Diocese of Allentown Dioecesis Alanpolitana |
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The coat of arms of the Diocese of Allentown
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Location | |
Country | United States |
Territory | Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill, in the United States |
Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Philadelphia |
Statistics | |
Area | 2,773 sq mi (7,180 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2015) 1,272,212 258,997 (20.4%%) |
Parishes | 89 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | January 28, 1961 |
Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena |
Patron saint | Saint Catherine of Siena |
Secular priests | 210 |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop |
sede vacante Bishop of Allentown |
Metropolitan Archbishop |
Charles Joseph Chaput, OFM Cap Archbishop of Philadelphia |
Vicar General | Alfred Schlert, V.G. |
Emeritus Bishops | Edward Peter Cullen |
Map | |
Website | |
allentowndiocese.org |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown (Latin: Dioecesis Alanpolitana) is a Roman Catholic diocese comprising the Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill, in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Catharine of Siena, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The diocese has a Catholic population of 258,997 as of 2015, approximately 20.4% of the total population; it maintains 89 parishes, 34 Catholic elementary schools, 6 Catholic high schools and two Catholic colleges, as well as 244 priests (active, retired & religious). It was announced on December 9, 2016 that Pope Francis had transferred Allentown Bishop John O. Barres and that Barres would serve as Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in Long Island, New York.
The diocese was founded on January 28, 1961 by Pope St. John XXIII by splitting the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; the first bishop, Joseph Mark McShea, was installed on April 11 of that year.
The bishops of the diocese and their years of service:
The Vicar General of the Diocese is the Reverend Monsignor Alfred A. Schlert, J.C.L., V.G. The Judicial Vicar of the Diocese is the Very Rev. John J. Paul, V.J., M.S.C., S.T.L., J.C.D.