The Diocese of Victoria ( la, Dioecesis Victoriensis in Insula Vancouver) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

is in Victoria. The diocese encompasses all of Vancouver Island and several nearby British Columbia islands. A

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

in the ecclesiastical province of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Archdiocese of Vancouver The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver ( la, Archidioecesis Vancouveriensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Holy Rosary Cathed ...

, the diocese's cathedral is St. Andrew's Cathedral and its present diocesan bishop is Gary Gordon.

Diocesan Demographics

, the diocese had 94,465 Catholics, 22 diocesan Priests, 15 religious Priests, 1 Deacon. The diocese is also helped by 19 Brothers, and 91 Sisters servicing 30 parishes.

History

The diocese was created on 24 July 1846 as the Diocese of Vancouver Island, one of three dioceses in the Pacific Northwest created out of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory. It was elevated to an

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

on 19 June 1903 and renamed Archdiocese of Victoria in 1904. It was then lowered to a diocese in 1908, when the metropolitan see was moved to Vancouver. The territory included Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, New Caledonia (mainland British Columbia), the Queen Charlotte Islands and Alaska. Modeste Demers became the new diocese's first bishop. Territorial losses On June 19, 1903, the diocese became an Archdiocese of Victoria. It was returned to the status of a diocese on October 1, 1908, and became a suffragan diocese to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Bishops

The following are the lists of Bishops and their years of service:

Ordinaries

* Modeste Demers (1846–1871) * Charles-Jean Seghers (1873–1878), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Oregon City, Oregon, USA; returned here in 1884 * Jean-Baptiste Brondel (1879–1883) * Charles-Jean Seghers (1884–1886); personal title of Archbishop * Jean-Nicolas Lemmens (1888–1897) * Alexander Christie (1898–1899), appointed Archbishop of Oregon City, Oregon, USA * Bertram Orth (1900–1908) *

Alexander MacDonald Alexander or Alex MacDonald may refer to: Politics * Alasdair Óg of Islay (died 1299), Lord of Islay and chief of Clann Domhnaill * Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross, or Alexander MacDonald (died 1449), Scottish nobleman * Alexander MacDonald, 5 ...

(1908–1923) * Thomas O'Donnell (1923–1929), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Halifax, Nova Scotia * Gerald C. Murray, C.SS.R. (1930–1934), appointed Bishop of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan *

John Hugh MacDonald John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1934–1936), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Edmonton, Alberta *

John Christopher Cody John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1936–1946), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of London, Ontario *

James Michael Hill James Michael Hill (also James McDool Hill; October 12, 1899 – March 3, 1962) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and first president of St. Thomas College. The son of James S. Hill and Margaret Pa ...

(1946–1962) * Remi Joseph De Roo (1962–1999) * Raymond Roussin, S.M. (1999–2004), appointed Archbishop of Vancouver, British Columbia *

Richard Gagnon Richard Joseph Gagnon (born June 17, 1948) is a Canadian bishop of the Catholic Church. He is the Archbishop of Winnipeg, appointed to the position in 2014 after previously serving as the Bishop of Victoria. He has also served as President ...

(2004–2014), appointed Archbishop of Winnipeg * Gary Gordon (2014–present)

Coadjutor bishops

* John James Jonckau (1883); did not take effect * Raymond Olir Roussin, S. M. (1998-1999)

Auxiliary bishop

* Louis Aloysius Lootens (1876-1898)

Churches

Greater Victoria *St Andrew's Cathedral *Holy Cross *Our Lady of Fatima (Portuguese) *Our Lady of the Rosary *Our Lady Queen Of Peace *Saanich Peninsula Parish *Sacred Heart *St-Jean-Baptiste (French) *St. Joseph the Worker *St. Leopold Mandic (Croatian) *St. Patrick's *St. Rose of Lima Courtenay *Christ The King Campbell River *St. Patrick's Gold River *St. Peter and St. Paul Hornby Island *Holy Cross Chemainus *St. Joseph's Duncan *St. Ann's * St. Edward the Confessor Lake Cowichan *St. Louis De Montfort Ladysmith *St. Mary's Gabriola Island *Our Lady of Victory Mission Mayne Island *St. Francis of Assisi Pender Island *St. Teresa's Chapel Salt Spring Island *Our Lady of Grace Mill Bay *St Francis Xavier Shawnigan Lake *Our Lady Queen of the World Nanaimo *St. Peter's *Trinity Catholic Parksville *Church of the Ascension Port Alberni *Holy Family/Notre Dame Tofino *St. Francis of Assisi Ucluelet *Holy Family Alert Bay *Our Lady of Assumption Port Hardy *St. Bonaventure Port McNeill *St. Mary's Port Alice *St. Theresa's Sayward *St Bernadette's Tahsis *St. Joseph's

Monasteries

* House of Bread Monastery, a Benedictine monastery in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

Education

Catholic high schools

St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, British Columbia) St. Ann's Academy was built by the Roman Catholic Congregation of Women the Sisters of Saint Anne of Lachine, Quebec. The chapel, designed by Father Joseph Michaud, was built in 1858 as St. Andrew's Cathedral was moved in 1886 to be St. Ann's Cha ...

, was open 1858 and closed in 1974. * Smith Memorial High School, of Port Alberni, was opened 1951 and closed in 1976.

Catholic elementary schools

* St. Ann's Academy for Boys, of Duncan, was erected in 1864 and closed in 1969. * St. Mary's School, of Ladysmith, was established 1909 and closed in 1913.

Catholic Universities, Colleges and Seminaries

* St. Joseph's School for Nursing, of Victoria, was erected in 1900 and closed in 1981. * St. John Fisher / Thomas More College 1953 and closed in 1993.

Religious institutes

Religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...

s of women * Benedictine Sisters * Franciscan Poor Clares * Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate *

Sisters of St. Ann The Sisters of St. Anne (S.S.A.) is a Roman Catholic religious institute, founded in 1850 in Vaudreuil, Quebec, Canada, by the Blessed Marie Anne Blondin, S.S.A., to promote the education of the rural children of the Province of Canada. Their vi ...

Residential Schools

The Diocese managed two residential schools in British Columbia. Upon the discovery of the remains of 215 children at Kamloops Indian Residential School, the diocese released
statement of apology and commitment.
* Kuper Island Indian Residential School * The Christie Roman Catholic school

Charities

Health Care * Lourdes Hospital, of Campbell River, was erected in 1926 and closed in 1957. * St. Joseph's Hospital, of Victoria, was erected in 1876 and closed in 1972.

Notes

* The diocese produces the '' Diocesan Messenger'' which is a Catholic newspaper for its community.

References

Bibliography

Sisters of St. Ann's scrapbook
*

External links

* {{coord, 48.4167, N, 123.3500, W, source:wikidata, display=title Victoria Organizations based in Victoria, British Columbia