Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria in Canada
| Diocese of Victoria Dioecesis Victoriensis in Insula Vancouver | |
|---|---|
 St. Andrew's Cathedral, Victoria, BC, Canada | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Vancouver |
| Metropolitan |
1-4044 Nelthorpe St. Victoria, BC V8X 2A1 |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 95,275 km2 (36,786 sq mi) |
| Population - Catholics |
96,000 (13.6%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman rite |
| Established | July 24, 1846 |
| Cathedral | St Andrew's Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Gary Gordon |
| Metropolitan Archbishop |
John Michael Miller CSB Archbishop of Vancouver |
| Website | |
| rcdvictoria.org | |
The Diocese of Victoria (Latin: Dioecesis Victoriensis in Insula Vancouver) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Headquartered in Victoria, the diocese encompasses all of Vancouver Island and several nearby British Columbia islands. A suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, the diocese's cathedral is St. Andrew's Cathedral and its present diocesan bishop is Gary Gordon.
Diocesan Demographics
In 2004 the diocese had 94,465 Catholics, 22 diocesan Priests, 15 religious Priests, 1 Deacon. The diocese is also helped by 19 Brothers, and 91 Sisters servicing 30 parishes.
History
The diocese was created on 24 July 1846 as the Diocese of Vancouver Island, one of three dioceses in the Pacific Northwest created out of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory. It was elevated to an archdiocese on 19 June 1903 and renamed Archdiocese of Victoria in 1904. It was then lowered to a diocese in 1908, when the metropolitan see was moved to Vancouver.
The territory included Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, New Caledonia (mainland British Columbia), the Queen Charlotte Islands and Alaska. Modeste Demers became the new diocese's first bishop.
Territorial losses
| Year | territory lost to form: |
|---|---|
| 1863 | Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia |
| 1894 | Diocese of New Westminster Prefecture Apostolic of Alaska |
On June 19, 1903, the diocese became an Archdiocese of Victoria. It was returned to the status of a diocese on October 1, 1908, and became a suffragan diocese to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Ordinaries
The following are the lists of Bishops and their years of service:
Bishops
- Modeste Demers (1846 - 1871)
- Charles-Jean Seghers (1873 - 1878)
- Jean-Baptiste Brondel (1879 - 1883)
- Charles-Jean Seghers (1884 - 1886)
- Jean-Nicolas Lemmens (1888 - 1897)
- Alexander Christie (1898 - 1899)
- Bertram Orth (1900 - 1908)
- Alexander MacDonald (1908 - 1923)
- Thomas O'Donnell (1923 - 1929)
- Gerald C. Murray, C.SS.R. (1930 - 1934)
- John Hugh MacDonald (1934 - 1936)
- John Christopher Cody (1936 - 1946)
- James Michael Hill (1946 - 1962)
- Remi Joseph De Roo (1962 - 1999) - Bishop Emeritus
- Raymond Roussin, S.M. (1999 - 2004)
- Richard Joseph Gagnon (2004 - 2014) - Archbishop of Winnipeg
- Gary Gordon (2014–Present)
Auxiliary Bishops
- Louis Aloysius Lootens (1876-1898)
Churches
|
Greater Victoria
Courtenay Campbell River
Gold River
Hornby Island
|
Chemainus
Duncan
Lake Cowichan
Ladysmith
Gabriola Island
Mayne Island
Pender Island
Salt Spring Island
Mill Bay
Shawnigan Lake
|
Nanaimo
Parksville Port Alberni
Tofino Ucluelet Alert Bay
Port Hardy
Port McNeill
Port Alice
Sayward
Tahsis
|
 Inside St. Andrew's Cathedral |
Education
Catholic high schools
| School | City | Est. | Website | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Andrew's Regional High School | Victoria | http://www.standrewshigh.ca/ | ~475 (co-ed) | |
- St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, British Columbia), was open 1858 and closed in 1974.
- Smith Memorial High School, of Port Alberni, was opened 1951 and closed in 1976.
Catholic elementary schools
| School | City | Est. | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Andrew's | Victoria | http://www.standrewselem.ca/ | |
| St. Joseph’s | Victoria | http://www.stjosephschool.ca/ | |
| St. Patrick's | Victoria | http://www.stpatrickselem.ca/ | |
| Queen of Angels | Duncan | http://www.queenofangels.ca/ | |
| St. Joseph's | Chemainus | http://www.stjosephselem.ca/ | |
| John Paul II | Port Alberni | 1951 | http://www.jp2nd.ca/ |
- St. Ann's Academy for Boys, of Duncan, was erected in 1864 and closed in 1969.
- St. Mary's School, of Ladysmith, was established 1909 and closed in 1913.
Catholic Universities, Colleges and Seminaries
- St. Joseph's School for Nursing, of Victoria, was erected in 1900 and closed in 1981.
Religious institutes
Religious institutes of women
Charities
Health Care
- Lourdes Hospital, of Campbell River, was erected in 1926 and closed in 1957.
- St. Joseph's Hospital, of Victoria, was erected in 1876 and closed in 1972.
Notes
- The diocese produces the Diocesan Messenger which is a Catholic newspaper for its community.
References
Bibliography
- Sisters of St. Ann's scrapbook
- St. Ann's establishments
- "Diocese of Victoria". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria. |
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Coordinates: 48°25′00″N 123°21′00″W / 48.4167°N 123.3500°W