Archdiocese of Baltimore Archidioecesis Baltimorensis |
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Location | |
Country | United States |
Territory | The City of Baltimore and nine counties across central and western Maryland |
Ecclesiastical province | Baltimore |
Statistics | |
Area | 4,801 km2 (1,854 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2012) 3,148,690 510,328 (16.2%) |
Parishes | 144 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | November 6, 1789 (227 years) |
Cathedral | Cathedral of Mary Our Queen |
Co-cathedral | Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
Patron saint |
Immaculate Conception St. Ignatius of Loyola |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Metropolitan Archbishop | William E. Lori |
Auxiliary Bishops |
Mark E. Brennan Adam J. Parker |
Emeritus Bishops |
William Clifford Newman Denis J. Madden |
Map | |
Website | |
www |
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore (Latin: Archidioecesis Baltimorensis) is the premier see of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and 9 of Maryland's 23 counties in the central and western portions of the state: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington. The archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the larger regional Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the oldest diocese in the United States whose see city was within the nation's boundaries when the United States declared its independence in 1776. The Holy See granted the Archbishop of Baltimore the right of precedence in the nation at liturgies, meetings, and Plenary Councils on August 15, 1859. Although the Archdiocese of Baltimore does not enjoy "primatial" status, it is the premier episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America.