Suffragan diocese Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Diocese of Rarotonga
Rarotongan(us)
Latin Church
Latin-rite diocese covering the Cook Islands and Niue, erected as the Prefecture Apostolic of Cook and Manihiki in 1922, elevated to vicariate apostolic in 1948 and to the Diocese of Rarotonga on 21 June 1966. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Suva in Fiji and its seat is Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Avarua. Bishop Reynaldo Bunyi Getalado, M.S.P., has led the diocese since 2024.
On the map
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- Established
- 1922
- Catholics
- 2,255
- Priests
- 9
- Territory
- 234 km²
Parishes and churches
4 listed churches in our records. Open a parish for Mass times, confession, directions and sources where recorded.
- Saint Joseph's CathedralAvarua, Rarotonga · CathedralView parish
- Sacred HeartMatavera, RarotongaView parish
- St Mary'sArorangi, RarotongaView parish
- St Paul'sTitikaveka, RarotongaView parish
This is our recorded coverage, not an official diocesan parish count. Confirm service times with the parish before travelling.
The bishop
- Bishop
- Reynaldo Bunyi Getalado, M.S.P.
Explore the ministry of the bishop.
The cathedral
Saint Joseph's Cathedral, Avarua stands in Rarotonga, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
History
The Catholic presence in the Cook Islands is organized as the Diocese of Rarotonga (Latin: Dioecesis Rarotongana), a Latin Catholic suffragan of the Archdiocese of Suva in neighbouring Fiji. Its canonical history runs through three stages: erected as the Prefecture Apostolic of Cook and Manihiki in 1922, raised to the Vicariate Apostolic of Cook Islands in 1948, and made the Diocese of Rarotonga in 1966. Since 1972, when it was transferred from the Diocese of Tonga, Niue has also belonged to the diocese.