The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington (Latin: Dioecesis Arlingtonensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the mid-atlantic United States. The Diocese of Arlington comprises 69 parishes located in the 21 northern-most counties within the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, King George, Lancaster, Loudoun, Madison, Northumberland, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, Richmond, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren and Westmoreland, and cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Winchester. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge is the ordinary of the Diocese of Arlington since December 2016; his residence is on the grounds of the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Arlington County, Virginia. In 2013, there were 256 priests and 453,916 registered Catholics in the Diocese of Arlington. The total population within the Diocese of Arlington, Catholic and non-Catholic, was 2,968,486.
The Diocese of Arlington also operates two mission churches for the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republicâ€"Bánica Mission Parish (St. Francis of Assisi Church) and Pedro Santana Mission Parish, which are overseen by the diocesan Office of the Propagation of the Faith. The Director of the Propagation of the Faith in the Diocese of Arlington is currently Fr. Patrick L. Posey, who also serves as Pastor of St. James Church in Falls Church.
The diocese was canonically erected on May 28, 1974 by now-Blessed Pope Paul VI. The parishes which the Diocese of Arlington comprises were ceded from the neighboring Diocese of Richmond.
Bishops
The founding bishop of the diocese, Thomas Jerome Welsh, was installed on August 13, 1974. Bishop Welsh served until February 8, 1983, when he was transferred by Pope John Paul II to become bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Welsh was previously auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
The second bishop of the diocese, John Richard Keating, was ordained as Bishop of Arlington on August 4, 1983, and served until his death March 22, 1998. Bishop Keating was previously Vicar General and Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois.
Bishop Paul S. Loverde, previously bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, New York, was installed as the diocese's third bishop March 25, 1999. and served until his retirement on October 4, 2016.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, was installed as the fourth bishop on December 6, 2016.
Catholic colleges and universities
- Christendom College, Front Royal
- Divine Mercy University, Arlington
- Marymount University, Arlington
Catholic high schools
- Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School, Arlington
- Bishop Ireton High School, Alexandria
- Paul VI Catholic High School, Fairfax
- Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, Dumfries
Parishes
As listed in the Official Parish Locator for the Diocese of Arlington:
- †.^ Parish practices the Extraordinary Form.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington
The Diocese co-ordinates and supports a range of charitable activities focused on assistance to the vulnerable, fund-raising and education. Initiatives include counselling, prison visits and foster care. Archduchess Kathleen of Habsbourg-Lorraine is a former communications director of the CCDA.
See also
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
Notes
Sources
- Andreassi, Anthony D. (2002). Walking in Faith: the first 25 Years. A History of the Diocese of Arlington, Editions du Signe: Strasbourg. ISBN 2-7468-0625-8.
- 2014 Catholic Diocese of Arlington Directory
External links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington Official Site
- The Catholic Herald - the official newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington
- The Official Website of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More
- Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Arlington