Historical background of the Diocese Paramaribo

The golden jubilee of the Diocese Paramaribo is a great occasion for us to give a historical background of the Diocese. The following article gives a brief outline of the development of the Roman Catholic community in Suriname; from the moment it was founded until present time.

Mission Area
The Roman Catholic Mission in Suriname was officially founded in 1683 through decree of the central administration of the church in Rome. In the beginning it was very difficult for priests to work in Suriname and at the time there were only 2 to 3 priests working simultaneously. There were even entire periods where there were no Roman Catholic priests at all. When Suriname was handed over again to Holland in 1816, the principle of religious freedom was added to the government’s rule book.


From Mission Area to Apostolic Prefecture
The Mission in Suriname was permanently established in 1817 by two secular priests from Holland namely: Wennekers and Van der Horst. In 1825 the first temporary organization in the form of an apostolic prefecture was established. An apostolic prefect is the head of a mission area that is just starting up. He has the title of ‘Monsignor’, but has not received the episcopal consecration. He is therefore not a bishop. The first apostolic prefect was Monsignor Jacobus Grooff.

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When Monsignor Grooff returned to Suriname in 1847 after having worked for several years in Suriname, he had in the meantime been enthroned as bishop. He carried the miter and staff, could ordain priests and administer the sacrament of confirmation. He was a fully fledged successor of the apostles. But the Roman Catholic Mission of Suriname was not yet independent. The Surinamese Catholic Mission was under the supervision of Rome and in this case the Congregation of the ‘Propaganda Fide.’

Although Monsignor Grooff was a fully fledged bishop, he had to report back to Rome and governed a mission that was still getting on its feet and for which the preaching of Christianity was still not a direct responsibility of Rome. The Pope is in fact not only head of the Church but as successor of Peter also preacher of the Glad Tidings. The successors of Monsignor Grooff were all fully fledged bishops but ran this vicariate in close collaboration with and in the name of the Holy See, Rome.

From Apostolic Prefecture to Apostolic Vicariate
The year 1852 was a high point as there were 6,000 Catholics. The Mission received a more stable organization in the form of an Apostolic Vicariate. A vicar apostolic is somebody who has been enthroned as bishop but who still heavily depends on Rome. An Apostolic Vicariate is still regarded as a mission area; part of the church where the church has not been organized completely yet and in full independence. It is in fact the last stage before reaching the full hierarchy status. In other words before it becomes a diocese with a fixed throne in the country itself.



From Apostolic Vicariate to Diocese
In 1958 is the most important year in the history of the Roman Catholic Mission in Suriname. The vicariate’s growth in numbers while strengthening its internal organization had not gone unnoticed. Rome therefore deemed it time for the Mission to become completely independent and take its place in the worldwide circle of dioceses.
Monsignor Kuypers, who had the title of apostolic vicar, became the first bishop of Paramaribo. He stood as an equal amongst his many counterparts in the college of bishops of the Catholic Church. He governed the diocese entirely on his own authority. He was of course like all of the other bishops in unity with the Bishop of Rome, the pope.
The Surinamese Diocese was now officially a local church. Monsignor Kuypers was the first Surinamese bishop to participate in the Second Vatican Council that was held in Rome from 1963 until 1965. He witnessed the impressive assembly of all bishops of the Catholic Church who discussed the church’s mission in modern times, necessary changes but also the preaching of the gospel in our time.

Rome’s decision made it possible for the church in Suriname to become one of the 16,000 dioceses in the Roman Catholic Church of that time.

Monsignor Stephanus Kuypers, who had been appointed as apostolic vicar of Suriname in 1947 became the first bishop of Paramaribo in 1958. A diocese is the district or churches under the jurisdiction of a bishop of the Catholic Church. It is governed by a bishop who has been appointed by the pope. Suriname was part of the territories that were governed by the Congregation to Reproduction of the Belief (Congregatie tot Voortplanting van het Geloof) until August 24th, 1958. This is one of the departments which ran the church and the department in question runs the mission areas.

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When the apostolic vicariate was elevated to Diocese Paramaribo, the link with the Congregation dissolved. From that point on the appointed bishop was in charge of governing his territory.

Rome’s decision for elevation was base don the developments of the church in Suriname. Catholic life in Suriname had taken root amongst the people. The organization of parishes, schools, works of charity and the social engagement were gaining structure and the Catholics were all willing to preserve all of it and stand up for it.

The elevation to diocese was proof that the growth into an ecclesiastical territory with its own characteristics and organs and that it no longer depended on the Congregation to Reproduction of the Belief to help it make important decisions. It was an internal growth process which ripened amongst the people. An important aspect of a self-supporting church, in other words a diocese, is that it looks after its own priests. The church gains more footing with every new priest and also gains a more Indigenous character in its appearance.

These facts remind us of the words of Saint Paul:
"For every High Priest, in that he is taken from among men, is appointed as a representative of men in the things that have to do with God".

The Catholic life is led by the priests. They celebrate the Eucharist and are also the servers of other sacraments. They guide the spiritual lives of those who have been entrusted in their care. A diocese that is a self-supporting part of the church will therefore have to rely mainly on its own resources when taking care of its priests. Having its own priests and administration is not just a matter of nationalism. The church of Christ is universal. In other words: it is not bound by borders.

A healthy nationalism comprehends the church’s character of universality.
Nationalism is in the blood and will, without any exaggeration, benefit the religious life in general. When dioceses are established, the borders of the country are taken into consideration. The church therefore has its own character in various countries and regions. Its character is closely connected with the manner of living and the views of the people.
This way the church has a variety of appearances throughout the world. At the same time the church is one in the faith, the preaching, the views on the sacraments and particularly in prayer. Fifty years ago the Diocese Paramaribo that is the Roman Catholic church in Suriname got the chance to develop itself…to become part of the long line of bishops with its own outward appearances. Our church will gradually gain something of the people but at the same time remain one with the universal Catholic Church.