Metropolitan Archdiocese of Suva, Fiji

Continent: Oceania

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Metropolitan Archdiocese Metr. Archdiocese

Name: Suva / Suvan(us) (Latin)

Suffragan Sees: Rarotonga, Tarawa and Nauru, Funafuti

Depends on: Dicastery for Evangelisation

Websites:

Celebrations

Liturgical Calendar (Universal) 📅

History

1863.03.27: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Fiji Island (English) / Insularum Fidgis (Latin) (from Apostolic Vicariate of Central Oceania)
1887.05.10: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Fiji Island (English) / Insularum Fidgis (Latin)
1966.06.21: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Suva / Suvan(us) (Latin) (with suffragan see Tarawa)
1972.07.01: Gained suffragan see Rarotonga
1979.05.03: Gained suffragan see Carolines–Marshalls
1984.03.08: Lost suffragan see Carolines–Marshalls
2003.03.21: Gained suffragan see Funafuti

Papal Visits

Pope John Paul II (1986.11)

Present Prelates

Metropolitan Archbishop (2012.12.19 – ...):

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong (63)

Ordinaries

Metropolitan Archbishops of Suva (Roman Rite)

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong (63)
(2012.12.19 – ...)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Suva (Fiji)

To be Church in the world

Born:	1961.01.30 (Natovi, Fiji)
Ordained Priest:	1992.01.11
Consecrated Bishop:	2013.06.08

Priest of Suva (Fiji) (1992.01.11 – 2012.12.19)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Suva (Fiji) (2012.12.19 – ...)

President of Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania (2018.04 – 2023.02.10)

Archbishop Petero Mataca
(1976.04.10 – 2012.12.19)

Born:	1933.04.28 (Cawaci, Fiji)
Ordained Priest:	1959.12.19
Consecrated Bishop:	1974.12.03
Died:	2014.06.30 († 81)

Titular Bishop of Siminina (1974.08.27 – 1976.04.10)

Auxiliary Bishop of Suva (Fiji) (1974.08.27 – 1976.04.10)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Suva (Fiji) (1976.04.10 – 2012.12.19)

President of Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (1982 – 1987)

Archbishop George Hamilton Pearce, S.M.
(1967.06.22 – 1976.04.10)

Born:	1921.01.09 (Boston, MA, USA)
Ordained Priest:	1947.02.03
Consecrated Bishop:	1956.06.29
Died:	2015.08.30 († 94)

Titular Bishop of Attalea in Pamphylia (1956.02.29 – 1966.06.21)

Vicar Apostolic of Samoa Island and Tokelau (Samoa) (1956.02.29 – 1966.06.21)

Bishop of Apia (Samoa) (1966.06.21 – 1967.06.22)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Suva (Fiji) (1967.06.22 – 1976.04.10)

President of Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (1970 – 1971)

Archbishop Victor Frederick Foley, S.M.
(1966.06.21 – 1967.01.01)

Born:	1909.06.17 (England)
Ordained Priest:	1936.06.07
Consecrated Bishop:	1944.08.06
Died:	1987.01.12 († 77)

Titular Bishop of Petinessus (1944.05.11 – 1966.06.21)

Vicar Apostolic of Fiji Island (Fiji) (1944.05.11 – 1966.06.21)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Suva (Fiji) (1966.06.21 – 1967.01.01)

Titular Archbishop of Gortyna (1967.01.01 – 1987.01.12)

Vicars Apostolic of Fiji Island (Roman Rite)

Bishop Victor Frederick Foley, S.M. (later Archbishop)
(1944.05.11 – 1966.06.21)

(see above)

Bishop Charles-Joseph Nicolas, S.M.
(1922.04.02 – 1941.08.15)

Born:	1860.02.10 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1888.09.22
Consecrated Bishop:	1919.02.02
Died:	1941.08.15 († 81)

Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Fiji Island (Fiji) (1918.08.12 – 1922.04.02)

Titular Bishop of Panopolis (1918.08.12 – 1941.08.15)

Vicar Apostolic of Fiji Island (Fiji) (1922.04.02 – 1941.08.15)

Bishop Julien Vidal, S.M.
(1887.05.13 – 1922.04.02)

Born:	1846.07.12 (France)
Consecrated Bishop:	1887.12.27
Died:	1922.04.02 († 75)

Titular Bishop of Abydus (1887.05.13 – 1922.04.02)

Vicar Apostolic of Fiji Island (Fiji) (1887.05.13 – 1922.04.02)

Prefect Apostolic of British Solomons (Solomon Islands) (1897.07 – 1903)

Prefects Apostolic of Fiji Island (Roman Rite)

Fr. Jean-Baptiste Bréhéret, S.M.
(1863 – 1887)

Prefect Apostolic of Fiji Island (Fiji) (1863 – 1887)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic: Bishop Charles-Joseph Nicolas, S.M. (1918.08.12 – 1922.04.02)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Petero Mataca (later Archbishop) (1974.08.27 – 1976.04.10)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Suva
World Heritage Site: Sacred Heart Church, Levuka

Nouméa (↙), Port-Vila (←), Funafuti (↑), Wallis et Futuna (↗), Tonga (→), Auckland (↓)

Statistics (2021.12.31)

Area: 18,274 km²

Population: 66,100 Catholics (7.4% of 895,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 36 parishes

Personnel: 123 priests (35 diocesan, 88 religious), 297 religious (172 brothers, 125 sisters), 16 seminarians