Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario
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Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie Dioecesis Sanctae Mariae Ormensis |
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| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Territory | Southern Thunder Bay, Algoma, Sudbury and Nipissing Districts, Ontario |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Kingston |
| Metropolitan | Northern Ontario |
| Population - Catholics |
230,000 (55.2%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | September 16, 1904 |
| Cathedral | Precious Blood Cathedral, Sault Ste. Marie |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Archbishop of Kingston |
| Emeritus Bishops | Jean-Louis Plouffe |
| Website | |
| www.dioceseofsaultstemarie.org | |
The Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario (Latin: Dioecesis Sanctae Mariae Ormensis) was decreed on September 16, 1904 and is formed by the southern portions of the districts of Thunder Bay, Algoma, Sudbury and Nipissing.
The area has a long history within the Roman Catholic Church. The Recollets were the first missionaries in the Nipissing region around 1622. A number of Jesuits entered the area in 1641; Father Claude Pijart, being the leading missionary of that group. Their three missions were abandoned after a number of years, but Father Claude-Jean Allouez found converts still adhering to their faith in 1667.
In 1668 the mission of Sault Sainte Marie was founded by the Jesuits and used as a base for expeditions to adjacent areas. Priests who appear in historical accounts of the time include Frs. Gabriel Druillettes, Louis André, Henri Nouvel, and Pierre Bailloquet.
Little further expansion took place until about 1836 when Rev. Proulx began an expansion which reached Fort William in 1849. Expansion after this point was rapid with hospitals and schools added to the parishes, churches and missions that marked this growth.
The Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie was formally established by Pope Pius X on September 16, 1904 and four days later, on September 20, Reverend David Joseph Scollard, then pastor of Saint Mary on the Lake Parish in North Bay, Ontario was appointed its first bishop.
At this time the new diocese extended west from Callander, Ontario for 800 miles, reaching almost to the Manitoba border. The Catholic population of the new diocese in 1904 was approximately 34,000 with 64 parishes and 35 priests, of which only 7 were diocesan clergy.
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Wikipedia