Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese

Day 20: Diocese of Moosonee

You want to find a good way to operate under the radar as a diocese? Share a name with an Anglican diocese of the same name in a predominantly Protestant country. This diocese, which covers a chunk of Ontario, has just over 6,000 Catholics in it, and has almost no web presence. The best I could do is a Facebook page that mimics most of the same information found in Wikipedia, which borrows heavily from a site that lists vital information for all Catholic diocese.

On the plus side, the Catholic website gives a phone number and tells us that the diocese's Catholic Directory abbreviation is "Moo." I am willing to bet there are more cows than Catholics in this diocese. Most of them are probably Anglicans, too.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 19: Diocese of Brooklyn


Not surprisingly, this diocese was formed when Brooklyn was a separate city from New York, forming in 1853. It includes Queens and used to include Long Island, which later split off into its own diocese.

The diocese is home to the only seminary high school in the country, Cathedral Prep. Its best known student was one that didn't graduate: Vince Lombardi. I imagine they wanted less cursing in the sermons.

Checking the diocese website, I was saddened to see no Hipster Ministry (it's also not clear if they're using artisinally baked wafers using genetically unmodified wheat). But I did notice that they're tying to get one of their own, Monsignor Bernard Quinn, canonized. He did some impressive work, volunteering as a chaplain in World War I, and then working to support African-American Catholics in Brooklyn, but I've not seen any discussion of miracles, which are pretty much required. Good luck.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 18: Diocese of Salt Lake City


While not in the same league as having a diocese in Iran or Russia, you'd have to think running the show in Salt Lake City would be challenging given the demographics in Utah. In some ways Catholics have always been outsiders in the region, as the first church was built to minister primarily to soldiers, miners, and railroad workers. Still true today, as the diocese has seen its numbers grow in recent years thanks to Hispanic immigration, but it's still a very small group compared to Mormons.

From what I can tell, the relationship is generally cordial on an official level, but more challenging on a personal level. That kind of jibes with the lone data point of anecdotal evidence I have. Many years ago I was an RA in the same area of campus with a woman from Salt Lake who was Catholic. She noted that things were fine when her family first moved there, but a distance developed (especially with neighborhood kids who were Mormon) as it became clear that her family wouldn't be seen at services. There was never any ugliness, and from what she said everyone got along in the neighborhood, but it was a separation point. Nothing to dissimilar from what happens in other areas where one faith is dominant, I'd think, and thankfully peaceful.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 17: Archdiocese of Ispahan


This diocese was founded in 1629 by Italian missionaries to Isfahan, then the capital of the Safavid Empire. It got bumped up to an archdiocese in 1910. It serves roughly 10,000 Catholics in Iran, which must be a pretty tough gig. Even better, the cathedral is located in Tehran. Christians in Iran are apparently a protected religious minority, but I doubt there'll be much of an Easter parade there.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 16: Diocese of Djibouti


This diocese was created in 1955 from an apostolic prefecture created in 1914. Not quite sure of the circumstances, given that there are only about 7,000 Catholics in Djibouti. I suppose France had something to do with it, as most of the Catholics in Djibouti are expats or other non-Djiboutians.

There's not much out there on the diocese, not surprisingly. I pretty much chose it for this exercise because I like the name Djibouti.  It's fun to say.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese

Day 15: Diocese of El Paso

Part of the Diocese of Mexico when it was formed in 1530, it became part of an American-based diocese after the Mexican-American War. The city of El Paso didn't have a dedicated Catholic church until 1881; up to then most folks went to church across the border in Juarez.

The arrival of the railroad and refugees trying to avoid the Mexican Civil War resulted in a population boom for El Paso and the establishment of several new parishes. Pope Pius X established the El Paso diocese in 1914, taking parts from Dallas, San Antonio and Tucson. For all of the Hispanic influences, the cathedral is named for St. Patrick as the largest donation for the building came from Irish immigrants working the local mines. That's changed recently, as all of the bishops since 1978 are of Hispanic descent, and the diocese has been very active in issues related to undocumented immigrants and relief efforts in Central America.

While originally covering parts of west Texas and southern New Mexico, the latter territory was broken off in 1982 to form the Diocese of Las Cruces. 

My original interest in picking this diocese: its coat of arms has an anchor on it, which I thought was odd as El Paso isn't exactly coastal. It winds up that an anchor was part of Piux X's personal coat of arms, and El Paso put one on their coat of arms to honor him.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese

Day 14: Diocese of Pyongyang

Started as a Prefecture Apostolic in 1927, the last bishop to serve in residence was Francis Hong Yong-ho, who was imprisoned in 1949 and later disappeared. Seeing which was the wind was blowing with the North Koreans, the diocese has been run by an apostolic administrator from Seoul since its inception in 1962. Yong-ho is still considered its bishop, however, as a testament to him and the persecution of Catholics (and pretty much any religious personnel) in North Korea.

Which does lead to certain practical questions, mostly around how many Catholics there could be in North Korea and how the hierarch operates, if at all.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 13: Archdiocese of Alba Iulia


Located in Romania but serving mostly ethnic Hungarians, I admit I chose this one because it was originally the Diocese of Transylvania, which seems like a fitting choice for the 13th day of this exercise. That original diocese was formed in 1009 by Stephen I of Hungary, and didn't change to its current name until the 1930s.

I just kind of like the idea that Vlad the Impaler liked going to mass so he could have more blood.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 12: Diocese of Palm Beach


Formed in 1984, this diocese has had a short, turbulent history thanks to two of its former bishops. One, Joseph Symons, admitted to molesting five boys while he was a parish priest and resigned. His successor, Anthony O'Connell, would later admit to molesting two students while running a preparatory seminary in Missouri.

It was at this point that Sean O'Malley was made bishop, moving from the clean up job he had in Fall River to this one. He would serve for less than a year before being moved to Boston to replace Bernard Law, who left him a pretty big mess to clean up as well. Replacing O'Malley was the current bishop, Gerald Barbarito, who in what I hope is an unrelated move has a picture of himself as a child on his biography page.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 11: Diocese of Yamoussoukro


Located in the capital of Cote D'Ivoire, this diocese is best known as the home of the "minor" Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, one of the largest churches in the world (possibly the second-largest, depending if you measure by volume or area). Its minor status reflects that it is not the seat of the bishop, who uses the smaller, but quite suitable, Cathedral of St. Augustine.

Based on St. Peter's, its construction was the brain child of former president Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who apparently wanted it to be a memorial to him in his hometown, which he made the nation's capital. in 1983. 

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 10: Diocese of Transfiguration at Novosibirsk


At 700,000 square miles in area and with only 500,000 Catholics, this may be the least densely populated diocese of all. It didn't get full diocese status until 2002, but has been a part of the Catholic hierarchy in Russia since 1921.

The current bishop, Joseph Werth, is an interesting guy. Born in what is now Kazakhstan, he was trained in secret by Jesuits in Lithuania, and was ordained in 1984. His work in the Asian region of the USSR was seen as successful, and there's some thought he was made a cardinal in secret (in pectore) by Pope John Paul II, probably to protect him from problems with the Russian government (and the Russian Orthodox church, with which the Vatican has had problematic relations since, well, the Great Schism).

That may also explain why all the diocese names in Russia have some sort of name in addition to the location (for example, the archdiocese is called Mother of God at Moscow).

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 9: Archdiocese of Algiers


Founded as a diocese in 1838 and elevated to an archdiocese in 1866, it does claim a history dating back to the second century AD even though the French were the ones to get the hierarchy going.

There is a page on their website that talks about living as Catholics in a country where Islam is dominant, and not surprisingly it takes a fairly low-key tone, stressing brotherhood and acceptance. Probably a good idea given the numbers.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 8: Diocese of Reno


Nevada was originally split in two vertically, with the western half belonging to Sacramento and the eastern half falling under Salt Lake City. in 1931 they were merged into the Diocese of Reno, which covered the entire state. It was the largest diocese (in area) in the continental US.

In 1976, it was renamed Reno-Las Vegas to denote the latter city's growth, but was removed in 1995 when Las Vegas was spun off into its own diocese. Today it has 37 priests to cover over 70,000 square miles. I hope they get mileage.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 7: Diocese of Winona


Made up of most of southern Minnesota, it found a novel way to build up its population. The bishop in charge in 1877 bought over 100,000 acres of land and brought in settlers to farm. Not surprisingly, he tried to bring in Catholics, and managed to attract Irish and German immigrants under some pretty favorable terms.

Later, The Sisters of Saint Francis of the Congregation of our Lady of Lourdes would help create the Mayo Clinic, as they brought in the Mayo brothers to run a new hospital in the aftermath of a tornado in 1882.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese


Day 6: Diocese of Fairbanks


While founded in 1962, its roots go all the way back to 1894 with the founding of an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area that doesn't have enough Catholics to form a diocese. It's likely still the US diocese with the lowest population density, with roughly 18,000 worshipers spread over 410,000 square miles.

With that size, it's also not surprising to learn it's the home to the oldest church-run radio station in the country. Not quite sure how you take communion over the radio. Maybe they send you wafers.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese!


Day 5: Diocese of Owensboro


Formed in 1937, it covers western Kentucky. Not much to say about it, really, though their website notes that they have one of the highest Mass attendance rates in the country, with about 60 percent of its worshipers showing up on Sundays. So they have that going for them, which is nice.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese!


Day 4: Diocese of Gaylord


I admit it. I'm a 12 year old.

(for form's sake: it's in northern Michigan, founded in 1970, and "canonically erected" in 1971. Maybe not the best choice of words there.)

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese!


Day 3: Diocese of Dodge City


I would not have figured western Kansas for a hotbed of Popery, but there you have it, 28 counties arranged into this diocese, numbering about 44,000 Catholics total. Not much more to say about it - their website spends as much time talking about Wild West days as anything else - which may not be surprising as it was formed in 1951.

They do have the first 21st century cathedral in the US, which opened in December 2001. A little too contemporary for my taste - from the outside it looks like it could be part of an outlet mall, and the inside has a theater in the round quality to it - but it's hardly the ugliest church I've ever seen.

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese!


Day 2: Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon


I feel kind of bad for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, having to go through life with the "in Oregon" modifier so it's not confused with the Diocese of Portland that covers the entire state of Maine. Even worse, Portland wasn't the first home of the archdiocese, as Oregon City served as HQ until 1926.

Still, this is the first archdiocese founded in the western US, thanks to a petition by French missionaries and the later arrival of a group of Belgian priests and nuns.

Recent history has less to crow about, as the archdiocese was the first in the US to declare bankruptcy in the wake of sex abuse scandals, doing so in 2004. The declaration came just as two cases were heading to trial, with victims seeking over $150 million in damages.

If you spent most of today wondering why you kept seeing people who looked like they hadn't washed their face in a while, it's Ash Wednesday (that or you live or work in an area where personal hygiene isn't a priority). Among the things that means, perhaps the least important is the debut of:

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese! 


Forty days, forty blurbs about administrative districts of the Catholic church. And in true Catholic fashion, I'm doing something based on an idea that was popular several years ago (feel free to refer to this comment in 2289, when priests are finally allowed to marry).

So, as the hip kids of the Vatican like to say, sit scriptor adepto eam coepi!


Day 1: Archdiocese of Baltimore


Prior to independence, American Catholics fell under the jurisdiction of a vicariate in London (Britain having no diocese of their own at the time, thanks to all the unpleasantness with and following the formation of the Church of England). Roughly two months after the Treaty of Paris was signed, a group of Maryland clergy asked the Vatican to create a superior to be in charge of the various missionary groups in the US. That got the OK the following year, and in 1789 Baltimore was officially made a diocese, giving it authority over all Catholics in US states and territories.


I'll admit to being surprised when I first learned that Baltimore was the first diocese in the US. It's not the first city you'd think of when you think of American Catholics, and probably wouldn't be the second or third. So how did they get the nod, other than having clergy who got the ball rolling?


Maryland was planned and founded by successive Lord Baltimores, George and Cecilius Calvert. Both men were Catholic, and named the colony for the Catholic wife of Charles I. It was one of the few places in colonial America where Catholics could practice openly, and thus attracted large numbers of Catholic immigrants well before cities like Boston, New York and Chicago.


Not that it always went smoothly. The Jesuits that accompanies the original settlers established themselves pretty quickly, getting land from natives and pushing for various exemptions from duty and taxes that were levied on other settlers. Calvert was able to have non-Jesuit priests sent over and brokered some sort of truce that allowed everyone to operate in peace - just in time for the Puritans to show up and take over the government. Then the English crown made Maryland a royal colony in 1692 and forced the C of E on the locals, who were largely forbidden to practice their original faith.


Baltimore does have two pretty neat distinctions. First, the archbishop of Baltimore has "prerogative of place" over all other American archbishops whenever they are in some sort of meeting, regardless of seniority. He does not get to boss around cardinals, however (even if he is a cardinal archbishop). The other distinction is that there are two cathedrals in the city of Baltimore, making it only one of three US cities to have this. The other two are Honolulu and Burlington, Vermont. So maybe it's not that neat of a distinction.