Diocese of Victoria Dioecesis Victoriensis in Insula Vancouver |
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St. Andrew's Cathedral, Victoria, BC, Canada
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Location | |
Country | Canada |
Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Vancouver |
Metropolitan | 1-4044 Nelthorpe St. Victoria, BC V8X 2A1 |
Statistics | |
Area | 95,275 km2 (36,786 sq mi) |
Population - Catholics |
96,000 (13.6%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Roman rite |
Established | July 24, 1846 |
Cathedral | St Andrew's Cathedral |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Gary Gordon |
Metropolitan Archbishop |
John Michael Miller CSB Archbishop of Vancouver |
Website | |
rcdvictoria.org |
The Diocese of Victoria (Latin: Dioecesis Victoriensis in Insula Vancouver) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Headquartered in Victoria, the diocese encompasses all of Vancouver Island and several nearby British Columbia islands. A suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, the diocese's cathedral is St. Andrew's Cathedral and its present diocesan bishop is Gary Gordon.
In 2004 the diocese had 94,465 Catholics, 22 diocesan Priests, 15 religious Priests, 1 Deacon. The diocese is also helped by 19 Brothers, and 91 Sisters servicing 30 parishes.
The diocese was created on 24 July 1846 as the Diocese of Vancouver Island, one of three dioceses in the Pacific Northwest created out of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory. It was elevated to an archdiocese on 19 June 1903 and renamed Archdiocese of Victoria in 1904. It was then lowered to a diocese in 1908, when the metropolitan see was moved to Vancouver.
The territory included Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, New Caledonia (mainland British Columbia), the Queen Charlotte Islands and Alaska. Modeste Demers became the new diocese's first bishop.