Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
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Diocese of Charleston Dioecesis Carolopolitana |
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| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Territory |
 South Carolina
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| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Atlanta |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Atlanta |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 31,055 sq mi (80,430 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2013) 4,679,230 192,422 (4.1%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | July 11, 1820 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist |
| Patron saint | St. John the Baptist |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Robert E. Guglielmone |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Wilton D. Gregory |
| Vicar General | Richard Harris |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| sccatholic.org | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States and comprises the entire state of South Carolina, with Charleston as its see city. Currently, the diocese consists of 92 parishes and 24 missions throughout the state. It is led by the Most Rev. Robert Guglielmone, the Thirteenth Bishop of Charleston, who serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in the City of Charleston. Its first bishop was John England. Charleston is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
The diocese was created from territories of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Diocese of Charleston was canonically erected on July 11, 1820 by Pope Pius VII making it the seventh oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the United States. At that time, the diocese comprised the states of Georgia, North Carolina, & South Carolina.
Services are primarily given in English throughout the diocese, though the rapid increase in the Hispanic population has caused several congregations to include Spanish language services, particularly in the Lowcountry region.
Consecrated on April 6, 1854 the Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar was the first proper cathedral of the diocese. On December 11, 1861, it was destroyed in a fire that consumed most of the city. The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist was built to replace the original and sits on the foundation of the ruins. Before the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh was formed, the Diocese of Charleston had a pro-cathedral in Wilmington, North Carolina, that is now St. Mary Catholic Church.
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