Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
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| Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah | |
| Dioecesis Savannah | |
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Savannah, Georgia, United States |
| Territory | State of: Georgia |
| Population | 2,500,000 |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Patron | St. John the Baptist |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Atlanta |
| Established | July 3, 1850 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist |
| Bishop | Bishop of Savannah |
| Website | Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
| Metropolitan | Wilton D. Gregory
Archbishop of Atlanta |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the southern counties of the state of Georgia. It is led by a prelate bishop who serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in the City of Savannah.
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[edit] History
The diocese was canonically erected on July 3, 1850 by Pope Pius IX, taking its territories from the Diocese of Charleston. Pope Pius XI changed the ecclesiastical territory's name to become the conjoined Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta on January 5, 1937 to reflect the growth of Catholicism in the state. The number of Catholics in the northern counties of Georgia had grown so much that Pope Pius XII divided the ecclesiastical territory on July 2, 1956 and created the Diocese of Savannah and the Diocese of Atlanta. (In 1962 the Diocese of Atlanta was elevated to the status of an archdiocese, becoming the center of the Ecclesiastical Province of the same name.)[1]
[edit] Bishops
- Francis Xavier Gartland (1850-1854)
- John Barry (1857-1859)
- John Marcellus Peter Augustine Verot (1861-1870)
- Ignatius Camillus William Mary Peter Persico (1870-1874)
- William Hickley Gross (1873-1885)
- Thomas Albert Andrew Becker (1886-1899)
- Benjamin Joseph Keiley (1900-1922)
- Michael Joseph Keyes (1922-1935)
- Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara (1935-1959)
- Thomas Joseph McDonough (1960-1967)
- Gerard Louis Frey (1967-1972)
- Raymond William Lessard (1973-1995)
- J. Kevin Boland (1995-present)
[edit] Demographics
Today the Diocese of Savannah comprises 90 counties in south Georgia. It covers 37,038 square miles. There are 54 parishes and 25 missions within the diocese, serving about 75,000 lay Catholics.[2]
[edit] Clergy and Religious
The current number of priests stands at 105 Of these, 90 are serving actively, while 22 priests are in retirement status. There are 38 men that serve the diocese as members of the permanent diaconate, as well as 103 religious (mostly nuns).[3]
[edit] High schools
There are 5 Catholic high schools and 16 elementary schools in the diocese, serving over 6,000 students.
- Aquinas High School, Augusta
- Benedictine Military School, Savannah
- Mount de Sales Academy, Macon
- Pacelli High School, Columbus
- Saint Mary on the Hill Catholic School, Augusta
- St. Vincent's Academy, Savannah
