Diocese of Ponce

The Diocese of Ponce () is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. The diocese is led by a prelate bishop who pastors the mother church in the City of Ponce, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Its jurisdiction includes the municipalities of Adjuntas, Jayuya, Guánica, Guayanilla, Yauco, Peñuelas, Ponce, Juana Díaz, Villalba, Coamo, Santa Isabel, Salinas, Guayama, Arroyo, and Patillas.Diocesis de Ponce. Accessed 10 June 2018.

History In 1978, Bishop Fremiot Torres Oliver acquired a large property in the Rio Chiquito sector of Barrio Portugués where the Diocese is currently (2019) located.Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce, Notas Para Su Historia. p. 20

Spanish colonial system Under the Spanish colonial system (1692–1898) the Diocese of Ponce operated and its bishop in 1877 was Juan Puig.Ramon Marin. La Villa de Ponce Considerada en tres distintas épocas: Estudio Histórico, Descriptivo, y Estadístico, hasta fines del año 1876. Ponce, PR: Establecimiento Tipográfico "El Vapor". 1877. (Section III of Ramon Marin's Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce. p.191. San Juan, PR: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1994.) From 25 October 1892 to 1897, the bishop was Lorenzo Roura y Bayer.Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce: Notas para su Historia. San Juan, PR: Comite Historia de los Pueblos. Segunda Edición. 1986. p. 18.

Other Padres Paules bishops at the Cathedral were:Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce, Notas para Su Historia. 1986. pp. 18-19. Lorenzo Roura y Bayer (25 October 1892 – 1897) Leonardo G. Villanueva (1897–1898) Sturnino Janices (1997–1898) Francisco Vicario (1898–1905) Luis Vega (1905–1911) Cipariano Peña (1911–1919) Florencio Garcia (1919–1927) Manuel Peña (1927–1931) Gonzalo de la Guerra (1931–1937) Deogracias Morondo (1937–1940) Toribio Marijuan (1940–1945) Mariano Bravo (1945–1948) Epifanio Garcia (1948–1957) Jose Carrasco (1957)

From 1970 on, Padres Paules left Ponce and the Cathedral was then run by the Diocese of Ponce directly.Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Ponce, Notas para Su Historia. 1986. p. 19.

Commonwealth The See of Ponce was canonically erected on 21 November 1924, and is a suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Province of San Juan de Puerto Rico.Diocese of Ponce: General Information. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

San Juan Archdiocese bankruptcy On 7 September 2018, Judge Edward Godoy ruled that the bankruptcy filed by the Archdiocese of San Juan would also apply to every Catholic diocese in Puerto Rico, including Ponce, and that all would now have their assets protected under Chapter 11.

Bishops

Bishops of Ponce Edwin Byrne (1925–1929), appointed Bishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico Aloysius Joseph Willinger (1929–1946), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Monterey-Fresno James Edward McManus (1947–1963), resigned Luis Aponte Martinez (1963–1964), appointed Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver (1964–2000), retired Ricardo Antonio Suriñach Carreras (2000–2003), retired Félix Lázaro Martínez (2003–2015), retired Ruben Antonio Gonzalez Medina, C.M.F. (2015–2026), retiredDiocesis of Ponce Via: Directorio Diocesano > Episcopologio Ponceño > Diócesis de Ponce. Retrieved February 16, 2011. Geraldo Ramírez Torres (2026-present)

Coadjutor bishops Luis Aponte Martinez (1963–1963) Félix Lázaro Martinez (2002–2003)

Auxiliary bishops Luis Aponte Martinez (1960–1963), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Ponce Ricardo Antonio Suriñach Carreras (1975–2000), appointed Bishop of Ponce

Parish churches

Parish churches listed by founding dates: 1616 – Iglesia San Blas de Illescas – Coamo 1692 – Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe – Ponce 1736 – San Antonio de Padua – Guayama 1756 – Ntra. Sra. del Rosario – Yauco 1793 – San José – Peñuelas 1798 – Iglesia San Ramón Nonato – Juana Díaz 1811 – Inmaculado Corazón de María – Patillas 1815 – San Joaquín y Santa Ana – Adjuntas 1840 – Inmaculada Concepción – Guayanilla 1854 – Ntra. Sra. de Monserrate – Salinas 1854 – Santiago Apóstol – Santa Isabel 1855 – Ntra. Sra. del Carmen – Arroyo 1883 – Ntra. Sra. de Monserrate – Jayuya 1883 – Ntra. Sra. del Carmen – Playa (Ponce) 1888 – San Antonio Abad – Guánica 1917 – Ntra. Sra. del Carmen – Villalba 1928 – Ntra. Sra. de la Medalla Milagrosa – Ponce 1928 – Ntra. Sra. de la Merced – Ponce 1930 – Santa Teresita – Ponce 1946 – Sagrado Corazón – Aguirre 1948 – San Conrado – Ponce 1952 – Santa María Reina – Ponce 1959 – Sagrado Corazón de Jesús – Tallaboa (Peñuelas) 1962 – Ntra. Sra. de la Divina Providencia – Villalba 1963 – Sagrado Corazón – Ensenada (Guánica) 1964 – San Vicente de Paúl – Ponce 1964 – San Judas Tadeo – Ponce 1964 – Cristo Rey – Ponce 1965 – San José – Ponce 1967 – La Resurrección – Ponce 1968 – Buen Pastor – Ponce 1969 – San Martín de Porres – Yauco 1969 – Corazón de Jesús – Ponce 1969 – Ntra. Sra. de la Medalla Milagrosa – Castañer (Adjuntas) 1971 – Santísima Trinidad – Ponce 1973 – Ntra. Sra. del Carmen – Coto Laurel (Ponce) 1979 – San José Obrero – Ponce 1984 – Ntra. Sra. de Lourdes – Aguilita (Juana Díaz) 1984 – Santa Teresita – Arús (Juana Díaz) 1986 – Santísimo Sacramento – Ponce 2001 – Santo Domingo de Guzmán – Yauco 2001 – San Antonio de Padua – Coamo 2005 – Santos Apóstoles Pedro y Pablo – Guayama

Diocese of Ponce

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