Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela, Venezuela

Continent: South America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: San Cristóbal de Venezuela / Sancti Christophori in Venetiola (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Mérida

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Websites:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: San Sebastián (January 20)

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: March 28

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1922.10.12: Established as Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela / Sancti Christophori in Venetiola (Latin) (from Diocese of Mérida and became suffragan of Caracas)
1923.06.11: Became suffragan of Mérida
1954.06.07: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of San Fernando de Apure

Contact Info

Address: Calle 3 con Carrera 3, Apartado 20, San Cristóbal, Estado Táchira, Venezuela

Present Prelates

Bishop (2024.10.31 – ...):	Bishop Lisandro Alirio Rivas Durán, I.M.C. (55)
Auxiliary Bishop (2020.06.18 – ...):	Bishop Juan Alberto Ayala Ramírez (51) Titular Bishop of Rusibisir

Ordinaries

Bishops of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Roman Rite)

Bishop Lisandro Alirio Rivas Durán, I.M.C. (55)
(2024.10.31 – ...)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela)

Para que en el tengan vida

Born:	1969.07.17 (Boconó, Venezuela)
Ordained Priest:	1995.08.19
Consecrated Bishop:	2022.03.12

Titular Bishop of Dardanus (2021.12.23 – 2024.10.31)

Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas (Venezuela) (2021.12.23 – 2024.10.31)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela) (2024.10.31 – ...)

Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodríguez (76)
(1999.04.14 – 2024.10.31)

Bishop emeritus of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela)

Servidor y testigo

Born:	1949.02.10 (Caracas, Venezuela)
Ordained Priest:	1975.04.19
Consecrated Bishop:	1990.05.27

Priest of Caracas (Venezuela) (1975.04.19 – 1990.04.04)

Titular Bishop of Nova (1990.04.04 – 1995.12.02)

Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas (Venezuela) (1990.04.04 – 1995.12.02)

Bishop of Los Teques (Venezuela) (1995.12.02 – 1999.04.14)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela) (1999.04.14 – 2024.10.31)

Second Vice-President of Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (2012.01.12 – 2018.01.09)

Vice-President of Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (2018.01.09 – 2025.02.11)

Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (80) (later Cardinal)
(Apostolic Administrator 1998.03.02 – 1999.04.14)

Bishop Marco Tulio Ramírez Roa
(1984.10.26 – 1998.02.26)

Born:	1923.06.23 (Venezuela)
Ordained Priest:	1947.05.25
Consecrated Bishop:	1970.07.11
Died:	1998.02.26 († 74)

Bishop of Cabimas (Venezuela) (1970.03.31 – 1984.10.26)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela) (1984.10.26 – 1998.02.26)

Bishop Alejandro Fernández Feo-Tinoco
(1952.04.23 – 1984.10.26)

Born:	1908.11.06 (Venezuela)
Ordained Priest:	1931.10.25
Consecrated Bishop:	1952.08.24
Died:	1987.09.17 († 78)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela) (1952.04.23 – 1984.10.26)

Bishop Rafael Ignacio Arias Blanco (later Archbishop)
(1939.11.12 – 1952.04.23)

Born:	1906.02.18 (Venezuela)
Ordained Priest:	1928.12.22
Consecrated Bishop:	1937.12.12
Died:	1959.09.30 († 53)

Titular Bishop of Attalea in Pamphylia (1937.06.21 – 1939.11.12)

Auxiliary Bishop of Cumaná (Venezuela) (1937.06.21 – 1939.11.12)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela) (1939.11.12 – 1952.04.23)

Titular Archbishop of Pompeiopolis in Cilicia (1952.04.23 – 1955.09.18)

Coadjutor Archbishop of Caracas (Venezuela) (1952.04.23 – 1955.09.18)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Caracas (Venezuela) (1955.09.18 – 1959.09.30)

Bishop Tomás Antonio Sanmiguel Díaz
(1923.06.22 – 1937)

Born:	1887.03.07 (Venezuela)
Ordained Priest:	1912.07.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1923.10.21
Died:	1937.07.06 († 50)

Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela (Venezuela) (1923.06.22 – 1937)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Catedral de San Cristóbal, San Cristóbal, Táchira
Minor Basilica: Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, Táriba, Táchira
Minor Basilica: Basílica de San Antonio de Padua, San Antonio del Táchira, Táchira
Minor Basilica: Basílica del Espíritu Santo, La Grita, Táchira

Nueva Pamplona (↙), Cúcuta (←), Tibú (↖), Machiques (↑), El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia (↑), Mérida (↗), Barinas (→), Guasdualito (↘)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 11,100 km²

Population: 1,657,000 Catholics (92.1% of 1,798,570 total)

Pastoral Centres: 92 parishes, 5 missions

Personnel: 196 priests (168 diocesan, 28 religious), 316 religious (86 brothers, 230 sisters), 103 seminarians