The First Cathedral and the First Bishop
In the year 1494, on the island of Hispaniola, the Columbuses, accompanied by a group of colonists, inaugurated the colony’s first cathedral. The Lleida religious Bernat Boïl, appointed apostolic administrator of the newly discovered lands by Pope Alexander VI, became the first Catholic bishop of the New World. This relationship between the Catalan Church and the New World endured during the three centuries of Hispanic domination and the evangelization of native societies.
The Conquest of the Far West
In early 1848, the United States Army completed the conquest of the former Mexican territories north of the Rio Grande. After the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, the Americans encouraged the immigration of Anglo-Saxon language and culture to these territories. Curiously, the first bishops of the Pacific coast, after the conquest and the formation of the North American state of California, were Catalans.
The Diocese of the Two Californias and Bishop Alemany
Following the death of the first bishop of the diocese of the Two Californias, the Pontificate appointed the Catalan missionary Josep Sadoc Alemany i Cunill as his successor. Alemany, aware of the diversity of society in the new country, promoted the creation of several parishes for different linguistic communities.
The Diocese of Los Angeles and Bishops Amat and Mora
After the division of the diocese of the Two Californias, the Pontificate appointed the Catalan Tadeu Amat i Brusi as bishop of Los Angeles. Later, Francesc Mora i Borrell, also Catalan, became the second bishop in the history of Los Angeles, standing out in the opening of new parishes and religious schools.
The Diocese of Guam
In 1911, the Pontificate appointed the Catalan Capuchin Xavier Vilà i Mateu as the first bishop in Guamanian history. After his death, he was succeeded by Agustí Bernaus i Serra, also Catalan, who served as bishop until his death in 1930.