Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport (Latin: Dioecesis Sreveportuensis in Louisiana) is a Roman Catholic diocese covering the parishes of northern Louisiana, and a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Its bishop is part of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and belongs to Conference Region V (which includes Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee).[1] Its mother church is the Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans, in Shreveport.

Diocese of Shreveport

Dioecesis Sreveportuensis in Louisiana
St. John Berchman's Cathedral
Location
Country United States
Territory 16 parishes of Louisiana
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of New Orleans
Statistics
Area28,825 km2 (11,129 sq mi)
Population
- Catholics (including non-members)
39,436 (5%)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJune 16, 1986
CathedralCathedral of Saint John Berchmans
Patron saintImmaculate Conception
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
St. Peter Claver
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopFrancis I. Malone
Map
Website
dioshpt.org

The territory of the diocese covers an area of 28,825 square kilometres (11,129 sq mi).[1] The total population was 784,665, out of which 39,436 (5 percent of the total population) were Catholic, served by 42 diocesan priests in 32 parishes, in 2004.[1] In 2010, the diocese had eight seminarians preparing for ordination to the priesthood.[2]

History

Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of Shreveport on 16 June 1986, taking its present territory from the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport and simultaneously changing the title of the mother diocese back to Diocese of Alexandria, thus effectively splitting the mother diocese into two. The pope designated the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport, until then the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport, as the cathedral church of the new diocese.

Sexual abuse

On July 19, 2020, it became public that the Diocese of Shreveport is a respondent in a lawsuit in which a male plaintiff said that the diocese had shielded a priest who sexually abused him in the 1970s.[3]

Bishops

The list of ordinaries of the diocese and their years of service:

  1. William Benedict Friend (1986–2006)
  2. Michael Duca (2008–2018)
  3. Francis Ignatius Malone (2020–present)

Coat of Arms
Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1986
Escutcheon
The coat of arms of the Diocese of Shreveport is composed of a red field. On this red field - is a gold sunburst charged with the monogram of the Holy Name (IHS).
Symbolism
The coat of arms of the Diocese of Shreveport is composed of a red field to represent the Red River that runs through the See City. On this red field is a gold sunburst charged with the monogram of the Holy Name (IHS), the symbol of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). This symbolism is employed here to represent Saint John Berchmans, titular of the Cathedral Church, who was a Jesuit. From the sunburst issue three wavy bars to represent the three rivers that run through the diocese--the Red, the Mississippi, and the Ouachita--and to represent the waters of Baptism that flow from God, Our Father, to save all mankind.

High schools

Media

The diocese publishes a monthly magazine, The Catholic Connection.[4]

References
  1. Cheney, David M. (26 Oct 2008). "Diocese of Shreveport". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  2. "Seminarians". Diocese of Shreveport. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  3. Enflinger, Emily (July 19, 2020). "Lawsuit against Diocese of Shreveport claims priest sexually abused boy in the '70s". Shreveport Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  4. Schnurr, Dennis Marion (July 2019). "Seek the Lord". The Catholic Telegraph. 188 (7). Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. p. 2.

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