Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or
diocese of the
Roman Catholic Church in the
United States. It is led by the prelature of an
archbishop which administers the
archdiocese from the
cities of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The archbishop is concurrently pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of Saint Paul in the
city of Saint Paul and its co-cathedral,
Basilica of Saint Mary in the
city of Minneapolis.
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or
diocese of the
Roman Catholic Church in the
United States. It is led by the prelature of an
archbishop which administers the
archdiocese from the
cities of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The archbishop is concurrently pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of Saint Paul in the
city of Saint Paul and its co-cathedral,
Basilica of Saint Mary in the
city of Minneapolis. Its official newspaper is
The Catholic Spirit.
The archdiocese has 222 parish churches in twelve
counties of
Minnesota. It counts in its membership an approximate total of 750,000 people, roughly 25% of the state population.
History
Prior to the founding of the diocese, the territory that made up the diocese at the time of its founding was under the jurisdiction of a number of different Catholic prelates. Most of these were purely academic as there was no Catholic presence in the area. Among the more notable of these was the
Archdiocese of Saint Louis and the
Dubuque Diocese. During this later period the church first came into the area with the arrival of missionaries and European settlers.
The original see was canonically erected by
Pope Pius IX on July 19, 1850 as the Diocese of Saint Paul of Minnesota. The Diocese's territory was taken from the
Dubuque diocese, and its authority spread over all of
Minnesota Territory, which consisted of the area which now composes the states of
Minnesota,
North Dakota and
South Dakota, which consist the modern archdiocese's ecclesiastical province. The Diocese was originally erected as a suffragan see of the
Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Its first Ordinary was Bishop Joseph Crétin, whose name, along with that of another notable early bishop, John Ireland, has since become embedded into the culture of the region. In February, 1875 it was transferred from the ecclesiastical province of
St. Louis to that of
Milwaukee.
Pope Leo XIII elevated the see to the rank of archdiocese on May 4, 1888 and its name was changed to reflect this.
Pope Paul VI once again instituted a name change for the see on July 11, 1966. Reflecting the growth of the Roman Catholic Church in the region, it became the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the name it retains today. The present Ordinary of the Archdiocese is His Excellency, the Most Reverend Harry Flynn, who succeeded to the post on the retirement of his predecessor, John Roach on September 8, 1995.
Ordinaries of the Archdiocese
This is a list of the
bishops who have served the Archdiocese through its history.
Bishops of Saint Paul
- Bishop Joseph Crétin †
- Bishop Thomas Langdon Grace, O.P. †
Archbishops of Saint Paul
- Archbishop John Ireland † Succeeded - 25 September 1918 Died)
- Archbishop Austin Dowling †
- Archbishop John Gregory Murray †
- Archbishop William Otterwell Brady †
Archbishops of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Auxiliary Bishops
Suffragan sees of the Ecclesiastical Province of St. Paul and Minneapolis
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo
- Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona
External links
