Catholic Church in the Dutch Caribbean

The French part of the island of Saint Martin belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basse-Terre.

Erected as the apostolic prefecture of Curaçao in 1752, it was elevated to a Vicariate in 1842, and finally the Diocese of Willemstad in April 1958.

In 1701 Dominican priest Jean Baptiste Labat visited Saba and wrote the earliest extant record of the island.

A woman from Guadeloupe who was on the island spoke French and helped the two men communicate with the English-speaking Sabans.

Following the mass, five children were presented for baptism and English catechisms were distributed liberally amongst the population.