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Archdiocese of Antofagasta

*Archidioecesis Antofagastensis*

Arquidiócesis de Antofagasta
Archdiocese of Antofagasta; Archidioecesis Antofagastensis; Arquidiócesis de Antofagasta
	Cathedral of St. Joseph
Location
Country	Chile
Ecclesiastical province	Antofagasta
Statistics
Area	84,506 km2 (32,628 sq mi)
Population; - Total; - Catholics	(as of 2012); 362,000; 252,300 (69.7%)
Parishes	19
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	1881 (142–143 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of St Joseph in Antofagasta
Patron saint	Saint Joseph
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop	Ignacio Francisco Ducasse Medina
Bishops emeritus	Patricio Infante Alfonso ; Pablo Lizama Riquelme
Map
Website
	www.iglesiadeantofagasta.cl

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antofagasta (Latin: Antofagasten(sis)) is a Latin Rite Metropolitan archdiocese in northern Chile's Antofagasta Province.

Special churches

Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Catedral San José, dedicated to Saint Joseph, in the city of Antofagasta.
It also has a Minor Basilica : Basílica del Corazón de María

History

1881: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Antofagasta, on territory split off from the Diocese of La Serena (now Metropolitan)
1887: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Antofagasta
3 February 1928: Promoted as Diocese of Antofagasta
1965.07.21: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of Calama (now suffragan Diocese of San Juan de Calama)
28 June 1967: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Antofagasta/ Antofagasten(sis) (Latin adjective)
Enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II in April 1987.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 386,017 Catholics (70.2% of 550,256 total) on 84,504 km² in 20 parishes and 67 missions with 37 priests (18 diocesan, 19 religious), 28 deacons, 108 lay religious (24 brothers, 84 sisters) and 2 seminarians.

Ecclesiastical province

The Metropolitan's Suffragan sees are :

Bishops

(all Roman rite Chileans)

Ordinaries

Ecclesiastical Superior of Antofagasta

Father Florencio Eduardo Fontecilla Sánchez (1883 – 1886.12.23), next Bishop of mother see La Serena (Chile) (1890.06.26 – death 1909.03.03)

Apostolic Vicars of Antofagasta

Bishop-elect Luís Silva Lezaeta first term (1887.05.15 – 1896)
Fr. Felipe Salas Errázuriz (1896.03.04 – 1905)
Luís Silva Lezaeta again (1904.11.04 – 1928.02.03 see below), Titular Bishop of Olena (1912.01.05 – 1928.02.03)

Suffragan Bishops of Antofagasta

Luís Silva Lezaeta (see above 1928.02.03 – death 1929.05.21)
Alfredo Cifuentes Gómez (1933.12.23 – 1943.06.05), next Metropolitan Archbishop of La Serena (Chile) (1943.06.05 – 1967.03.10), Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Apostolic Administration of Copiapó (Chile) (1947.03.19 – 1948.06.17), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Thapsus (1967.03.10 – retired 1970.12.02), died 1989

BIOs TO ELABORATE

Hernán Frías Hurtado (1945.01.13 – 1957.05.24)
Francisco de Borja Valenzuela Ríos (1957.08.20 – 1967.06.28 see below)

Metropolitan Archbishops of Antofagasta

Francisco de Borja Valenzuela Ríos (see above 1967.06.28 – 1974.03.25), next Archbishop (personal title) of San Felipe (1974.03.25 - 1993.04.16)
Carlos Oviedo Cavada, O. de M. (1974.03.25 – 1990.03.30), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago de Chile (1990.03.30 - 1998.02.16), elevated to Cardinal in 1994; died 7 December 1998
Patricio Infante Alfonso (1990.12.12 – 2004.11.26)
Pablo Lizama Riquelme (2004.11.26 – 8 June 2017)
Ignacio Francisco Ducasse Medina (8 June 2017 – ...)

Coadjutor bishop

Pablo Lizama Riquelme (2004)

Auxiliary bishops

Arturo Mery Beckdorf (1941-1944, Apostolic Administrator 1943–1944), appointed Bishop of Valdivia
Juan Luis Ysern de Arce (1972-1974), appointed Bishop of San Carlos de Ancud
Juan Bautista Herrada Armijo, O. de M. (1991-1997)