The Diocese of São João del Rei () 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; 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
References
Sources and External links GCatholic.org, with Google map - data for all sections Catholic Hierarchy Diocese website (Portuguese)