Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Metropolitan Archdiocese of Washington Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Vashingtonensis
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
Coat of arms
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Washington, D.C. and Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles counties in Maryland
Ecclesiastical province	Washington, D.C.
Headquarters	Hyattsville, Maryland, U.S.
Statistics
Area	2,104 sq mi (5,450 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2017) 2,980,005 655,601 (22.0%)
Parishes	139
Schools	93
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	July 29, 1939 (85 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
Patron saint	Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Secular priests	262
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop	Wilton Daniel Gregory
Auxiliary Bishops	Roy Edward Campbell Juan Esposito-Garcia Evelio Menjivar-Ayala
Emeritus Bishops	Donald William Wuerl
Map

Archdiocese of Washington masthead

The Archdiocese of Washington (which means Archdiocese of Washington in Latin) is a special area of the Catholic Church. It serves the District of Columbia and several counties in Maryland, United States.

This archdiocese is home to important Catholic universities like Catholic University of America and Georgetown University. It also includes the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a very large church. The only other diocese that is part of this archdiocese is the Diocese of Saint Thomas.

The main church of the archdiocese is the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in downtown Washington. As of 2023, Wilton Daniel Gregory is the leader, known as the archbishop, of Washington.

Area Covered by the Archdiocese

The Archdiocese of Washington includes District of Columbia and these counties in Maryland:

• Calvert
• Charles
• Montgomery
• Prince George's
• Saint Mary's

History of the Archdiocese

Early Days in the 1600s

In the 1600s, the area that is now Washington, D.C., was part of the British Province of Maryland. This colony was special because it was founded by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore as a safe place for Catholics from Great Britain.

On March 25, 1634, the first Catholic Mass in the English colonies was held on St. Clement's Island in Maryland. By 1660, many Protestants had moved to Maryland, making them the majority. Even so, Catholic leaders still held most of the political power. In 1649, Maryland passed the Maryland Toleration Act, which was the first law in the English colonies to allow religious freedom for Christians.

However, in 1689, a group of Puritans took control of the colonial government. They placed restrictions on Catholics. To practice their faith, Catholics had to hold Mass in private chapels in their homes.

Changes in the 1700s

In 1704, a law was passed that stopped Catholics from holding public office. After the American Revolution ended in 1781, the Pope decided that American Catholics should no longer be under the control of the Diocese of London. In 1784, the Pope created the Prefecture Apostolic of United States of America and named John Carroll as its leader.

When the US Constitution was written in 1789, it guaranteed religious freedom for everyone in the United States. In the same year, Pope Pius VI created the Diocese of Baltimore. This new diocese covered all of the United States, including Maryland. John Carroll became its first bishop. The area that is now Washington, D.C., remained part of this diocese for the next 150 years.

The city of Washington was founded in 1791 to be the nation's capital. In 1792, John Carroll started Georgetown College in what was then a small village called Georgetown. It was the first Catholic university in the United States.

The first Catholic church in Washington, St. Patrick's, was built in 1794. It served the Irish workers who were building the White House and the US Capitol Building. A brick church for St. Patrick's was finished in 1809.

Growth in the 1800s

In 1814, during the War of 1812, the British Army attacked Washington and set the city on fire. William Matthews, the pastor of St. Patrick's, saved his church from burning. He then convinced the British general to protect it from further harm.

In 1889, the Catholic University of America opened in Washington, D.C. It was the first university in the country specifically for graduate studies and research, given special approval by the Pope. Trinity College was founded in 1897 as the first Catholic college for women in the nation.

Forming the Archdiocese in the 1900s

Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

On July 22, 1939, because Washington, D.C., had grown so much, Pope Pius XII created the new Archdiocese of Washington. The Pope appointed Michael Joseph Curley, who was already the archbishop of Baltimore, to also lead the new Archdiocese of Washington. Archbishop Curley passed away in 1947.

In 1947, Pope Pius XII chose separate archbishops for Baltimore and Washington. He selected Monsignor Patrick O'Boyle from New York to be the first dedicated archbishop of Washington. In 1948, Archbishop O'Boyle began to integrate Catholic schools in Washington and the Maryland counties. He started with colleges, then high schools, and finally elementary schools. In 1949, he gave a prayer at the inauguration of U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

In April 1964, during the debate in the United States Congress about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Archbishop O'Boyle led a meeting at Georgetown University to support civil rights. He spoke to Congress, saying that every person has great value and rights that everyone must respect. He urged Congress to pass the bill, which became law in July 1964.

The Archdiocese of Washington became a more important center for the Catholic Church on October 12, 1965. This happened when the Diocese of Saint Thomas became its only related diocese. In June 1967, Pope Paul VI made Archbishop O'Boyle a Cardinal. Archbishop O'Boyle retired in 1973.

To replace Archbishop O'Boyle, Pope Paul VI named Bishop William Wakefield Baum as the next archbishop of Washington. In 1976, Pope Paul VI also made Archbishop Baum a Cardinal. Cardinal Baum resigned as archbishop in 1980 to take a new job in Rome.

Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop James Aloysius Hickey as archbishop of Washington in 1980. During Archbishop Hickey's time, Catholic Charities grew a lot, becoming the biggest private social service group in the area. He also started many helpful programs, such as:

• The Archdiocesan Health Care Network, which helped people get medical care.
• The Archdiocesan Legal Network, offering free legal help to people who couldn't afford it.
• Birthing and Care, providing medical support for pregnant women in need.
• Faith in the City, a plan to improve Catholic schools in the inner city.
• Victory Housing, which created housing for senior citizens.

Archbishop Hickey also worked with Mother Teresa to open a home for the homeless and sick in Washington. He retired in 2000.

The Archdiocese in the 2000s

When Archbishop Hickey retired in 2000, Pope John Paul II named Archbishop Theodore McCarrick as the next archbishop of Washington. Archbishop McCarrick retired in 2008.

Bishop Donald Wuerl became the archbishop of Washington in 2008. In 2011, Archbishop Wuerl established the Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington to train future priests.

In 2017, the archdiocese had a disagreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The archdiocese wanted to put Christmas ads on buses, but WMATA refused, saying they had a rule against religious advertising. The archdiocese lost the case in lower courts, and the US Supreme Court decided not to hear the case in 2020.

Archbishop Wuerl resigned in October 2018. He continued to lead the archdiocese temporarily until a new archbishop was chosen.

In April 2019, Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory was appointed archbishop of Washington by Pope Francis. He became the first African American to lead the archdiocese. Pope Francis made Archbishop Gregory a Cardinal in November 2020.

In December 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the archdiocese had a legal issue with the city of Washington. The city had limited church attendance to 50 people during Mass to prevent the spread of the virus. Before the case went to court, they reached an agreement, and the city allowed up to 250 people or one-quarter of the church's seating capacity.

As of 2023, Cardinal Gregory is the current archbishop of Washington.

Archbishops of Washington

Here are the archbishops who have led the Archdiocese of Washington:

• Michael Joseph Curley (1939–1947) - He was also the Archbishop of Baltimore at the same time.
• Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle (1947–1973)
• William Wakefield Baum (1973–1980)
• James Aloysius Hickey (1980–2000)
• Theodore Edgar McCarrick (2001–2006)
• Donald William Wuerl (2006–2018)
• Wilton Daniel Gregory (2019–present)

Cathedra in St. Matthew's Cathedral, with Archbishop Curley's coat of arms

Auxiliary Bishops

Auxiliary bishops help the main archbishop. Here are some who have served the Archdiocese of Washington:

• John Michael McNamara (1947–1960)
• Patrick Joseph McCormick (1950–1953)
• Philip Matthew Hannan (1956–1965)
• William Joseph McDonald (1964–1967)
• John Selby Spence (1964–1973)
• Edward John Herrmann (1966–1973)
• Thomas William Lyons (1974–1988)
• Eugene Antonio Marino (1974–1988)
• Thomas Cajetan Kelly (1977–1981)
• Alvaro Corrada del Rio (1985–1997)
• William George Curlin (1988–1994)
• Leonard Olivier (1988–2004)
• William E. Lori (1995–2001)
• Kevin Joseph Farrell (2001–2007)
• Francisco González Valer (2001–2014)
• Martin Holley (2004–2016)
• Barry Christopher Knestout (2008–2018)
• Mario E. Dorsonville (2015–2023)
• Roy Edward Campbell (2017–present)
• Michael William Fisher (2018–2020)
• Juan Esposito-Garcia (2023–present)
• Evelio Menjivar-Ayala (2023–present)

Education in the Archdiocese

The Archdiocese of Washington manages many schools. In 1997, it created the Center City Consortium to help organize its school administration.

High Schools in Maryland

• Academy of the Holy Cross – Kensington
• Avalon School – Gaithersburg
• Bishop McNamara High School – Forestville
• Brookewood School – Kensington
• Connelly School of the Holy Child – Potomac
• DeMatha Catholic High School – Hyattsville
• Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School – Takoma Park
• Elizabeth Seton High School – Bladensburg
• Georgetown Preparatory School – North Bethesda
• Heights School – Potomac
• Our Lady of Good Counsel High School – Olney
• St. Mary's Ryken High School – Leonardtown
• St. Vincent Pallotti High School – Laurel
• Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart – Bethesda

High Schools in District of Columbia

• Archbishop Carroll High School
• Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
• Gonzaga College High School
• St. Anselm's Abbey School
• St. John's College High School

Colleges and Universities in District of Columbia

• Catholic University of America
• Georgetown University
• Trinity Washington University

Seminaries in District of Columbia

Seminaries are schools where people study to become priests.

• Redemptoris Mater Seminary
• St. John Paul II Seminary
• Theological College
• Dominican House of Studies

Cemeteries

Besides the many parishes that have their own cemeteries, the archdiocese also runs five large cemeteries:

• Mount Olivet Cemetery – DC
• Gate of Heaven Cemetery – Silver Spring, MD
• St. Mary's Queen of Peace Cemetery – Helen, MD
• Resurrection Cemetery – Clinton, MD
• All Souls Cemetery – Germantown, MD

The archdiocese also operates two former parish cemeteries:

• St. John's Cemetery – Forest Glen, MD
• St. Mary's Cemetery – DC

Washington Catholic Province

Ecclesiastical Province of Washington map

The Archdiocese of Washington is the main diocese in a group called the Province of Washington. This group includes:

• Diocese of Saint Thomas

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