Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes (Latin: Dioecesis Tarbiensis et Lourdensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese in France.^[1] It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Toulouse. Its name was changed from the Diocese of Tarbes to the Diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes (Lat: Dioecesis Tarbiensis et Lourdensis) on 20 April 1912.^[2]

Diocesan statistics

As of 2004 the official statistics for the diocese were as follows:^[3]

• Catholic population: 150,000
• Parishes: 117
• Secular (diocesan) priests: 126
• Religious priests: 53
• Permanent deacons: 10
• Male religious: 75
• Female religious: 645

Incumbent bishop

As of 2010^[update] the bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes was Jacques Jean Joseph Jules Perrier (b. 4 Dec 1936, ordained 7 Mar 1964), appointed on 16th Jan 1998.^[4]

Previous bishops

Previous Bishops of Tarbes-et-Lourdes include:^[5]

• François de Poudenx (appointed 1692; d.1716)
• Anne-François-Guillaume du Cambout-Beçay (appointed 1719; d.1729)
• Charles-Antoine de la Roche-Aymon (appointed 1729-1740)
• Pierre de Beaupoil de Saint-Aulaire (appointed 1741; d.1751)
• Pierre de La Romagère (appointed 1751; d.1769)
• Michel-François de Couët du Vivier de Lorry (appointed 1769-1782)
• Diocese "suppressed" in 1801
• Diocese "restored" in 1822
• Antoine-Xavier de Neirac (appointed 1817; d.1833)
• Pierre-Michel-Marie Double (appointed 1833; d.1844)
• Bertrand-Sévère Mascarou Laurence (appointed 1844; d.1870) (Bishop at the time of the Lourdes apparitions)^[6].
• Pierre-Anastase Pichenot (appointed 1870-1873)
• Benoit-Marie Langénieux (appointed 1873-1874)
• César-Victor-Ange-Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (appointed 1874-1882)
• Prosper-Marie Billère (appointed 1882-1899)
• François-Xavier Schoepfer (appointed 1899; d.1927) ^[7]
• Alexandre-Philibert Poirier (succeeded 1927; d.1928)
• Pierre-Marie Gerlier (appointed 1929-1937)
• Georges Choquet (appointed 1938; d.1946)^[8]
• Pierre-Marie Théas (appointed 1947; retired 1970)^[9]
• Henri Clément Victor Donze (appointed 1970; retired 1988)
• Jean Yves Marie Sahuquet (succeeded 1998; retired 1998)

References

1. ^ Tarbes - Catholic Encyclopedia article
2. ^ "Diocese of Tarbes et Lourdes". Catholic Hierarchy. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dtarb.html. 
3. ^ "Diocese of Tarbes et Lourdes". Catholic Hierarchy. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dtarb.html. 
4. ^ "Bishop Jacques Jean Joseph Jules Perrier". Catholic Hierarchy. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bperrierj.html. 
5. ^ "Diocese of Tarbes et Lourdes". Catholic Hierarchy. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dtarb.html. 
6. ^ Ruth Harris, Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 429.
7. ^ Ruth Harris, Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 365.
8. ^ Ruth Harris, Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 366.
9. ^ Ruth Harris, Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 366.