List_of_Catholic_bishops_in_the_United_States

List of Catholic bishops in the United States

List of Catholic bishops in the United States

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The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Marianas and Samoa.

Each color on the map represents an ecclesiastical province. The divisions in each province show the archdiocese and its individual dioceses.

The Catholic Church in the United States comprises:

Archbishops and bishops

The 176 Latin Church dioceses in the United States are divided into 33 ecclesiastical provinces. Each province has a metropolitan archdiocese led by an archbishop, and at least one suffragan diocese. Each suffragan diocese is led by a bishop. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA is the only American archdiocese that is not designated as a metropolitan archdiocese. The pope appoints all archbishops and bishops, who must be at least ordained priests. The pope chooses from a list of candidates provided by the papal nuncio of the United States to the Congregation of Bishops in Rome.[2]

  • Most archdioceses and large dioceses have one or more auxiliary bishops, serving under the direction of the archbishop or bishop. After consultation with the Papal Nuncio to the United States, the pope appoints all auxiliary bishops.
  • Some archdioceses and dioceses have a coadjutor archbishop or coadjutor bishop. The coadjutor assists an elderly or ailing archbishop or bishop with their administrative duties. After the archbishop or bishop retires or dies, the coadjutor normally succeeds him without an appointment by the pope. The pope appoints all coadjutors.

In some rare cases, the pope will name a titular archbishop as the bishop of a suffragan diocese. The most recent example in the United States was that of Celestine Damiano, whom Pope John XXIII named as bishop of the Diocese of Camden in 1960.[3]

There are several dioceses in the American inhabited territories:

All active and retired bishops and archbishops in the United States —diocesan, coadjutor, and auxiliary—are members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Foreign-born bishops serving in the United States

Most nations with large Catholic populations in non-missionary geographical areas propose and elect native-born clergy to the episcopacy. An exception to this rule is the United States, which has a significant number of foreign-born bishops, with most serving as auxiliaries in culturally-diverse dioceses. As of 2024, 33 active foreign-born bishops are serving in the United States, representing about 10% of all active American bishops.

  • Nine bishops are from Mexico
  • Nine are from Vietnam, Philippines, and Poland, with each nation the birthplace of three bishops
  • Two are from Brazil

The following nations produced at least one bishop who is serving in the United States: Italy, Haiti, Ireland, Colombia, Lebanon, Peru, Spain, Cuba, South Africa, Malta, Argentina, El Salvador, and Cameroon.

The Archdioceses of Los Angeles and San Antonio and seven dioceses (Raleigh, Fall River, Charleston, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Las Cruces, and St Thomas) are led by foreign-born archbishops and bishops.[6]Two American archdioceses and two dioceses have more than one foreign-born active bishop assigned to them:

Additionally, there are several dozen bishops currently serving in the United States who are first-generation American-born children of immigrant parents.

Archeparchs

The United States has two Eastern Catholic metropoliae, each led by a metropolitan archbishop called an archeparch:

Cardinals

As of October 2022, the Vatican has designated seven American metropolitan archbishops in the Latin Church as cardinals:

One suffragan diocese is led by a cardinal:

Four American archdioceses have retired archbishops who served as cardinal-archbishops:

Three American archdioceses have former archbishops whom the Vatican created as cardinals after they completed their tenures as diocesan archbishops:

Latin church archbishops and bishops

More information Ecclesiastical province map, Archdiocese or diocese ...

Bishops emeriti

More information Province, Name ...

Eastern Catholic eparchs

Metropolis of Philadelphia for Ukrainians

See: Category:Ukrainian Catholic Metropolia of Philadelphia

The Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Province of Philadelphia consists of four eparchies of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and covers the entire United States.

More information Metropolia, Metropolia map ...

Metropolis of Pittsburgh for Ruthenians

The Metropolis of Pittsburgh is a sui iuris metropolitan province of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. The metropolis consists of four eparchies and covers the entire United States. It's geographic remit also includes the Exarchate of Toronto in Canada.

The metropolis has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all Ruthenian Catholics in the United States, as well as other Byzantine Rite Catholics without an established hierarchy in the country.

More information Metropolia, Metropolia map ...

American eparchies that are immediately subject to the Holy See

The other Eastern Catholic Churches with eparchies (dioceses) or exarchates established in the United States are not grouped into metropoliae. All are immediately subject to the Holy See, with limited oversight by the head of their respective sui iuris churches.

American-Canadian eparchies that are immediately subject to the Holy See

Several Eastern Catholic churches have jurisdictions that include members and congregations in both the United States and Canada.

List of eparchs and archeparch emeritus

Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is a special diocese comprising Anglican converts to Catholicism. Under canon law, if the personal ordinary is not a bishop, he is treated as the equivalent of a diocesan bishop.[9][1]

More information Province, Ecclesiastical province map ...

American bishops serving outside the United States

Bishops serving in Vatican City

Bishops emeriti who served in Vatican City

Bishops serving in Vatican Diplomatic Corps

Bishops emeriti who served in Vatican Diplomatic Corps

Bishops serving in foreign sees

Bishop emeritus who served in a foreign see

Non-American bishops serving in the United States

See also


Footnotes

  1. Hays, Charlotte (January 3, 2012). "Carrying Anglican Patrimony Into the Catholic Church: Former Episcopal bishop of southwestern diocese, a married father and grandfather, will lead Church's personal ordinariate for Anglicans and Episcopalians who become Catholic". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  2. "Frequently Asked Questions about Archbishops | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. "Archbishop Celestine Joseph Damiano [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  4. "Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña (C.E.P.)". GCatholic.org. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  5. Cheney, David M. "Catholic Church in Puerto Rico". Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  6. "Catholic Church in United States of America [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  7. Farrell, Kevin Joseph. "Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  8. "Resignations and Appointments, 30.01.2023" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. January 30, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  9. "Rinunce e nomine". press.vatican.va. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  10. Simpson, Victor L (October 19, 2011). "Pope names US envoy". philly.com. Associated Press. Retrieved October 25, 2011. The Washington post is a key one in the Vatican diplomatic corps both for the importance of the U.S. in world affairs and for its large Catholic population, which is counted on for its financial help to the Holy See and its contributions to papal charities.

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