Porto Alegre, Diocese of (PORTALEGREN.), Comprises the southern part of the State of Minas Geraes, and part of the State of Sao Paulo, Republic of Brazil. It was created a bishopric by Brief of August 4, 1900; the see is located at the city of Porto Alegre, State of Minas Geraes. The first bishop was Msgr. G. Bathista Correa Nery, succeeded by Msgr. Antonio Augusto de Assis. The diocese proper has 62 parishes with 120 secular priests and 6 regular priests and a total Catholic population of 800,000 souls.
For the education of young men in the ecclesiastical career there is in Porto Alegre a theological seminary, founded in August, 1902, by Msgr. Correa Nery. There is also an excellent high school known as the Diocesan College of San Jose, and founded in 1899 by Msgr. de Andrade. For the conversion of infidels there are the Diocesan Missionaries of the Heart of Mary, an order founded in 1902 by Msgr. Correa Nery, and composed of six priests under a superior.
The official organ of the diocese is the “Mensageiro Ecclesiastico”, a monthly review of about 32 pages, whose present editor is Father Octavia Chagas de Miranda. There is besides another Catholic publication, “O Estudo”, issued by the College of San Jose.
JULIAN MORENO-LACALLE