Diocese of Machiques

Diocese of Machiques

Dioecesis Machiquesensis
Location
CountryVenezuela
MetropolitanMaracaibo
Statistics
Area25,300 km2 (9,800 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2023)
  • 359,918
  • 292,000 (81.1%)
Parishes17
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established26 May 1943 (1943-05-26)
CathedralOur Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral
Secular priests17 (14 Diocesan, 3 Religious Orders)
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
Bishopsede vacante
Metropolitan ArchbishopJosé Luis Azuaje Ayala
Bishops emeritusRamiro Díaz Sánchez, OMI

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Machiques (Latin: Dioecesis Machiquesensis) is a diocese located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maracaibo in Venezuela.

History

Ordinaries

Apostolic Vicars of Machiques (Roman Rite)

  • Ángel Turrado Moreno, OFMCap (4 Sep 1944 – Jan 1954), resigned
  • Miguel Saturnino Aurrecoechea Palacios, OFMCap (19 Dec 1955 – 10 Mar 1986), retired
  • Agustín Romualdo Alvarez Rodríguez, OFMCap (10 Mar 1986 – 7 Oct 1995), resigned
  • Ramiro Díaz Sánchez, OMI (24 Jan 1997 – 9 Apr 2011), retired

Bishops of Machiques (Roman Rite)

  • Jesús Alfonso Guerrero Contreras, OFMCap (9 Apr 2011 – 21 Dec 2018), appointed Bishop of Barinas
    • Apostolic Administrator Ramiro Díaz Sánchez, OMI (15 Mar 2019 – 14 Dec 2019), Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of Machiques
  • Nicolás Gregorio Nava Rojas (19 Oct 2019 – 18 Apr 2026), appointed Bishop of Cabimas

See also

Sources