Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

See Diocese of Alexandria for namesakes

Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana Dioecesis Alexandrina in Louisiana
Location
Country	United States of America
Territory	Parishes of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Catahoula Parish, Lasalle, Grant
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of New Orleans
Statistics
Area	28,780 sq mi (74,500 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 395,000 44,600 (11.3%)
Parishes	50
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1853
Cathedral	St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Patron saint	St. Francis Xavier
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	David Talley
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gregory Michael Aymond
Map
Website
diocesealex.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria (Louisiana) is the Latin suffragan diocese for central Louisiana in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, southern USA.

Its cathedral episcopal see is St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, Louisiana. It also has a former Cathedral and Minor Basilica: Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The current Bishop of the Diocese is David Talley, who was appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of Alexandria^[1] before becoming bishop with the resignation of Ronald Paul Herzog.

The corporate title of the diocese is The Diocese of Alexandria. The Latin title of the diocese is Dioecesis Alexandrina in Louisiana.

Statistics and extent

As per 2014, it pastorally served 42,929 Catholics (11.2% of 383,421 total) on 27,810 km² in 50 parishes with 71 priests (61 diocesan, 10 religious), 19 deacons, 43 lay religious (14 brothers, 29 sisters) and 10 seminarians. ^[2]

It encompasses the civil parishes (Louisiana counties) of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Cathoula, Lasalle and Grant.

History

The bishopric was established on 1910.08.06 as Diocese of Alexandria / Alexandrin(us), named after its new see Alexandria, Louisiana, on the territory of the suppressed Diocese of Natchitoches (Natchitochensis) (founded in 1853) and the first Bishop of was Augustus Marie Martin.

On 18 October 1976, it was renamed as the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport (Alexandrinus-Shreveportuensis).

On 16 June 1986, when the northern Louisiana portion of the territory was separated to form the new Diocese of Shreveport, the diocese was again renamed back as the Diocese of Alexandria. ^[3]

Episcopal Ordinaries

^[4] [Predecessor see : Suffragan Bishops of Natchitoches

1. Augustus Marie Martin (1853–1875), Deceased
2. Francis Xavier Leray (1876–1879), Reassigned as Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans
3. Anthony Durier (1884–1904), Deceased
4. Cornelius Van de Ven (born Netherlands) (1904.10.24 – 1910.08.06 see below) ]

Suffragan Bishops of Alexandria

1. Cornelius Van de Ven (born Netherlands) (1910.08.06 – death 1932.05.08), previously last Bishop of Diocese of Natchitoches (1904.10.24 – 1910.08.06)
2. Daniel Francis Desmond (1932.12.16 – death 1945.09.11)
3. Charles Pasquale Greco (1946.01.15 – retired 1973.05.10), died 1987
4. Lawrence Preston Joseph Graves (1973.05.10 – 1976.10.18 see below), previously Titular Bishop of Vina (1969.02.24 – 1973.05.10) as Auxiliary Bishop of Little Rock (USA) (1969.02.24 – 1973.05.10)

Suffragan Bishops of Alexandria-Shreveport

1. Lawrence Preston Joseph Graves (see above 1976.10.18 – retired 1982.07.20), died 1984
2. William Benedict Friend (1982.11.17 – 1986.06.16), previously Titular Bishop of Pomaria (1979.08.31 – 1982.11.17) as Auxiliary Bishop of Alexandria–Shreveport (1979.08.31 – 1982.11.17); next first Bishop of daughter see Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana (1986.06.16 – retired 2006.12.20), later a while Apostolic Administrator of Alexandria (USA) (2003.10.10 – 2004.11.04 see below); died 2015

Suffragan Bishops of Alexandria (again)

1. John Clement Favalora (1986.06.16 – 1989.03.14) next Bishop of Saint Petersburg (USA) (1989.03.14 – 1994.11.03), Metropolitan Archbishop of Miami (Florida, USA) (1994.11.03 – retired 2010.04.20)
2. Sam Gallip Jacobs (1989.07.01 – 2003.08.01), next Bishop of Houma–Thibodaux (Louisiana, USA) (2003.08.01 – retired 2013.09.23)
   1. Apostolic Administrator William Benedict Friend (see above 2003.10.10 – 2004.11.04) while first Bishop of daughter diocese Shreveport, Louisiana
3. Ronald Paul Herzog (2004.11.04 – retired 2017.02.02)
4. David Talley (2 February 2017 - ... ); previously Titular Bishop of Lambæsis (2013.01.03 – 2016.09.21) as Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta (Georgia, USA) (2013.01.03 – 2016.09.21), then Coadjutor Bishop of Alexandria (2016.09.21 – succession 2017.02.02).

Arms

Arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected. Adopted 1853 Escutcheon Gules, a cross throughout Argent between four bells of the last; overall, at the center point, a crescent checky Sable and Or. Symbolism The red background represents the Red River that runs through the See City. The cross, for the Faith, divides the four bells that are taken from the arms of the Ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria, in Egypt, for which the City is named. Overall, at the center of the design is a black and gold (yellow) checky crescent, which is taken from the arms of the Spanish family “Xavier,” and this symbol is used throughout ecclesiastical heraldry as the classic charge for Saint Francis Xavier, titular of the cathedral-church in Alexandria.

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Rectory in Alexandria

Catholic High schools

• Holy Savior Menard Central High School, Alexandria
• St. Joseph High School, Plaucheville
• St. Mary's High School, Natchitoches

See also

• namesake Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall in Ontario, Canada
• List of Catholic dioceses in the United States

References

1. ↑ "Bishop David Talley named coadjutor for Diocese of Alexandria". Diocese of Alexandria. Retrieved 2016-09-21. 
2. ↑ http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/alex3.htm GCatholic
3. ↑ http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/alex3.htm GCatholic
4. ↑ http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/alex3.htm GCatholic

Sources and external links

• GCatholic, with Google map and satellite photo - data for most sections
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria Official Site

Coordinates: 31°17′34″N 92°27′33″W / 31.29278°N 92.45917°W / 31.29278; -92.45917