| Diocese of Portland Dioecesis Portlandensis |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | The state of Maine |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Boston |
| Metropolitan | Portland, Maine |
| Population - Catholics |
193,228 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | July 29, 1853 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
| Bishop | Bishop of Portland |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Archbishop of Boston |
| Website | |
| portlanddiocese.net | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or motherchurch, is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the city of Portland.
The Diocese of Portland was canonically erected on July 29, 1853, by Pope Pius IX. Its territories were taken from the present-day Archdiocese of Boston in the nearby state of Massachusetts.
Richard. J. Malone was installed March 31, 2004, as the eleventh and present bishop of the diocese.
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The Diocese is currently divided into 29 Clusters/Parishes.[1]
The Diocese's Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the City of Portland.
Located in Lewiston, Maine is the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Due to a wave of late 19th century immigration by French Canadians, the church was built and expanded until 1936, by which time it was the second largest church in New England. In 1983, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2004, the church was named a minor basilica by the Holy See.
In November 2009 it was reported that the Diocese of Portland had contributed $550,000, or 20% of the total cash contributed to Stand For Marriage Maine, a successful campaign to prevent then-impending legalization of same-sex marriage in Maine.[2][3] Roughly 55% of the funds donated by the Diocese came from other out-of-state dioceses who donated money to the Diocese of Portland's PAC.[4]
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