Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Görlitz is a diocese
of the Roman Catholic church
in Germany
. The current ordinary is Wolfgang Ipolt
Today's diocese was erected in 1972 as the Apostolic Administration of Görlitz, when Pope Paul VI
- by the Apostolic constitution
Episcoporum Poloniae coetus - reduced the territory of the Archdiocese of Breslau to those areas within the then People's Republic of Poland
. The archdiocesan territory then located in the then German Democratic Republic
became a separate entity as an exempt
apostolic administration. Breslau's German suffragan within the Eastern German Ecclesiastical Province, the Diocese of Berlin, became exempt on the same occasion.
On 27 June 1994 Pope John Paul II
elevated the apostolic administration to the rank of a diocese, a suffragan to the newly elevated Archdiocese of Berlin
. By his Apostolic exhortation
Semper studuit John Paul II confirmed Breslau's traditional Saint Hedwig of Silesia as diocesan patron saint
.
and the southeast of today's Brandenburg
(Lower Lusatia
). Comprising prevalently Protestant parts of a former large diocese, the Diocese of Görlitz is by far the smallest German diocese in terms of Catholic membership, thinly dispersed over the territory except for Wittichenau (Kulow)
.
Bernardinum in Neuzelle
. It was merged with that in Erfurt
in 1993 and its Neuzelle premises were later closed. Its library of more than 30,000 volumes was donated to the seminary of the Diocese of Legnica in 2000.
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Roman Catholic church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The current ordinary is Wolfgang Ipolt
History
For the history until 1972 see the History of the See of Breslau.Today's diocese was erected in 1972 as the Apostolic Administration of Görlitz, when Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
- by the Apostolic constitution
Apostolic constitution
An apostolic constitution is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope. The use of the term constitution comes from Latin constitutio, which referred to any important law issued by the Roman emperor, and is retained in church documents because of the inheritance that the canon law of the...
Episcoporum Poloniae coetus - reduced the territory of the Archdiocese of Breslau to those areas within the then People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
. The archdiocesan territory then located in the then German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
became a separate entity as an exempt
Exemption (church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, exemption is the whole or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank....
apostolic administration. Breslau's German suffragan within the Eastern German Ecclesiastical Province, the Diocese of Berlin, became exempt on the same occasion.
On 27 June 1994 Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
elevated the apostolic administration to the rank of a diocese, a suffragan to the newly elevated Archdiocese of Berlin
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin
The Archdiocese of Berlin is a Roman Catholic archdiocese, seated in Berlin and covering the northeast of Germany.As of 2004 the archdiocese has 386,279 Catholics out of the population of Berlin, most of Brandenburg and Hither Pomerania, i. e. the German part of Pomerania...
. By his Apostolic exhortation
Apostolic exhortation
An apostolic exhortation is a type of communication from the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. It encourages a community of people to undertake a particular activity, but does not define Church doctrine...
Semper studuit John Paul II confirmed Breslau's traditional Saint Hedwig of Silesia as diocesan patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
.
Territory and membership
Görlitz's territory covers the northeast of today's SaxonySaxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and the southeast of today's Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
(Lower Lusatia
Lower Lusatia
Lower Lusatia is a historical region stretching from the southeast of the Brandenburg state of Germany to the southwest of the Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Important towns beside the historic capital Lübben include Calau, Cottbus, Guben , Luckau, Spremberg, Finsterwalde, Senftenberg and Żary...
). Comprising prevalently Protestant parts of a former large diocese, the Diocese of Görlitz is by far the smallest German diocese in terms of Catholic membership, thinly dispersed over the territory except for Wittichenau (Kulow)
Wittichenau
Wittichenau is a bilingual town in the district of Bautzen in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 6 km south of Hoyerswerda....
.
Institutions
In 1948 Ferdinand Piontek, then capitular vicar at the local branch of Breslau's archdiocesan ordinariate in Görlitz, opened the seminarySeminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
Bernardinum in Neuzelle
Neuzelle
Neuzelle is a municipality in the Oder-Spree district, Brandenburg, Germany, along the border with Poland. The settlement in the historic Lower Lusatia region is probably best known for Neuzelle Abbey and its Neuzeller Kloster Brewery.-History:...
. It was merged with that in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
in 1993 and its Neuzelle premises were later closed. Its library of more than 30,000 volumes was donated to the seminary of the Diocese of Legnica in 2000.
Ordinaries
- Ferdinand Piontek (1945 – 1963)
- Bernhard Huhn (1972 - 1994)
- Rudolf MüllerRudolf MüllerRudolf "Rudi" Müller was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
(1994 - 2006) - Konrad Zdarsa (2007 - 2010)
- Wolfgang Ipolt, (2011 - )