Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana
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Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana Dioecesis Lafayettensis in Indiana |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Central Indiana |
| Ecclesiastical province | Indianapolis |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 9,832 sq mi (25,460 km2) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2004) 1,176,736 98,003 (8.3%) |
| Parishes | 62 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | October 21, 1944 (72 years ago) |
| Cathedral | The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception |
| Patron saint |
Immaculate Conception St. Théodore Guérin |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Timothy L. Doherty |
| Emeritus Bishops | William Leo Higi |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| www.dol-in.org | |
The Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana (Latin: Dioecesis Lafayettensis in Indiana) was established by Pope Pius XII on October 21, 1944, from the territory of the Diocese of Fort Wayne. At that time, there were 54 parishes. The diocese contained approximately 31,700 Roman Catholics at its inception.
Bishop William Leo Higi presided over the diocese from June 6, 1984, until March 12, 2010, when the Holy See announced his successor, Timothy L. Doherty, then a priest of the Diocese of Rockford. Doherty was consecrated bishop of the diocese on July 15, 2010, and has presided over it since, becoming its sixth Ordinary.
The list of ordinaries of the diocese and their years of service:
† = deceased
The Roman Catholic Church in Indiana began with the Diocese of Vincennes which was created in 1834 by Pope Gregory XVI. It was in this diocese that many French missionaries came to this very anti-Catholic area. The most notable of these missionaries was Theodore Guerin who made her way to southern Indiana with her Sisters of Providence in 1841. Guerin and others in the Sisters formed St. Mary of the Woods College at Terre Haute, Indiana with many alumni throughout the state to preach and spread the Church. From the 1840s to the early 20th century many different parishes were built throughout the area along with Catholic schools which not only broadened the spread of Catholicism, but also created the need for a new diocese. In the late 19th century, the Holy See formed the Diocese of Fort Wayne, separate from the Diocese of Vincennes. The area that was to eventually become Lafayette was at that time part of this new See added to Indiana.
After many years in the Vincennes dioceses, and later in the Fort Wayne Diocese, the area of north central began to grow in Catholicism and it became apparent that a new diocese was to be formed. On January 18, 1945, Bishop John George Bennett was consecrated the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Lafayette. Bishop Bennett encouraged Catholics of the area to go out and actively help to develop this new diocese. In 1957, Bishop Bennett died while remaining in charge of the Lafayette Diocese. It was announced before his death, while he was ill, that the successor to Bennett would be Bishop John Joseph Carberry.
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Wikipedia