Roman Catholic Diocese of London, Ontario

For namesakes, see Diocese of London (disambiguation)

Diocese of London, Ontario Dioecesis Londonensis
The Coat of Arms of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London, Ontario
Location
Country	Canada
Ecclesiastical province	Ontario
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Toronto
Deaneries	7
Statistics
Area	21,349 km2 (8,243 sq mi) The territory comprises the following counties of Ontario: Middlesex, Elgin, Norfolk, Perth, Huron, Lambton, Kent, & Essex.
Population - Total - Catholics	1,944,182 444,310 (22.8%)
Parishes	131
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite (or Roman)
Established	February 21, 1856
Cathedral	St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica
Patron saint	The Immaculate Conception & St. Patrick
Secular priests	169
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Ronald Peter Fabbro
Metropolitan Archbishop	Thomas Christopher Collins
Auxiliary Bishops	Józef Andrzej Dąbrowski
Bishops emeritus	John Michael Sherlock
Website
dol.ca

The Roman Catholic Diocese of London (Latin: Dioecesis Londonensis) is a Latin rite suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toronto in Ontario, southeastern Canada.

The present episcopal see of the Diocese, St. Peter's Cathedral, was built in a French Gothic Revival style from 1880 to 1885. It was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in December, 1961.

Statistics and extent

The Diocese covers the counties of Middlesex, Elgin, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Huron, Lambton, Kent and Essex.

As per 2014, it pastorally served 811,000 Catholics (38.3% of 2,120,000 total) on 21,349 km² in 107 parishes and 1 mission with 203 priests (144 diocesan, 59 religious), 61 deacons, 228 lay religious (60 brothers, 168 sisters) and 11 seminarians.

The Diocese also runs St. Peter's Seminary, which is now affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.

History

• The Diocese of London was created on February 21, 1856 by Pope Pius IX, on territory carved out of the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Toronto (now a Metropolitan Archdiocese), along with the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario. Pierre-Adolphe Pinsonnault was named the first Bishop of London on May 18 of that year.
• On 1859.02.02 it was renamed as Diocese of Sandwich / Sandvicen(sis) (Latin), as its first Bishop Pinsoneault moved the seat of the diocese to Sandwich, on the Detroit River
• On 1869.11.15 it was renamed back as Diocese of London / Londonen(sis) (Latin), the diocesan see having been returned under second Bishop John Walsh.

Episcopal Ordinaries

(all Roman Rite)

Suffragan Bishops of London, Ontario

• Pierre-Adolphe Pinsonnault (May 13, 1856 - 1859.02.02 see below"")

Suffragan Bishops of Sandwich

• Pierre-Adolphe Pinsonnault (see above 1859.02.02 - retired December 18, 1866), emeritus as Titular Bishop of Birtha (1868.12.04 – death 1883.01.30)
• John Walsh (November 10, 1867 - 1869.10.03 'see below)

Suffragan Bishops of London, Ontario

• John Walsh (see above 1869.10.03 - July 25, 1889), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) (1889.07.25 – death 1898.07.30)
• Denis (T.) O'Connor, Congregation of St. Basil (C.S.B.) (19 October 1890 – 7 January 1899), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto (Canada) (1899.01.07 – 1908.05.04), emeritus as Titular Archbishop of Laodicea (1908.05.04 – death 1911.06.30)
• Fergus Patrick McEvay (August 6, 1899 - April 13, 1908), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto (Canada) (1908.04.13 – death 1911.05.10)
• Michael Francis Fallon, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.) (April 25, 1910 - death February 22, 1931)
• Thomas Kidd (July 3, 1931 - death June 2, 1950), previously Bishop of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) (1925.02.06 – 1931.07.03)
• John Christopher Cody (June 2, 1950 – death December 5, 1963), previously Bishop of Victoria (Canada) (1936.12.09 – 1946.04.06), Titular Bishop of Elatea (1946.04.06 – 1950.06.02) as Coadjutor Bishop of London (1946.04.06 – 1950.06.02)
• Gerald Emmett Carter (February 17, 1964 - April 29, 1978), succeeded as previous Titular Bishop of Altiburus (1961.12.01 – 1964.02.17) and Auxiliary Bishop of London (1961.12.01 – 1964.02.17); also President of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1975 – 1977); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto (Canada) (1978.04.27 – retired 1990.03.17), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Traspontina (1979.06.30 – death 2003.04.06)
• John Michael Sherlock (July 8, 1978 - April 27, 2002), also President of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1983 – 1985); succeeded as previous Titular Bishop of Macriana in Mauretania (1974.06.25 – 1978.07.07) and Auxiliary Bishop of London (1974.06.25 – 1978.07.07); incumbent Bishop Emeritus
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Marcel André J. Gervais (1980.04.19 – 1985.05.03), Titular Bishop of Rosemarkie (1980.04.19 – 1985.05.03); later Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie (Canada) (1985.05.03 – 1989.05.13), Coadjutor Archbishop of Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) (1989.05.13 – 1989.09.27) succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Ottawa (Canada) (1989.09.27 – retired 2007.05.14), President of Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1991 – 1993)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Frederick Bernard Henry (1986.04.18 – 1995.03.24), Titular Bishop of Carinola (1986.04.18 – 1995.03.24); later Bishop of Thunder Bay (Canada) (1995.03.24 – 1998.01.19), Bishop of Calgary (Canada) (1998.01.19 – retired 2017.01.04)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Richard John Grecco (1997.12.05 – 2002.04.27), Titular Bishop of Uccula (1997.12.05 – 2009.07.11); later Bishop of Charlottetown (Canada) (2009.07.11 – ...)
• Ronald Peter Fabbro, C.S.B. (August 15, 2002 - ...), previously Superior General of Congregation of St. Basil (Basilians) (1997 – 2002.04.27).
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Robert Anthony Daniels (2004.09.21 – 2011.03.01), Titular Bishop of Scebatiana (2004.09.21 – 2011.03.01); next Bishop of Grand Falls (Canada) (2011.03.01 – ...)
  • Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Andrzej Dąbrowski, Michaelites (C.S.M.A.) (2015.01.31 – ...), Titular Bishop of Casæ in Numidia (2015.01.31 – ...).

See also

• List of Catholic dioceses in Canada
• Ecclesiastical Province of Toronto
• St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica
• St. Peter's Seminary
• Our Lady of the Assumption

Sources and external links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of London site
• GCatholic, with Google map - date for all sections
• St. Peter's Seminary (Diocese of London, Ontario)
• "Diocese of London". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2007-03-13.

Bibliography

• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "London (Ontario)" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.