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Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary facts for kids

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For the Anglican diocese, see Anglican Diocese of Calgary.
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Diocese of Calgary
Diœcesis Calgariensis
St Mary's Cathedral Calgary 2022.jpg
St Mary's Cathedral
Diocese of Calgary.jpg
Coat of arms
Location
Country  Canada
Ecclesiastical province Edmonton
Statistics
Area 110,500 km2 (42,700 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
1,208,121
546,400 (45.2%)
Parishes 67
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established 30 November 1912
Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral
Secular priests 131
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop William McGrattan
Metropolitan Archbishop Richard William Smith
Emeritus Bishops Frederick Henry
Map
Bistum Calgary.svg

The Diocese of Calgary is a special area within the Catholic Church in Alberta, Canada. It is like a large church district. The word Diocese comes from Latin, meaning an area managed by a bishop.

This diocese is part of the Latin Church, which is the largest group within the Catholic Church. It is also connected to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, which is a bigger church area that oversees several dioceses.

The main church for the Diocese of Calgary is St. Mary's Cathedral in Calgary, Alberta. This church is where the bishop has his special chair, called a cathedra. The current leader of the Diocese of Calgary is Bishop William McGrattan.

History of the Diocese

The Diocese of Calgary was officially started on November 30, 1912. Before this, the area was part of the Diocese of Saint Albert. Creating a new diocese helped manage the growing number of Catholics in the Calgary region.

Who Leads the Diocese?

The Diocese of Calgary has been led by several bishops since it began. These bishops are important leaders who guide the Catholic community in the region. They are part of the Roman Rite, which is the most common way of celebrating Catholic services.

Bishops of Calgary

  • John Thomas McNally (1913–1924): He was the very first Bishop of Calgary.
  • John Thomas Kidd (1925–1931)
  • Peter Joseph Monahan (1932–1935)
  • Francis Patrick Carroll (1935–1966): He served as bishop for a long time.
  • Francis Joseph Klein (1967–1968)
  • Paul John O'Byrne (1968–1998): He was bishop for 30 years.
  • Frederick Henry (1998–2017): He retired in 2017.
  • William McGrattan (2017–present): He is the current bishop.

What is an Auxiliary Bishop?

Sometimes, a diocese might have an auxiliary bishop. This is a bishop who helps the main bishop with his duties. The Diocese of Calgary had one auxiliary bishop:

  • Joseph Lawrence Wilhelm (1963–1966): He later became an archbishop in another city.

Where is the Diocese of Calgary?

The Diocese of Calgary covers a large area in southern Alberta. This includes:

How Many People Does the Diocese Serve?

In 2014, the diocese served about 538,000 Catholics. This was about 45.5% of the total population in the area. The diocese covers about 110,500 square kilometers.

To serve these people, the diocese had:

  • 69 parishes (local church communities).
  • 158 priests (123 who work directly for the diocese and 35 who belong to religious orders).
  • 50 deacons (people who help priests with church services).
  • 166 religious members (46 brothers and 120 sisters).
  • 10 seminarians (students training to become priests).

The diocese has many parishes and missions. A mission is a smaller church community, often in a rural area. There are 37 parishes in Calgary itself, including 10 that serve specific ethnic groups and one for the University of Calgary. There are also over 45 parishes and missions in southern Alberta and the Rockies.

In 2017, Bishop McGrattan announced plans to make Our Lady of the Rockies Parish in Canmore a special place called a Diocesan Marian Shrine. This means it will be a place dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Parishes in the Diocese

The Diocese of Calgary has many parishes where people can worship and be part of a Catholic community. These parishes are located in Calgary city and in rural areas across southern Alberta.

Calgary City Parishes

Calgary has many churches, some of which serve specific language or cultural groups.

  • Downtown Calgary:
  • Northwest Calgary:
    • Ascension
    • Canadian Martyrs
    • Corpus Christi
    • Our Lady Queen of Peace (Polish)
    • Our Lady of the Assumption
    • St. Bernard
    • St. Boniface (German)
    • St. Joseph
    • St. Luke
    • St. Peter's
    • St. Pius X
    • University of Calgary Catholic Community
  • Northeast Calgary:
    • Our Lady of Grace (Italian & English)
    • Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish & English)
    • Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Chinese & English)
    • St. Mark
    • St. Thomas More
  • Southwest Calgary:
    • Holy Name
    • Holy Spirit (Spanish & English)
    • St. Anthony
    • St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Magyar-Hungarian)
    • Ste. Famille (French)
    • St. Gerard
    • St. James
    • St. Michael the Archangel
    • St. Mother Teresa Syro Malabar
  • Southeast Calgary:
    • Holy Trinity
    • Our Lady of Fatima (Portuguese & English)
    • Our Lady of Mt. Bistrica (Croatian & English)
    • St. Albert the Great
    • St. Anne (Korean)
    • St. Bernadette
    • St. Bonaventure
    • St. Cecilia's
    • St. John the Evangelist
    • St. Patrick's
    • St. Vincent Liem (Vietnamese)

Rural Parishes and Missions

Outside of Calgary, there are many other parishes and missions in towns and communities throughout the diocese. Some of these include:

See also

  • List of Catholic dioceses in Canada
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