Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus

Diocese of Columbus Dioecesis Columbensis
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Columbus
Location
Country	United States
Territory	23 counties in Central and Southern Ohio.
Ecclesiastical province	Cincinnati
Statistics
Area	29,282 sq mi (75,840 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2006) 2,447,972 252,103 (10.3%)
Parishes	106
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	March 3, 1868 (149 years ago)
Cathedral	St. Joseph Cathedral
Patron saint	St. Francis de Sales
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Frederick Francis Campbell
Vicar General	Msgr. Stephan J. Moloney
Emeritus Bishops	James Anthony Griffin
Map
Website
colsdioc.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus (Latin: Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The diocese was erected on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX out of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. On October 21, 1944 the diocese lost territory when Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Steubenville.

The Catholic faith was brought in the area by the Dominican Order in Somerset. They established St. Joseph's Parish in Somerset, the state's oldest parish, while under the direction of Edward Fenwick. These Dominican friars spread the faith in various areas of Central and Southern Ohio. Pennsylvania Germans and Irish immigrants settled in this part of the state, which led to the establishment of the older parishes. While the Germans and Irish settled in the southeastern part of Ohio, French immigrants came to the northern part of the diocese. In addition, small groups of Italians, Hungarians, and Slovaks moved into farming communities or in the city of Columbus.

The bishops of the diocese, in the order they served, are::

As of 2011, the Diocese of Columbus comprises 106 parishes and three missions. The parishes are divided into the following deaneries:

The following list are the closed hospitals of the Diocese, which stopped operations due to high costs and other factors:

The Diocese of Columbus has many religious institutes of men and women serving in parishes, schools, colleges, and hospitals.