on August 23, 1842 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Oceania from the Apostolic Vicariate of Western Oceania and included Tonga, New Caledonia , Samoa , Wallis and Futuna and the Fiji Islands .
On April 13, 1937, the name was changed to Vicariate Apostolic of Tonga Island. In 1950 there were 6,388 Catholics (20%) with 3 diocesan priests , 9 religious priests and 38 religious sisters .
After it changed its name again on March 22, 1957, now in the Apostolic Vicariate of the island of Tonga and Niue, it was raised to an immediate diocese on June 21, 1966 . To this day, the diocese is a mission area of the Marist Fathers , who also provided the majority of the priests until the 1980s. Since the 1970s one can speak of a largely complete development of the mission area, which in 1970 had 14,488 Catholics (15.6%) in 13 parishes with 6 diocesan priests, 21 religious priests and 82 religious sisters.
Even 30 years later, that hadn't changed much. Only the weight between world and religious priests had shifted, in 2004 there were 17 diocesan priests, 9 religious priests and 75 religious sisters in 11 parishes with 15,799 Catholics (16.1%).
An increase in the number of vocations to the priesthood within the diocese cannot be overlooked, as their number is increasing from year to year.
With Soane Patita Paini Mafi was a bishop of Tonga in 2015 for the first time Cardinal .
Ordinariats
Vicars Apostolic
- Pierre Battalion SM (1843–1863)
- Jean-Amand Lamaze SM (1879–1906)
- Joseph Felix Blanc SM (1912–1952)
- John Hubert Macey Rodgers SM (1953-1966)
Bishops
- John Hubert Macey Rodgers SM (1966-1972)
- Patelisio Punou-Ki-Hihifo Finau SM (1972-1993)
- Soane Lilo Foliaki SM (1994-2008)
- Soane Cardinal Patita Paini Mafi (since 2008)