Diocese of Ponta Grossa, Brazil

Continent: South America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Ponta Grossa / de Ponta Grossa (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Curitiba

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Website:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Nossa Senhora Mãe da Divina Graça (September 15)

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: July 23 (2009)

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1926.05.10: Established as Diocese of Ponta Grossa / de Ponta Grossa (Latin) (from Diocese of Curitiba and became suffragan of Curitiba)
1933.12.09: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of Palmas
1965.12.16: Lost territory to establish Diocese of Guarapuava
1976.12.03: Lost territory to establish Diocese of União da Vitória

Present Prelates

Bishop (2024.06.10 – ...):

Bishop Bruno Elizeu Versari (65)

Ordinaries

Bishops of Ponta Grossa (Roman Rite)

Bishop Bruno Elizeu Versari (65)
(2024.06.10 – ...)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil)

Deus é misericórdia

Born:	1959.05.30 (Cândido Mota, SP, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1988.01.03
Consecrated Bishop:	2017.06.25

Priest of Maringá (Brazil) (1988.01.03 – 2017.04.19)

Coadjutor Bishop of Campo Mourão (Brazil) (2017.04.19 – 2017.12.06)

Bishop of Campo Mourão (Brazil) (2017.12.06 – 2024.06.10)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (2024.06.10 – ...)

Bishop Sérgio Arthur Braschi (76)
(2003.07.16 – 2024.06.10)

Bishop emeritus of Ponta Grossa (Brazil)

Vita Dulcedo Spes

Born:	1948.12.03 (Curitiba, PR, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1973.07.08
Consecrated Bishop:	1998.04.14

Priest of Curitiba (Brazil) (1973.07.08 – 1998.02.18)

Titular Bishop of Tipasa in Numidia (1998.02.18 – 2003.07.16)

Auxiliary Bishop of Curitiba (Brazil) (1998.02.18 – 2003.07.16)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (2003.07.16 – 2024.06.10)

Bishop João Bráz de Aviz (77) (later Cardinal)
(1998.08.12 – 2002.07.17)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina pro hac vice Title
Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Brasília (Brazil)
Prefect emeritus of Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life

Todos sejam um

Born:	1947.04.24 (Mafra, SC, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1972.11.26
Consecrated Bishop:	1994.05.31
Created Cardinal:	2012.02.18

Priest of Apucarana (Brazil) (1972.11.26 – 1994.04.06)

Titular Bishop of Flenucleta (1994.04.06 – 1998.08.12)

Auxiliary Bishop of Vitória (Brazil) (1994.04.06 – 1998.08.12)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (1998.08.12 – 2002.07.17)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Maringá (Brazil) (2002.07.17 – 2004.01.28)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasília (Brazil) (2004.01.28 – 2011.01.04)

Prefect of Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life (2011.01.04 – 2025.01.06)

Cardinal-Deacon of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina (2012.02.18 [2012.05.20] – 2022.03.04)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina pro hac vice Title (2022.03.04 – ...)

Bishop Murilo Sebastião Ramos Krieger, S.C.I. (81) (later Archbishop)
(1991.05.08 – 1997.05.07)

Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of São Salvador da Bahia (Brazil)

Deus caritas est

Born:	1943.09.19 (Brusque, SC, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1969.12.07
Consecrated Bishop:	1985.04.28

Titular Bishop of Lysinia (1985.02.16 – 1991.05.08)

Auxiliary Bishop of Florianópolis (Brazil) (1985.02.16 – 1991.05.08)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (1991.05.08 – 1997.05.07)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Maringá (Brazil) (1997.05.07 – 2002.02.20)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Florianópolis (Brazil) (2002.02.20 – 2011.01.12)

Metropolitan Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia (Brazil) (2011.01.12 – 2020.03.11)

Vice-President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (2015.04.20 – 2019.05.06)

Bishop Geraldo Claudio Luiz Micheletto Pellanda, C.P.
(1965.03.20 – 1991.01.02)

Born:	1916.09.01 (Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1939.09.23
Consecrated Bishop:	1961.02.11
Died:	1991.01.02 († 74)

Titular Bishop of Mades (1960.11.09 – 1965.03.20)

Coadjutor Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (1960.11.09 – 1965.03.20)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (1965.03.20 – 1991.01.02)

Bishop Antônio Mazzarotto
(1929.12.16 – 1965.03.20)

Adveniat regnum tuum

Born:	1890.09.01 (Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1914.11.23
Consecrated Bishop:	1930.02.23
Died:	1980.07.15 († 89)

Bishop of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) (1929.12.16 – 1965.03.20)

Apostolic Administrator of Palmas (Brazil) (1935 – 1936)

Titular Bishop of Octabia (1965.03.20 – 1971.03.16)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop Geraldo Claudio Luiz Micheletto Pellanda, C.P. (1960.11.09 – 1965.03.20)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop José Alves da Costa, D.C. (1986.01.03 – 1991.05.08)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Getúlio Teixeira Guimarães, S.V.D. (1980.12.20 – 1984.03.26)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Catedral Sant’Ana, Ponta Grossa, Paraná
Jubilee Churches in the Holy Year 2025

Churches by City (50)

Guarapuava (←), Apucarana (↖), Londrina (↖), Cornélio Procópio (↑), Jacarezinho (↑), Paranaguá (↗), Curitiba (→), União da Vitória (↓)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 20,986 km²

Population: 671,000 Catholics (82.6% of 812,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 47 parishes, 645 missions

Personnel: 133 priests (50 diocesan, 83 religious), 126 deacons, 302 religious (138 brothers, 164 sisters), 18 seminarians