Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones

The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan Bautista (de las Misiones) (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis Baptistae a Missionibus) is a southern suffragan Latin Catholic diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Asunción, which covers all of Paraguay (except the pre-diocesan missions).

Diocese of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis Baptistae a Missionibus
Location
Country	Paraguay
Metropolitan	Asunción
Statistics
Area	21,703 km2 (8,380 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 201,000 198,000 (98.5%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Pedro Collar Noguera
Bishops emeritus	Mario Melanio Medina Salinas
Map

History

• On January 19, 1957, the Diocese of San Juan Bautista (de Las Misiones) was established on territories split off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Asunción and from the Diocese of Villarrica

Special churches

Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral San Juan Bautista, dedicated to John the Baptist, in the city of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones in Misiones Department

It also has a Minor Basilica : the Marian Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar, dedicated to Our Lady of Pilar, in Pilar, Paraguay, Ñeembucu.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 227,000 Catholics (98.3% of 231,000 total) on 21,700 km² in 30 parishes and 139 missions with 35 priests (19 diocesan, 16 religious), 2 deacons, 63 lay religious (18 brothers, 45 sisters) and 5 seminarians.

Bishops

(all Roman rite natives)

Episcopal ordinaries

Suffragan Bishops of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones

• Ramón Bogarín Argaña (January 19, 1957 – death September 3, 1976), also President of Episcopal Conference of Paraguay (1970 – 1973); previously Titular Bishop of Bagis (1954.12.01 – 1957.01.19) as Auxiliary Bishop of Asunción (Paraguay) (1954.12.01 – 1957.01.19)
• Carlos Milcíades Villalba Aquino (July 25, 1978 – retired July 22, 1999), died January 8, 2016
• Mario Melanio Medina Salinas (July 22, 1999 – retired 2017.02.16); previously Bishop of Benjamín Aceval (Paraguay) (1980.06.28 – 1997.07.08) and Coadjutor Bishop of San Juan Bautista (1997.07.08 – succession 1999.07.22)
• Pedro Collar Noguera (2017.02.16 – ...); previously Titular Bishop of Thamugadi (2016.04.23 – 2017.02.16) as Auxiliary Bishop of Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) (2016.04.23 – 2017.02.16).

Coadjutor bishop

• Mario Melanio Medina Salinas (1997-1999)

See also

• List of Catholic dioceses in Paraguay

Sources and external links

• GCatholic.org, with Google map and - satellite photo
• Catholic Hierarchy