The Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond (Latin: Dioecesis Richmondiensis) is an episcopal see or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Its current territory encompasses all of central and southern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and the Eastern Shore. It is a ceremonial suffragan of the ecclesiastical province of Baltimore, from which its territory was taken.
Currently, there are 236,061 active Catholics and 142 parishes that are part of the Diocese of Richmond. The diocese currently has 87 active priests, 59 retired priests, 115 permanent deacons, 6 religious brothers, 139 religious sisters of Catholic religious orders and 25 seminarians. There are 28 diocesan Catholic schools in the diocese, with a total enrollment of 12,062 students in 6 high schools and 22 elementary schools.
The diocese's current Bishop is Barry C. Knestout, who was appointed by Pope Francis on December 5, 2017. He was installed to the position on January 12, 2018.
Video Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
History
Prior to the American Revolution, few Catholics lived in colonial Virginia. Anti-Catholic laws discouraged the faithful from settling in that area. It was not until the passage of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786 that Catholics were free to worship openly in the commonwealth. The Diocese of Richmond was canonically erected by Pope Pius VII on July 11, 1820.
The new Diocese of Wheeling was formed by splitting off the western part of this diocese in 1850, and that same year, this diocese received the small area which had been retroceded from the District of Columbia in 1846. The Civil War led to formation of the state of West Virginia, but the boundary between that state and Virginia did not coincide with the boundary of the Wheeling and Richmond dioceses. The two eastern-shore counties were transferred to the new Diocese of Wilmington in 1868, leaving Virginia split between three dioceses. In 1974, Virginia and West Virginia dioceses were realigned so that West Virginia was a diocese by itself and Virginia had the Richmond diocese and the new Arlington diocese, both in their entirety.
Maps Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Bishops
Ordinaries
- Patrick Kelly (August 24, 1820 - February 9, 1822)
- Richard Vincent Whelan (December 19, 1840 - Jul 23, 1850)
- John McGill (July 23, 1850 - January 14, 1872)
- James Gibbons (July 30, 1872 - May 20, 1877)
- John Joseph Keane (March 28, 1878 - August 12, 1888)
- Augustine Van de Vyver (July 16, 1889 - October 16, 1911)
- Denis Joseph O'Connell (January 19, 1912 - January 15, 1926)
- Andrew James Louis Brennan (May 28, 1926 - April 14, 1945)
- Peter Leo Ireton (April 14, 1945 - April 27, 1958)
- John Joyce Russell (July 3, 1958 - April 28, 1973)
- Walter Francis Sullivan (June 4, 1974 - September 16, 2003)
- Francis Xavier DiLorenzo (May 24, 2004 - August 17, 2017)
- Barry Christopher Knestout (January 12, 2018 - present)
Auxiliary bishops
- Joseph Howard Hodges (October 15, 1952 - May 31, 1961), appointed bishop of Wheeling
- Ernest Leo Unterkoefler (February 22, 1962 - December 12, 1964), appointed bishop of Charleston
- James Louis Flaherty (October 15, 1966 - August 9, 1975), died
- Walter Francis Sullivan (December 1, 1970 - July 19, 1974), appointed bishop of this diocese
- David Edward Foley (June 27, 1986 - March 22, 1994), appointed bishop of Birmingham
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
- Francis August Anthony Joseph Janssens, appointed bishop of Natchez in 1881
- Antons Justs (priest here, 1960-1974), appointed bishop of Jelgava, Latvia in 1995
- Vincent Stanislaus Waters, appointed bishop of Raleigh in 1945
Notable people
- Servant of God Francis J. Parater (1897-1920), seminarian and candidate for canonization
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus has several councils in the Richmond Diocese. The Knights serve parish and communities throughout both dioceses in the Commonwealth. One of the best known services is the KOVAR drive which raises money for assisting Virginians with intellectual disabilities.
High schools
- Benedictine High School, Richmond
- Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, Virginia Beach
- Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School, Powhatan
- Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, Lynchburg
- Peninsula Catholic High School, Newport News
- Roanoke Catholic School, Roanoke
- Saint Gertrude High School, Richmond
- Walsingham Academy, Williamsburg
See also
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
References
External links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond Official Site
- Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
- "Diocese of Richmond" article in the Catholic Encyclopedia
Source of article : Wikipedia
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