TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO




PORT OF SPAIN

Catholicism was introduced on Trinidad in the early 16th century, at the moment of
the arrival of the Spanish.
The British conquest of 1797 - which introduced Anglicanism - did not really modify
its position and in 1818 the island even became the center of an important Apostolic
Vicariate covering most non-Spanish and non-French territories in the area, which
till then had been under the jurisdiction of the diocese of Santo Tomás de Guayana
in New Granada.
Some territories were later detached from the Vicariate (1) and in 1850 - when the
Vicariate was re-organized - those that remained were divided between :

- the Archdiocese of Port-of-Spain, covering :

  - Trinidad [and Tobago (2)] 
  - Barbados,
  - Grenada and the Grenadines, 
  - St. Lucia,
  - St. Vincent

- the Diocese of Roseau (suffragan to Port-of-Spain) covering the other remaining
  islands.

(1) Were successively detached from Trinidad :

    - the Dutch Bovenwindse Eilanden (Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius) 
      in 1827,
    - British Guyana in 1837

(2) The first Catholic priest reached Tobago in 1846.
    Later (since 1885) the island was visited three or four times a year by
    priests from Trinidad and in 1892 permanent presence started.
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Vicar Apostolic

1844 - 1850   Richard Patrick Smyth, Titular Bishop
              of Olympus in Licia                            1802 - 1852 

Archbishops

1850 - 1852   Richard Patrick Smyth                          s.a.
1852 - 1855   vacant

              Apostolic Administrator

              1852 - 1855   Michael Monaghan,
                            Bishop of Roseau                 18.. - 1855

1855 - 1858   Vincenzo Spaccapietra                          1801 - 1878 
1858 - 1861   vacant

              Apostolic Administrator

              1858 - 1861   James Etheridge, Titular
                            Bishop of Torone in Macedonia,
                            Vicar Apostolic of British
                            Guyana                           1808 - 1877

1860 - 1862   Ferdinand English                              1821 - 1862        
1862 - 1863   vacant

              Apostolic Administrator

              1862 - 1863   François Cuenat

1863 - 1889   Hyacinthe Joachim Gonin                        1814 - 1887
1889 - 1907   Patrick Vincent Flood                          1844 - 1907 
1907 - 1909   vacant

              Apostolic Administrator

              1907 - 1909   John Pius Dowling                1886 - 1940      

1909 - 1940   John Pius Dowling                              s.a.  
1940 - 1966   Patrick Finbar Ryan, resigned                  1881 - 1975



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