Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend

Fort Wayne–South Bend
Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis–South Bendensis
Location
Country United States
Territory Northeastern Indiana, Michiana
Ecclesiastical province Indianapolis
Statistics
Area 5,792 km2 (2,236 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2006)
1,247,850
159,888 (12.8%)
Parishes 84
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established January 8, 1857 (158 years ago)
Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Fort Wayne)
Co-cathedral Saint Matthew Cathedral (South Bend)
Patron saint Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades
Map
Website
www.diocesefwsb.org
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne
St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend

The Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend (Latin: Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis–South Bendensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in north-central and northeastern Indiana. The Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades was appointed diocesan bishop by Pope Benedict XVI on November 14, 2009, and was installed on January 13, 2010. The Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend encompasses 14 Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble, Steuben, St. Joseph, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley. The diocese has a co-cathedral setup with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne as the primary cathedral and Saint Matthew's Cathedral in South Bend as the associate cathedral.

History

The diocese was erected as the Diocese of Fort Wayne (Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis) suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati on January 8, 1857, from territory earlier belonging to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vincennes. In 1944 it became suffragan to the newly elevated Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In 1944 and 1956 it lost territory to the newly formed dioceses of Lafayette and Gary, respectively. In 1960 its name was changed to the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend.

Bishops of Fort Wayne–South Bend

  1. John Henry Luers (1857–1871)
  2. Joseph Gregory Dwenger (1872–1893)
  3. Joseph Rademacher (1893–1900)
  4. Herman Joseph Alerding (1900–1925)
  5. John F. Noll (1925–1956) – died July 31, 1956.
  6. Leo Aloysius Pursley (1956–1976) – retired August 24, 1976; died November 15, 1998.
  7. William Edward McManus (1976–1985)
  8. John Michael D'Arcy (1985–2009) – retired 2009; died February 3, 2013 (on the 56th anniversary of his first mass as an ordained priest).
  9. Kevin Carl Rhoades (2009–present)

Auxiliary bishops

† = deceased

Schools

Colleges and universities

High schools

Grade schools

Arms

Arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1960
Escutcheon
The arms of the diocese are composed of a crescent moon at the top, with a fortified wall below it. On the wall three Bottony crosses are found. Below the wall is a river bend flowing diagonally with a fleur-de-lis on it. Between the riven and the wall a six-winged seraph is present.
Symbolism
The crescent moon represents the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet.” As the Immaculate Conception, she is patroness of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, and its cathedral in Fort Wayne.

The three crosses represent the Blessed Trinity. The Father sent the Son into the world; the Son sent the Spirit. It was this mission of Son and Spirit through missionaries that brought this diocese into being.

The crosses replace swords on the family crest of General Anthony Wayne, the founder of the fort that grew into the See City of Fort Wayne. The fortified wall represents Fort Wayne.

The six-winged seraph symbolizes the inspired word of God. St. Matthew is one of the inspired evangelists who recorded this Word. Thus the angel identifies the patron of the cathedral in South Bend. The river bend is expressed in heraldry by a wavy line. This represents the See City of South Bend.

The fleur-de-lis is the lily, symbol of purity and of the chaste foster father of Christ, St. Joseph. It indicates the locale of the See City — the St. Joseph River and valley, and St. Joseph County. As the lily of France, it recalls the colonization of this region by French Catholics.

Catholic radio within the diocese

Ecclesiastical Province of Indianapolis

See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of Indianapolis

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Bishop Leo Aloysius Pursley". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.

External links

Coordinates: 41°04′50″N 85°08′21″W / 41.08056°N 85.13917°W / 41.08056; -85.13917

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