Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del Rei

The Diocese of São João del Rei (Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis a Rege) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in Brazil. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Juiz de Fora.

Its cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, São João del Rei, a minor basilica, dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar, in the city of São João del-Rei.

History
On May 21, 1960, the Diocese of São João del-Rei was established as Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis a Rege (Latin), on territories split off from the Diocese of Campanha, Archdiocese of Mariana, and (then) Diocese of Juiz de Fora.

Statistics
, its pastoral services reached 506,000 Catholics (85.1% of the total population, 594 800), on 9 503 km², and 40 parishes.

Religious persons

 * 72 priests: 48 diocesan, 24 religious;
 * 2 deacons;
 * Igreja de Ibituruna - MG - panoramio.jpg in Ibituruna.]]109 lay religious: 57 brothers, 52 sisters;
 * 9 seminarians.

Ordinaries

 * 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).

Personalities

 * Nhá Chica (1808-1895), lay woman
 * José Maria Xavier (1819-1887), priest, composer of sacred music
 * Antônio de Almeida Lustosa (1886-1974), Archbishop of Fortaleza
 * Miguel Afonso de Andrade Leite (1912-1976), priest
 * Lucas Moreira Neves (1925-2002), cardinal
 * Benigna Victima de Jesus (1907-1981), nun who lived in Lavras
 * Martin de Porres Ward (1918-1999), African American missionary

Sources and External links

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