Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands


The Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands is a Latin rite apostolic prefecture, in the South Sea Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The apostolic prefecture is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Province of Agaña, yet still depends on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Although the see of the prefecture, the Cathedral of the Assumption, in Majuro, on Majuro Atoll, is not in the United States, the prelature includes Wake Island, which is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States.

Statistics

As per 2014, it has 4,975 Catholics on 181 km² of islands in a marine area nearly the size of the United States, pastorally served in nine churches in 11 parishes, by 6 priests, 1 deacon, 15 lay religious and a seminarian.

History

Missionaries from the Order of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart arrived in 1898.
In 1905, a pre-diocesan jurisdiction was established as Mission sui juris of Marshall Islands, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of New Pomerania.
On April 5, 1923, the independent mission was suppressed, its territory being merged into the then Apostolic Vicariate of Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands.
On April 23, 1993, Pope John Paul II split the former Diocese of Carolines-Marshalls into the Apostolic Prefecture of the Marshall Islands and the Diocese of Caroline Islands. In 2007, Father James Gould, apostolic prefect, resigned. Father Raymundo Sabio, a Filipino missionary, was chosen to succeed him.

Ordinaries

; Ecclesiastical Superior of the mission sui iuris Marshall Islands
; Apostolic Prefects of Marshall Islands''
  1. James C. Gould, Jesuits , no other prelature
  2. Raymundo Sabio, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus , no previous prelature
  3. Ariel Galido, M.S.C. , no previous prelature