Roman Catholic Diocese of Niigata

Roman Catholic Diocese of Niigata
Diocese of Niigata
Dioecesis Niigataënsis
Location
Country Japan
Metropolitan Tokyo
Statistics
Area 33,517 km2 (12,941 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
4,850,802
7,711 (0.2%)
Information
Rite Latin Rite
Cathedral 新潟教会
(Niigata Church)
Current leadership
Bishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, S.V.D.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Niigata (Latin: Niigataën(sis), Japanese: カトリック新潟教区 ) is a diocese located in the city of Niigata in the Ecclesiastical province of Tokyo in Japan.

This diocese is well known because the apparitions of Our Lady of Akita were within its territory and Bishop John Shojiro Ito from this diocese initially approved the apparitions in 1984. Our Lady of Akita was formally approved in 1988 when Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave definitive judgement on the Akita events and messages as reliable and worthy of belief.[1]

Contents

History

  • August 13, 1912: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Niigata from the Diocese of Hakodate
  • April 16, 1962: Promoted as Diocese of Niigata

Leadership

  • Bishops of Niigata (Roman rite)
    • Bishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi (タルチシオ菊地功), S.V.D. (since 2004.04.29)
    • Bishop Francis Keiichi Sato (フランシスコ佐藤敬一), O.F.M. (1985.03.09 – 2004.05.14)
    • Bishop John Shojiro Ito (使徒ヨハネ伊藤庄治郎) (1962.04.16 – 1985.03.09)
  • Prefects Apostolic of Niigata 新潟 (Roman rite)
    • Fr. John Baptist Tokisuke Noda (ヨハネ・バプティスタ野田時助) (1953.03.13 – 1961.10.11)
    • Bishop Peter Magoshiro Matsuoka (ペトロ松岡孫四郎) (1941 – 1953)
    • Fr. Anton Ceska (アントン・テェスカ), S.V.D. (1926.06.28 – 1941)
    • Fr. Joseph Reiners (ヨゼフ・ライネルス), S.V.D. (1912 – 1926.06.28)

See also

References

  1. ^ EWTN on Akita apparitions [1]

Source

External links