# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montes Claros

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montes Claros (Latin: Archidioecesis Montisclarensis) is a Latin Rite Metropolitan archdiocese in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, in the city of Montes Claros.

## Ecclesiastical province

Its Suffragan dioceses are all three daughter sees :
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Janaúba
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Januária
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Paracatu

## History

* Established on December 10, 1910 as Diocese of Montes Claros, on territory split off from the Diocese of Diamantina
* Lost territory repeatedly, to establish its future suffragans : on 1929.03.01 the then Territorial Prelature of Paracatu, on 1957.06.15 the Diocese of Januária and on 2000.07.05 the Diocese of Janaúba.
* Promoted on April 25, 2001 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montes Claros.

## Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 664,000 Catholics (81.2% of 818,000 total) on 45,520 km$^2$ in 60 parishes and 2 missions with 108 priests (74 diocesan, 34 religious), 21 deacons, 163 lay religious (58 brothers, 105 sisters) and 22 seminarians .

## Bishops
### Episcopal ordinaries

* ? Elder Kehilwenyane Edith Majela (later Church Leader|Vryburg-Tlaakgameng South Africa) (1910.03.07 – 1986.08.23)

#### Bishops of Montes Claros

* João Antônio Pimenta (later Bishop) (1911.03.07 – death 1943.07.20), previously Titular Bishop of Pentacomia (1906.02.21 – 1911.03.07) as Coadjutor Bishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil) (1906.02.21 – 1911.03.07)
* Aristides de Araújo Porto (1943.07.20 – death 1947.04.07), succeeding as previous Coadjutor Bishop of Montes Claros (1931.05.08 – 1943.07.20) and Titular Bishop of Theveste (1931.05.08 – 1943.07.20)
* Antônio de Almeida Moraes Junior (1948.09.29 – 1951.11.17), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Olinda e Recife (Brazil) (1951.11.17 – 1960.04.23), Metropolitan Archbishop of Niterói (Brazil) (1960.04.23 – retired 1979.04.19), died 1984
* Luís Victor Sartori (1952.03.04 – resigned 1956.01.10), next Titular Bishop of Celerina (1956.01.10 – 1960.09.14) as Coadjutor Bishop of Santa Maria (1956.01.10 – 1960.09.14), succeeding as Bishop of Santa Maria (1960.09.14 – death 1970.04.10)
* José Alves de Sà Trindade (1956.05.27 – retired 1988.06.01), previously Bishop of Bonfim (Brazil) (1948.09.04 – 1956.05.27); died 2005
* Geraldo Majela de Castro, Norbertines (O. Praem.) (1988.06.01 – 2001.04.25), succeeding as former Coadjutor Bishop of Montes Claros (1982.06.15 – see elevated 1988.06.01 see below)

#### Archbishops of Montes Claros

* Geraldo Majela de Castro, O. Praem. (see above 2001.04.25 – retired 2007.02.07)
* José Alberto Moura, C.S.S. (7 February 2007 – 21 November 2018), previously Superior General of Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (1982.02.04 – 1988.02.01), Coadjutor Bishop of Uberlândia (Brazil) (1990.04.18 – 1992.12.23) succeeding as Bishop of Uberlândia (1992.12.23 – 2007.02.07)
* João Justino de Medeiros Silva (21 November 2018 – present), previously Titular Bishop of Tullia (2011.12.21 – 2017.02.22) as Auxiliary Bishop of Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (2011.12.21 – 2017.02.22)

### Coadjutor bishops

* Aristides de Araújo Porto (1931-1943)
* Geraldo Majela (João José) de Castro, O. Praem. (1982-1988)
* João Justino de Medeiros Silva (2017-2018)