Diocese of Green Bay Dioecesis Sinus Viridis |
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Coat of arms
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Location | |
Country | United States |
Territory | Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago counties, Wisconsin |
Ecclesiastical province | Milwaukee |
Statistics | |
Area | 10,728 sq mi (27,790 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2006) 998,800 369,556 (37%) |
Parishes | 169 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Established | March 3, 1868 (148 years ago) |
Cathedral | St. Francis Xavier Cathedral |
Patron saint | St. Francis Xavier |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | David Laurin Ricken |
Auxiliary Bishops | Robert Fealey Morneau |
Emeritus Bishops | Robert Joseph Banks |
Map | |
Website | |
www.gbdioc.org |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay (Latin: Diocesis Sinus Viridis) was established on March 3, 1868, by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay, as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago counties in Wisconsin. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The earliest trace of the Catholic faith in the Green Bay area was in 1634. Jesuits followed Jean Nicolet to the area and started to spread Gospel around the important rivers of the Green Bay area. This set a foundation for the creation of the Diocese of Green Bay, which was not officially formed until 1868. People of the area helped keep the faith until the framework of Christianity was finalized.