Diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion, Réunion 🇷🇪

Continent: Southern Africa

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion / Sancti Dionysii Reunionis (Latin)

Immediately subject to the Holy See

Depends on: Dicastery for Evangelisation

Websites:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Saint Francis Xavier

Liturgical Calendar (Universal) 📅

History

1712: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Islands of the Indian Ocean (English) (from Diocese of Malacca)
1807.05.08: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Batavia
1818: Renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Bourbon
1829: Gained territory from Apostolic Vicariate of Cape of Good Hope and adjacent territories
1830.01.10: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Prefecture of South Seas Islands
1841: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Madagascar
1850.09.27: Promoted as Diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion / Sancti Dionysii Reunionis (Latin) (became suffragan of Bordeaux)
1860.02.26: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Prefecture of Zanguebar
1916: Without ecclesiastical province

Papal Visits

Pope John Paul II (1989.05)

Present Prelates

Bishop (2023.07.19 – ...):

Bishop Pascal David Youri Chane-Teng (曾慶輝) (54)

Ordinaries

Bishops of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Roman Rite)

Bishop Pascal David Youri Chane-Teng (曾慶輝) (54)
(2023.07.19 – ...)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion)

Fiat pax in virtute Spiritus Sancti

Born:	1971.07.04 (Le Tampon, Réunion)
Ordained Priest:	2004.08.15
Consecrated Bishop:	2023.10.15

Priest of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (2004.08.15 – 2023.07.19)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (2023.07.19 – ...)

Bishop Gilbert Guillaume Marie-Jean Aubry (83)
(1975.11.20 – 2023.07.19)

Bishop emeritus of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion)
former Vice-President of Episcopal Conferences of Indian Ocean

Joie et Espérance, Justice et Paix

Born:	1942.05.10 (Saint-Louis, Réunion)
Ordained Priest:	1970.08.23
Consecrated Bishop:	1976.05.02

Priest of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (1970.08.23 – 1975.11.20)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (1975.11.20 – 2023.07.19)

President of Episcopal Conferences of Indian Ocean (1989 – 1996)

Apostolic Administrator of Port Victoria (Seychelles) (1994 – 1995.03.03)

President of Episcopal Conferences of Indian Ocean (2002 – 2006.05.15)

President of Episcopal Conferences of Indian Ocean (2016.09 – 2020)

Vice-President of Episcopal Conferences of Indian Ocean (2020 – 2023.07.19)

Bishop Georges-Henri Guibert, C.S.Sp.
(1960.11.07 – 1975.02.19)

Born:	1915.09.05 (Paris, France)
Ordained Priest:	1941.08.10
Consecrated Bishop:	1950.02.19
Died:	1997.09.30 (Paris, France † 82)

Titular Bishop of Dices (1949.12.15 – 1960.11.07)

Auxiliary Bishop of Dakar (Senegal) (1949.12.15 – 1960.11.07)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (1960.11.07 – 1975.02.19)

Bishop François-Emile-Marie Cléret de Langavant, C.S.Sp.
(1934.12.10 – 1960.10.21)

Born:	1896.02.02 (Saint-Malo, France)
Ordained Priest:	1922.09.23
Consecrated Bishop:	1935.04.25
Died:	1991.09.16 (Langonnet, France † 95)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (1934.12.10 – 1960.10.21)

Titular Bishop of Mactaris (1960.10.21 – 1971.07.21)

Bishop Georges-Marie de Labonninière de Beaumont, C.S.Sp.
(1919.12.26 – 1934.07.23)

Born:	1872.12.12 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1897.04.17
Consecrated Bishop:	1917.10.14
Died:	1934.07.23 († 61)

Titular Bishop of Paphos (1917.03.22 – 1919.12.26)

Coadjutor Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (1917.03.22 – 1919.12.26)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) (1919.12.26 – 1934.07.23)

Bishop Jacques-Paul-Antonin Fabre
(1893.01.19 – 1919.12.26)

Born:	1837.10.16 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1862.06.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1893.04.25
Died:	1919.12.26 († 82)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1892.11.26] 1893.01.19 – 1919.12.26)

Bishop Edmond-Frédéric Fuzet (later Archbishop)
(1887.11.25 – 1893.01.19)

Plus veux servir que briller

Born:	1839.09.09 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1864.05.21
Consecrated Bishop:	1888.01.29
Died:	1915.12.20 († 76)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1887.10.12] 1887.11.25 – 1893.01.19)

Bishop of Beauvais (France) ([1892.11.26] 1893.01.19 – 1899.12.07)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Rouen (France) (1899.12.07 – 1915.12.20)

Bishop Joseph Coldefy
(1881.05.13 – 1887.01.18)

Born:	1826.12.10 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1851.06.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1881.07.03
Died:	1887.01.18 († 60)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1881.02.17] 1881.05.13 – 1887.01.18)

Bishop Dominique-Clément-Marie Soulé (later Archbishop)
(1876.12.18 – 1880.11.30)

Born:	1827.01.10 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1850.08.18
Consecrated Bishop:	1877.02.24
Died:	1919.04.21 († 92)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1876.10.10] 1876.12.18 – 1880.11.30)

Apostolic Administrator of Guadeloupe et Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) (1892.11.21 – 1898)

Titular Archbishop of Leontopolis in Bithynia (1893.03.21 – 1919.04.21)

Bishop Victor-Jean-François-Paulin Delannoy
(1872.05.06 – 1876.12.18)

Born:	1824.06.21 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1849.12.22
Consecrated Bishop:	1872.10.12
Died:	1905.08.07 († 81)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1872.02.10] 1872.05.06 – 1876.12.18)

Bishop of Aire et Dax (France) ([1876.10.10] 1876.12.18 – 1905.08.07)

Bishop Armand-René Maupoint
(1857.03.19 – 1871.07.10)

Born:	1810.12.06 (France)
Ordained Priest:	1835.03.14
Consecrated Bishop:	1857.06.11
Died:	1871.07.10 († 60)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1857.02.14] 1857.03.19 – 1871.07.10)

Prefect Apostolic of Zanguebar (Tanzania) (1862 – 1871.07.10)

Bishop Florian-Jules Desprez (later Cardinal)
(1850.10.03 – 1857.03.19)

Spes nostra firma

Born:	1807.04.18 (Ostricourt, France)
Ordained Priest:	1829.12.19
Consecrated Bishop:	1851.01.05
Created Cardinal:	1879.05.12
Died:	1895.01.21 (Toulouse, France † 87)

Bishop of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion (Réunion) ([1850.06.22] 1850.10.03 – 1857.03.19)

Bishop of Limoges (France) ([1857.02.04] 1857.03.19 – 1859.09.26)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Toulouse (France) ([1859.07.30] 1859.09.26 – 1895.01.21)

Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro (1879.09.22 – 1895.01.21)

Prefects Apostolic of Bourbon (Roman Rite)

Fr. Gabriel-Henri-Jérôme de Solages
(1829 – 1832.12.08)

Born:	1786.08.21 (Rabastens, France)
Ordained Priest:	1814.12.17
Died:	1832.12.08 (Andevoranto, Madagascar † 46)

Prefect Apostolic of Bourbon (Réunion) (1829 – 1832.12.08)

Prefect Apostolic of South Seas Islands (New Zealand) (1830 – 1832.12.08)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop Georges-Marie de Labonninière de Beaumont, C.S.Sp. (1917.03.22 – 1919.12.26)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Cathédrale Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis
Jubilee Churches in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016)
Jubilee Churches in the Holy Year 2025

Toamasina (↖), Port-Louis (↗)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 2,512 km²

Population: 696,630 Catholics (79.2% of 880,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 72 parishes, 1 mission

Personnel: 123 priests (50 diocesan, 73 religious), 26 deacons, 328 religious (83 brothers, 245 sisters), 2 seminarians