Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, officially in Latin Dioecesis Civitatis Lacus Salsi, is a diocese
of the Roman Catholic Church
in the United States
. It comprises the entire state of Utah
. Also known as the Utah Catholic Church or the See of Salt Lake City, its mother church
is the Cathedral of the Madeleine
in Salt Lake City
. John Charles Wester
is the current and ninth bishop.
Salt Lake City is a suffragan
of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
, along with the dioceses of Honolulu
, Las Vegas
, Oakland
, Reno
, Sacramento
, San Jose
, Santa Rosa
and Stockton
. The Metropolitan is the former Salt Lake City ordinary, Archbishop
George Hugh Niederauer
.
, to serve the growing Catholic population.
As the nineteenth century came to a close, the Catholic community in Salt Lake City was rapidly outgrowing the small church of St. Mary Magdalene. The Church in Utah became an Apostolic Vicariate in 1887, and a Diocese in 1891. Bishop Lawrence Scanlan was the first Catholic bishop of Utah. Ground was broken for the new church in 1899. Construction for the Cathedral of the Madeleine would last nearly a decade, costing a small fortune for the estimated 3,000 Catholics in Utah at the turn of the century. Assistance was obtained from Catholic Mission Societies.
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It comprises the entire state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Also known as the Utah Catholic Church or the See of Salt Lake City, its mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
is the Cathedral of the Madeleine
Cathedral of the Madeleine
The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was completed in 1909, and currently serves as the cathedral, or mother church, of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It is the only cathedral in the U.S. under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene.The...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. John Charles Wester
John Charles Wester
John Charles Wester, is an American Roman Catholic Bishop. On 8 January 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Wester as the ninth bishop to serve the Diocese of Salt Lake City.-Early life and clerical formation:...
is the current and ninth bishop.
Salt Lake City is a suffragan
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo...
, along with the dioceses of Honolulu
Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
The Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, officially in Latin Dioecesis Honoluluensis, is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Catholic Church in the United States...
, Las Vegas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern Nevada region of the United States. It comprises the Counties of Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine and is governed from the City of Las Vegas...
, Oakland
Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern California. The diocese comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, Reno
Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno is an ecclesiastical territory of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern Nevada region of the United States, centered on the city of Reno. With the urging of Cardinal George Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago, Pope Pius XI established the Diocese on March 27, 1931...
, Sacramento
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States...
, San Jose
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San José; in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It comprises Santa Clara County, and is led by a bishop. Its patron saints are Saint Joseph and Saint Clare of...
, Santa Rosa
Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States, named in honor of St. Rose of Lima. It comprises the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and...
and Stockton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Valley and Mother Lode region of California in the United States. It comprises the Counties of Alpine, Calaveras, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne...
. The Metropolitan is the former Salt Lake City ordinary, Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
George Hugh Niederauer
George Hugh Niederauer
George Hugh Niederauer is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Archbishop of San Francisco...
.
History
In 1871 Fr. Patrick Walsh built the first Catholic Church in Utah, dedicating it to St. Mary Magdalene. Father (later Bishop) Lawrence Scanlan arrived in 1873 to become pastor. He took care of the Catholic military men, immigrant miners and railroad workers who numbered in the hundreds. Small churches, schools, an orphanage and a hospital were built, staffed by clergy and by the Sisters of the Holy CrossSisters of the Holy Cross
The Sisters of the Holy Cross headquartered on the same grounds as Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, is one of three Catholic congregations of religious sisters which trace their origins to the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross by the Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau,...
, to serve the growing Catholic population.
As the nineteenth century came to a close, the Catholic community in Salt Lake City was rapidly outgrowing the small church of St. Mary Magdalene. The Church in Utah became an Apostolic Vicariate in 1887, and a Diocese in 1891. Bishop Lawrence Scanlan was the first Catholic bishop of Utah. Ground was broken for the new church in 1899. Construction for the Cathedral of the Madeleine would last nearly a decade, costing a small fortune for the estimated 3,000 Catholics in Utah at the turn of the century. Assistance was obtained from Catholic Mission Societies.
List of Bishops
- Lawrence ScanlanLawrence ScanlanLawrence Scanlan was an Irish Roman Catholic missionary and the first Bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah .-Early life:...
† (November 23, 1886 - May 10, 1915 deceased) - Joseph Sarsfield GlassJoseph Sarsfield GlassJoseph Sarsfield Glass, C.M. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Salt Lake from 1915 until his death in 1926....
† (June 1, 1915 - January 26, 1926 deceased) - John Joseph MittyJohn Joseph MittyJohn Joseph Mitty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third Bishop of Salt Lake City and the fourth Archbishop of San Francisco .-Early life and education:...
† (June 21, 1926 - January 29, 1932 appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco) - James Edward Kearney † (July 1, 1932 - July 31, 1937 appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of RochesterRoman Catholic Diocese of RochesterThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the Greater Rochester region of New York State in the United States. The region that the Diocese comprises extends from its northern border on the south shore of Lake Ontario through the Finger Lakes region to its...
) - Duane Garrison HuntDuane Garrison HuntDuane Garrison Hunt was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Salt Lake City from 1937 until his death in 1960.-Early life and education:...
† (August 6, 1937 - March 31, 1960 deceased) - Joseph Lennox FederalJoseph Lennox FederalJoseph Lennox Federal was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Salt Lake City from 1960 to 1980....
† (March 31, 1960 - April 22, 1980 retired) - William Kenneth Weigand (September 9, 1980 - November 30, 1993 appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento)
- George Hugh NiederauerGeorge Hugh NiederauerGeorge Hugh Niederauer is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Archbishop of San Francisco...
(November 3, 1994 - December 15, 2005 appointed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco) - John Charles WesterJohn Charles WesterJohn Charles Wester, is an American Roman Catholic Bishop. On 8 January 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Wester as the ninth bishop to serve the Diocese of Salt Lake City.-Early life and clerical formation:...
from January 8, 2007
High schools
- Juan Diego Catholic High SchoolJuan Diego Catholic High SchoolJuan Diego Catholic High School is a private, Catholic school located in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City. Founded in 1999, it serves the southern portion of the Salt Lake Valley. Situated upon of former farmland, the school is...
, Draper - Judge Memorial Catholic High SchoolJudge Memorial Catholic High SchoolJudge Memorial Catholic High School is a private, Catholic high school located in Salt Lake City. The school is one of three high schools in the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City serving students in grades nine through 12. Founded in 1921, the school draws students from across the Salt Lake Valley...
, Salt Lake City - St. Joseph Catholic High SchoolSt. Joseph Catholic High School (Ogden, Utah)Saint Joseph Catholic School is a parochial school in Utah, north of Salt Lake City.Established by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the Jesuit Fathers.-Academics:...
, Ogden
External links
- Diocese of Salt Lake City - official site
- Intermountain Catholic - newspaper of the Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Map of the Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Catholic Hierarchy.org - Diocese of Salt Lake City
- Archdiocese of San Francisco - official site