Jump to content

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ulric1313 (talk | contribs) at 17:32, 26 November 2015 (dab). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other diocese of the same name, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie.
Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie

Dioecesis Sanctae Mariae Ormensis
Location
CountryCanada
TerritorySouthern Thunder Bay, Algoma, Sudbury and Nipissing Districts, Ontario
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of Kingston
MetropolitanNorthern Ontario
Population
- Catholics
230,000 (55.2%)
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedSeptember 16, 1904
CathedralPrecious Blood Cathedral, Sault Ste. Marie
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopJean-Louis Plouffe Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie
Metropolitan ArchbishopBrendan Michael O'Brien Archbishop of Kingston
Website
www.dioceseofsaultstemarie.org

The Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario (Latin: Dioecesis Sanctae Mariae Ormensis) was decreed on September 16, 1904 and is formed by the southern portions of the districts of Thunder Bay, Algoma, Sudbury and Nipissing.

The area has a long history within the Roman Catholic Church. The Recollets were the first missionaries in the Nipissing region around 1622. A number of Jesuits entered the area in 1641; Father Claude Pijart, being the leading missionary of that group. Their three missions were abandoned after a number of years, but Father Claude-Jean Allouez found converts still adhering to their faith in 1667.

In 1668 the mission of Sault Sainte Marie was founded by the Jesuits and used as a base for expeditions to adjacent areas. Priests who appear in historical accounts of the time include Frs. Gabriel Druillettes, Louis André, [[{{{1}}}]] [], and Pierre Bailloquet.

Little further expansion took place until about 1836 when Rev. Proulx began an expansion which reached Fort William in 1849. Expansion after this point was rapid with hospitals and schools added to the parishes, churches and missions that marked this growth.

History

The Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie was formally established by Pope Pius X on September 16, 1904 and four days later, on September 20, Reverend David Joseph Scollard, then pastor of Saint Mary on the Lake Parish in North Bay, Ontario was appointed its first bishop.

At this time the new diocese extended west from Callander, Ontario for 800 miles, reaching almost to the Manitoba border. The Catholic population of the new diocese in 1904 was approximately 34,000 with 64 parishes and 35 priests, of which only 7 were diocesan clergy.

During the episcopacy of the second bishop, Ralph Hubert Dignan (1935-1958), the western end of the Diocese of Salt Ste. Marie was separated on August 26, 1952 to form the Diocese of Port Arthur, now known as the Diocese of Thunder Bay.

Alexander Carter (1958-1985) was the third Diocesan Bishop, and was succeeded by Marcel Gervais (1985-1989), who subsequently became the Archbishop of Ottawa.

On January 12, 1990, Jean-Louis Plouffe was installed as the fifth Ordinary of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

Cathedrals

The official diocesan cathedral is the Precious Blood Cathedral in Sault Ste. Marie, although the current bishop, Jean-Louis Plouffe, is based at the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption in North Bay. The diocese's administrative offices are located in Sudbury.

Bishops

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Sault Sainte Marie.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Sault_Sainte_Marie,_Ontario&oldid=692570237"