Archdiocese of Aracaju
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Aracaju is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese in the State of Sergipe, northeastern Brazil. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Our Lady of the Conception Cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, in the city of Aracaju. Two World Heritage Sites are owned by the Archdiocese in São Cristóvão, Sergipe: the Misericórdia Hospital and Church and the Church and Convent of Santa Cruz, also known as the Church and Convent of Saint Francis.
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 1,086,000 Catholics on 7,019 km2 in 99 parishes with 159 priests, 21 deacons, 321 lay religious and 34 seminarians.History
It was established on January 3, 1910, as Diocese of Aracaju, on territory split off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia.On April 30, 1960, it was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Aracaju, losing territory to establish its two suffragans: Diocese of Estância and Diocese of Propriá.
Ecclesiastical province
Its suffragan dioceses are both daughter sees :Episcopal ordinaries
Suffragan Bishops of Aracaju
- , previously Bishop of Penedo ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Goiânia
- , previously Titular Bishop of Prusias ad Hypium as Auxiliary Bishop of (São Sebastião do) Rio de Janeiro
Metropolitan Archbishops of Aracaju
- Luciano José Cabral Duarte, also First Vice-president of Latin American Episcopal Council ; succeeded as former Titular Bishop of Gadiaufala and Auxiliary Bishop of Aracaju
- José Palmeira Lessa ; previously Titular Bishop of Sita as Auxiliary Bishop of (São Sebastião do) Rio de Janeiro, Bishop of Propriá, Coadjutor Archbishop of Aracaju
- João José da Costa, Carmelite Order, previously Bishop of Iguatu, Coadjutor Archbishop of Aracaju.
- Josafá Menezes da Silva, previously Metropolitan Archbishop of Vitória da Conquista
Other affiliated bishops
Coadjutor archbishops
Auxiliary bishops
- , appointed Apostolic Administrator of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
- Luciano José Cabral Duarte, appointed Archbishop here
- , S.D.B., appointed Bishop of Parnaíba, Piaui
- Hildebrando Mendes Costa, appointed Bishop of Estância, Sergipe
- , O.S.M., appointed Bishop of Irecê, Bahia
- , appointed Bishop of Palmeira dos Índios, Alagoas
- Henrique Soares da Costa, appointed Bishop of Palmares, Pernambuco
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
- , appointed Bishop of Caetité, Bahia in 1914
- Avelar Brandão Vilela. appointed
- Luciano José Cabral Duarte. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Aracaju, Sergipe in 1966.
- , appointed Bishop of Estância, Sergipe in 2003
- , appointed Bishop of Teixeira de Freitas-Caravelas, Bahia in 2005
- , appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Fortaleza, Ceara in 2018