Roman Catholic Diocese of La Guaira

The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Guaira (Latin: Dioecesis Guairiensis) is a diocese located in the city of La Guaira in the ecclesiastical province of Caracas in Venezuela.

Diocese of La Guaira

Dioecesis Guairiensis
Location
Country Venezuela
Ecclesiastical provinceCaracas
Statistics
Area1,497 km2 (578 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
325,000
295,750 (91.0%)
Information
RiteLatin Rite
Established15 April 1970 (54 years ago)
CathedralSt. Peter the Apostle Cathedral
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopVacant
Map

History

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On 15 April 1970 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of La Guaira from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Caracas.

Our Lady of Lourdes Pilgrimage

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La Guaira is home to the oldest pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes in Latin America. The devotion began in 1884 when a Venezuelan priest, Fr Machado, returned from a pilgrimage to the original Lourdes grotto in France. He established a shrine in the mountain of El Ávila. Every year, with only very few exceptions, a 20 Km pilgrimage takes place along the Camiño de los Españoles, beginning in Puerto Caracas and ending in the church of St Sebastian, in Maiquetía.[1]

Bishops

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Ordinaries

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  • Marcial Augusto Ramírez Ponce (1970.04.15 – 1972.12.05), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela
  • Francisco de Guruceaga Iturriza (1973.10.02 – 2001.10.18)
  • José de la Trinidad Valera Angulo (2001.10.18 – 2011.10.12), appointed Bishop of Guanare
  • Raúl Biord Castillo, S.D.B. (2013.11.30 - 2024.07.28), appointed Archbishop of Caracas

Coadjutor bishop

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Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ ACN (2024-02-07). "Venezuela marks 140 years of the first Lourdes pilgrimage in the Americas". ACN International. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
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10°36′04″N 66°55′53″W / 10.6012°N 66.9313°W / 10.6012; -66.9313