Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island

Diocese of Grand Island
Dioecesis Insulae Grandis
Location
Country United States
Territory 28 counties and the parts of Dawson, Lincoln and Keith counties north of the Platte River in Central and Western Nebraska
Ecclesiastical province Omaha
Statistics
Area 40,000 sq mi (100,000 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2006)
303,500
58,200 (19.2%)
Parishes 49
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established March 8, 1912 as the Diocese of Kearney;
April 11, 1917 as the Diocese of Grand Island
Cathedral Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Patron saint Blessed Virgin Mary
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt[1]
Emeritus Bishops William Joseph Dendinger
Map
Website
gidiocese.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island (Latin: Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin (Roman Rite) diocese in Grand Island, Nebraska.

It is a suffragan see in the exxlesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. The cathedral parish is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, its diocesan headquarters are at 2708 Old Fair Rd., P.O. Box 1531, Grand Island, NE 68803, USA.

The retired bishop of the diocese is Bishop Emeritus William Dendinger. The Rev. Msgr. Joseph G. Hanefeldt was announced as successor on January 14, 2015,[2] and was installed on March 19th, 2015.[3]

History

On January 6, 1857, Pope Pius IX established the Apostolic Vicariate of Nebraska in territory split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains.

On March 8, 1912, Pope Pius X established the Diocese of Kearney on territory taken from the then Diocese of Omaha, [4] its present Metropolitan.

The diocese was enlarged with more territory from Omaha on May 13, 1916.

On April 11, 1917, the diocese was renamed when the see city was transferred to Grand Island.[5][6]

The Omaha diocese was elevated to an archdiocese by Pope Pius XII on August 10, 1945.[5][6]

Incumbent episcopal ordinaries

The list of bishops who served the diocese and their years of service:

  1. James Albert Duffy (1913–1931), previously last Bishop of Kearney (1913–1917); afterward Titular Bishop of Silandus (1931–1968)
  2. Stanislaus Vincent Bona (1931–1944), afterward Titular Bishop of Mela (1944–1945) and first Coadjutor Bishop (1944–1945), then Bishop of Green Bay (USA) (1945–1967)
  3. Edward Joseph Hunkeler (1945–1951); later Bishop of Kansas City (USA) (1951–1952), Metropolitan Archbishop of the promoted see of Kansas City (USA) (1952–1969) and finally Titular Archbishop of Selsey (1969–1970)
  4. John Linus Paschang (1951–1972)
  5. John Joseph Sullivan (1972–1977), later Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph (USA) (1977–1993)
  6. Lawrence James McNamara (1978–2004)
  7. William Joseph Dendinger (2004–2015)
  8. Joseph G. Hanefeldt (2015– ...)

Arms

Arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1912
Escutcheon
The diocesan arms consists of a gold cross against a green field, with a star and wavy border, both in silver.
Symbolism
The main colors, green and gold, recall the fertile plains and fields of western Nebraska, while the cross, reaching to the edges of the heraldic field, recalls the Lord's commission to his Church, to make disciples of all the nations. The Morning Star is a traditional symbol of Mary the Virgin, who is patroness of the diocese and of the Cathedral of the Nativity. The silver border represents the Platte River, which borders the diocese for almost two hundred miles along its southern edge. Crowning the shield is the mitre, which is worn by bishops as a symbol of their special dignity and authority in the Church.
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Catholic High schools

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.microsofttranslator.com/BV.aspx?ref=IE8Activity&a=http%3A%2F%2Fpress.vatican.va%2Fcontent%2Fsalastampa%2Fen%2Fbollettino%2Fpubblico%2F2015%2F01%2F14%2F0031%2F00078.html
  2. ↑ "Pope Names Omaha Pastor Bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. USCCB Media News Releases. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "New Bishop Ordained for Grand Island Diocese". KNOP. 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  4. ↑  "Diocese of Kearney (Nebraska)". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
  5. 1 2 "Diocese of Grand Island". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  6. 1 2 "Diocese of Grand Island". Giga Catholic. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

Sources and External links

Coordinates: 40°55′20″N 98°21′29″W / 40.92222°N 98.35806°W / 40.92222; -98.35806

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