Metropolitan Archdiocese of Porto Velho, Brazil

Continent: South America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Metropolitan Archdiocese Metr. Archdiocese

Name: Porto Velho / Portus Veteris (Latin)

Suffragan Sees: Cruzeiro do Sul, Guajará-Mirim, Humaitá, Ji-Paraná, Rio Branco, Lábrea

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Website:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Sagrado Coração de Jesus, Saint John Bosco (January 31)

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1925.05.01: Established as Territorial Prelature of Porto Velho / Portus Veteris (Latin) (from Diocese of Amazonas and Diocese of São Luiz de Cáceres and became suffragan of Belém do Pará)
1929.03.01: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of Guajará-Mirim
1952.02.16: Became suffragan of Manaus
1961.06.26: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of Humaitá
1978.01.03: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of Vila Rondônia
1979.10.16: Promoted as Diocese of Porto Velho / Portus Veteris (Latin)
1982.10.04: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Porto Velho / Portus Veteris (Latin) (with suffragan sees Guajará-Mirim, Humaitá, Lábrea and Vila Rondônia)
2001.08.31: Gained suffragan sees Cruzeiro do Sul and Rio Branco

Present Prelates

Metropolitan Archbishop (2015.10.14 – ...):

Archbishop Roque Paloschi (68)

Ordinaries

Metropolitan Archbishops of Porto Velho (Roman Rite)

Archbishop Roque Paloschi (68)
(2015.10.14 – ...)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Velho (Brazil)

Fiz-me servo

Born:	1956.11.05 (Progresso, RS, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1986.12.07
Consecrated Bishop:	2005.07.17

Priest of Bagé (Brazil) (1986.12.07 – 2005.05.18)

Bishop of Roraima (Brazil) (2005.05.18 – 2015.10.14)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Velho (Brazil) (2015.10.14 – ...)

Bishop Benedito Araújo (61)
(Apostolic Administrator 2015.04.22 – 2015.10.14)

Archbishop Esmeraldo Barreto de Farias, Prado (75)
(2011.11.30 – 2015.03.18)

Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Araçuaí (Brazil)

Levanta-te e anda

Born:	1949.07.04 (Santo Antônio de Jesus, BA, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1977.01.09
Consecrated Bishop:	2000.06.11

Bishop of Paulo Afonso (Brazil) (2000.03.22 – 2007.02.28)

Bishop of Santarém (Brazil) (2007.02.28 – 2011.11.30)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Velho (Brazil) (2011.11.30 – 2015.03.18)

Titular Bishop of Summula (2015.03.18 – 2020.11.18)

Auxiliary Bishop of São Luís do Maranhão (Brazil) (2015.03.18 – 2020.11.18)

Archbishop-Bishop of Araçuaí (Brazil) (2020.11.18 – 2024.04.30)

Archbishop Moacyr Grechi, O.S.M.
(1998.07.29 – 2011.11.30)

Born:	1936.01.19 (Araranguá, SC, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1961.06.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1973.10.21
Died:	2019.06.17 (Porto Velho, RO, Brazil † 83)

Bishop-Prelate of Acre e Purus (Brazil) (1972.07.10 – 1986.02.15)

Titular Bishop of Vegesela in Numidia (1973.07.20 – 1978.05.26)

Bishop of Rio Branco (Brazil) (1986.02.15 – 1998.07.29)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Velho (Brazil) (1998.07.29 – 2011.11.30)

Archbishop José Martins da Silva, S.D.N.
(1982.10.04 – 1997.09.03)

Virtute Dei

Born:	1935.06.14 (Tiros, MG, Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1963.06.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1978.04.02
Died:	2015.01.29 († 79)

Bishop-Prelate of Vila Rondônia (Brazil) (1978.01.03 – 1982.10.04)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Velho (Brazil) (1982.10.04 – 1997.09.03)

Bishops of Porto Velho (Roman Rite)

Bishop João Batista Costa, S.D.B.
(1979.10.16 – 1982.06.09)

Born:	1902.12.22 (Brazil)
Ordained Priest:	1933.07.09
Consecrated Bishop:	1946.11.30
Died:	1996.04.17 († 93)

Titular Bishop of Scilium (1946.10.01 – 1978.05.26)

Bishop-Prelate of Porto Velho (Brazil) (1946.10.01 – 1979.10.16)

Bishop of Porto Velho (Brazil) (1979.10.16 – 1982.06.09)

Prelates of Porto Velho (Roman Rite)

Bishop João Batista Costa, S.D.B.
(1946.10.01 – 1979.10.16)

(see above)

Bishop Pedro Massa, S.D.B.
(Apostolic Administrator 1925.07.25 – 1946.10.01)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop Antônio Sarto, S.D.B. (1979.10.16 – 1982.03.25)
Coadjutor Bishop-Prelate: Bishop Antônio Sarto, S.D.B. (1971.05.18 – 1979.10.16)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Catedral Metropolitana Sagrado Coração de Jesus, Porto Velho, Rondônia

Churches by City (30)

Guajará-Mirim (↙), Pando (↙), Rio Branco (←), Lábrea (↖), Humaitá (↗), Ji-Paraná (↘)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 84,696 km²

Population: 343,208 Catholics (48.1% of 713,708 total)

Pastoral Centres: 29 parishes, 6 missions

Personnel: 36 priests (9 diocesan, 27 religious), 8 deacons, 106 religious (41 brothers, 65 sisters), 8 seminarians