Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington (Latin: Dioecesis Covingtonensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in northern Kentucky, covering 3,359 square miles and fourteen counties. The current bishop is the Most Reverend Roger Joseph Foys, D.D. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.

1 Statistics
2 History
3 2003–2006 Diocese of Covington Synod
4 Parishes
5 High schools
6 Colleges
7 External links

[edit] Statistics

As of 2004[1], the diocese held 89,736 Catholics out of a population of 464,629, about 19% of the population. The diocese contains 46 parishes in 14 counties, the majority of which are concentrated in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties. The diocese also supports a private collegial institution, Thomas More College in Edgewood. In addition, the diocese also administers three area hospitals, the St. Elizabeth Medical Center system, one in Covington, one in Edgewood, and one in Williamstown. The diocesan school system consists of 29 elementary schools and 9 high schools.

[edit] History

The diocese was founded on July 29, 1853 by Pope Pius IX. Installed as the first bishop of Covington was the sitting president of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Father George Aloysius Carrell, S.J. The diocese originally consisted of the eastern half of Kentucky, with the then Diocese of Louisville containing the western half.

The past bishops of the diocese are:

George Aloysius Carrell (1853–1868)
Augustus Maria Bernard Anthony John Gebhard Toebbe (1869–1884)
Camillus Paul Maes (1884–1915)
Ferdinand Brossart (1915–1923)
Francis William Howard (1923–1944)
William Theodore Mulloy (1944–1959)
Richard Henry Ackerman (1960–1978)
William Anthony Hughes (1979–1995)
Robert William Muench (1996–2001)
Roger Joseph Foys (2002—)

In 1988, the southern portion of the diocese was incorporated into the new Diocese of Lexington.

[edit] 2003–2006 Diocese of Covington Synod

In November 2003, Bishop Roger Joseph Foys officially opened the fifth synod in the 150-year history of the Diocese of Covington. An official synod document will be promulgated on August 13, 2006 [2].

The synod will cover the topics of Liturgy and Worship, Parish and Diocesan Administration, Catholic Education, Respect for Life, the Lay Apostolate, Priestly Life and Ministry, Diaconal Life and Ministry, and Evangelization[3].

The previous synod in the Diocese of Covington was called in 1961 by Bishop Richard Ackerman to address financial record-keeping, marriage ceremony guidelines and high school tuition[4].