Archdiocese has long, rich history

Archbishop Fabre Farewell

Archdiocese of Louisville has long, rich history

Story by Janet Marcel

The Diocese of Louisville, KY, was established on April 8, 1808, when Pope Pius VII subdivided the Diocese of Baltimore, which was the first Catholic diocese in the United States, into the Dioceses of Boston, MA; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA and Bardstown, KY. In 1841, the seat of the Diocese of Bardstown was transferred to Louisville, KY.

In 1937, Louisville was established as an archdiocese comprised of the Diocese of Covington (established in 1853) and the newly established Diocese of Owensboro. The Diocese of Lexington was established in 1988.

Today, the Ecclesiastical Province of Louisville, KY, covers the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, and comprises the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY, and the following dioceses: Covington, KY; Owensboro, KY; Lexington, KY; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; and Knoxville, TN.

According to its website, the Archdiocese of Louisville currently serves 156,000 Catholics in 24 counties in central Kentucky covering 8,124 square miles from the Ohio River to the Tennessee border. There are 110 parishes and missions; 48 schools serving about 20,000 students from kindergarten to high school; and two colleges/universities that serve 4,923 students.

The archdiocese has 126 diocesan priests, 139 permanent deacons, 56 religious order priests, nine extern priests, 42 brothers, 380 sisters and 12 seminarians. The archdiocese also serves more than 233,893 persons in Catholic hospitals, home health centers, homes for the aged, specialized homes, and centers for social services.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), an assembly of the hierarchy of bishops who jointly exercise pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States (and the U.S. Virgin Islands), divides the archdioceses and dioceses of the U.S. into14 geographic regions for the purposes of its proceedings.

As Archbishop of Louisville, KY, Archbishop Fabre will continue to serve alongside the bishops and archbishops of Region 5, which consists of the Ecclesiastical Provinces Louisville, KY, New Orleans, LA, and Mobile, AL.

The Ecclesiastical Province of New Orleans, LA, covers the state of Louisiana, and is comprised of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and following dioceses: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Shreveport.

The Ecclesiastical Province of Mobile, AL, covers the states of Alabama and Mississippi, and is comprised of the Archdiocese of Mobile, AL, and the following dioceses: Biloxi, MS; Birmingham, AL; and Jackson, MS. BC