Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage

Archdiocese of Anchorage
Archidioecesis Ancoragiensis
Coat of arms of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage
Location
Country United States
Territory Southern Alaska
Ecclesiastical province Anchorage
Statistics
Area 138,985 sq mi (359,970 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2012)
460,000
33,800 (7.3%)
Parishes 23
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established January 22, 1966 (50 years ago)
Cathedral Cathedral of the Holy Family
Co-cathedral Our Lady of Guadalupe Co-Cathedral[1]
Patron saint St. Joseph the Worker
St. Therese of Lisieux
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop Roger Lawrence Schwietz, OMI
Emeritus Bishops Francis Thomas Hurley
Map
Alaska state map indicating location of the Archdiocese of Anchorage map
Website
www.archdioceseofanchorage.org

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage (Latin: Archidioecesis Ancoragiensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern United States, comprising several boroughs and census areas in the state of Alaska. The Archdiocese is led by a prelate archbishop who serves as pastor of the mother church, the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the Municipality of Anchorage.

History

The See of Anchorage was canonically erected on January 22, 1966 by Pope Paul VI. The archdiocese's territories came from the Diocese of Juneau.[2][3] Anchorage's large population and burgeoning community development warranted the creation of a new archdiocese in the city as opposed to elevating the already existing Diocese of Juneau to that rank.

The Archdiocese hosted visits from Pope John Paul II multiple times, most notably in 1981 when he celebrated Mass on the Anchorage Park Strip before 50,000 people.

Ordinaries

The list of archbishops and their years of service:

  1. John Joseph Thomas Ryan (1966–1975)
  2. Francis Thomas Hurley (1976–2001)
  3. Roger Lawrence Schwietz, O.M.I. (2001–present)

High schools

Publications

The Archdiocese of Anchorage publishes a monthly newspaper, Catholic Anchor, which has approximately 11,000 subscribers. It was established in April of 1999.[4]

Suffragan sees

The ecclesiastical province of Anchorage comprises the state of Alaska and includes these suffragan dioceses.

See also

References

  1. "Our Lady of Guadalupe becomes Anchorage’s co-cathedral". Catholic Anchor. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  2. "Archdiocese of Anchorage". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  3. "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Anchorage". Giga Catholic. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  4. "The Catholic Anchor". Archdiocese of Anchorage. Retrieved 2015-01-05.

External links

The co-seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage is the Cathedral of the Holy Family.

Coordinates: 61°13′11″N 149°52′44″W / 61.21972°N 149.87889°W / 61.21972; -149.87889

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