Roman Catholic Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden

The Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden (Dutch: Bisdom Groningen-Leeuwarden; Latin: Dioecesis Groningensis-Leovardiensis) is a suffragan Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern part of the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht (covering all the Netherlands). It encompasses the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, as well as the Noordoostpolder, a part of the province of Flevoland.[3]

Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden

Dioecesis Groningensis-Leovardiensis

Bisdom Groningen-Leeuwarden
Coat of arms
Location
Country Netherlands
TerritoryGroningen, Friesland, Drenthe, and the Noordoostpolder
Ecclesiastical provinceUtrecht
MetropolitanArchdiocese of Utrecht
Statistics
Area9,205 km2 (3,554 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2016)
1,927,000
110,200 (5.7%)
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteLatin Rite
Established12 May 1559
CathedralSaint Joseph Church, Groningen
Patron saintSaint Boniface[1]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopRon van den Hout[2]
Metropolitan ArchbishopWim Eijk
Vicar GeneralPeter Wellen
Map

Location of the Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden in the Netherlands
Website
www.bisdomgl.nl

The cathedral episcopal seat is the Saint Joseph Cathedral in the city of Groningen, capital of the province of the same name.[4] One former cathedral remains in Catholic use : the Sint-Maartenskerk, dedicated to Saint Martin, also in Groningen, is now Protestant church; the Sint-Vituskerk, dedicated to Saint Vitus, in Leeuwarden (Friesland province, most of Dutch Frisia) is only rarely frequented by a small community of faithful from an old orphanage.

History
  • Established on 12 May 1559 as Diocese of Groningen / Groningen(sis) (Latin), on territories split off from the then Diocese of Utrecht and Diocese of Munster (Germany).
  • Suppressed in 1600.
  • The diocese was re-erected on 2 February 1956 as the Diocese of Groningen/ Groningen(sis) (Latin), on territories split off from its Metropolitan, the Archdiocese of Utrecht, and from the Diocese of Haarlem (Holland).
  • Renamed on 4 February 2006 as Diocese of Groningen–Leeuwarden (Nederlands) / Groninga–Leeuwarden (Curiate Italian) / Groningen(sis) et Leovardien(sis) (Latin adjective), albeit it without a co-cathedral.

Statistics and extent

As per 2014, it pastorally served 110,000 Catholics (5.7% of 1,923,000 total) on 8,585 km2 in 81 parishes with 36 priests (30 diocesan, 6 religious), 3 deacons, 18 lay religious (7 brothers, 11 sisters) and 9 seminarians. It is the smallest Dutch diocese in population, even while it is the largest in area, covering an area of some 9,205 square kilometers (3,554 sq mi). As per the most recent data available, the number of churchgoers in 2005 was 12,435 or 0.7% of the total population.[5]

Episcopal ordinaries

(Roman Rite)

Suffragan Bishops of Groningen

See also

References
  1. http://www.bisdomgroningenleeuwarden.nl/?O=200&Page=1
  2. https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_van_den_Hout
  3. http://www.bisdomgroningenleeuwarden.nl/?O=14&Page=1
  4. http://www.bisdomgroningenleeuwarden.nl/?O=155&Page=1
  5. (in Dutch) Kerncijfers 2005 uit de kerkelijke statistiek van het Rooms-Katholiek Kerkgenootschap in Nederland
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