The Diocese of Victoria ( la, Dioecesis Victoriensis in Insula Vancouver) is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. 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 Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The diocese encompasses all of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

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 An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the metropolitan

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 A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

is St. Andrew's Cathedral and its present diocesan

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Gary Gordon Gary Ivan Gordon (August 30, 1960 – October 3, 1993) was a master sergeant in the United States Army and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the time of his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army's premier s ...

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 The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

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 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 t ...

was moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. The territory included

, the

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ma ...

, New Caledonia (mainland British Columbia), the Queen Charlotte Islands and Alaska.

Modeste Demers Modeste Demers (11 October 1809 – 28 July 1871) was a Roman Catholic Bishop and missionary in the Oregon Country. A native of Quebec, he traveled overland to the Pacific Northwest and preached in the Willamette Valley and later in what would beco ...

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

(1846–1871) *

Charles-Jean Seghers Charles John Seghers (also written as ''Charles-Jean Seghers''; 26 December 1839 – 28 November 1886) was a Belgian clergyman and missionary bishop. He is considered to be the founder of the Alaska Mission. Biography Early years and formation S ...

(1873–1878), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Oregon City, Oregon, USA; returned here in 1884 *

Jean-Baptiste Brondel Jean-Baptiste Brondel (23 February 1842 – 3 November 1903) was a Belgian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Vancouver Island in British Columbia and Alaska (1879–1883) and as vicar apostolic and bis ...

(1879–1883) *

(1884–1886); personal title of Archbishop *

Jean-Nicolas Lemmens Jean-Nicolas Lemmens (also Joannes Nicolaas Lemmens or Joannes Nicolaus Lemmens) (3 June 1850, in Schimmert – 10 August 1897, in Cobán (Guatemala)) was a Dutch Catholic priest and Bishop of Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada. He was a strong sup ...

(1888–1897) * Alexander Christie (1898–1899), appointed Archbishop of Oregon City, Oregon, USA *

Bertram Orth Bertram Orth (December 11, 1848 – February 10, 1931) was a German-born Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church. He led the Diocese of Victoria from 1900 to 1908, becoming its first and only archbishop in 1903. Biography Early life Bertram Ort ...

(1900–1908) * Alexander MacDonald (1908–1923) * Thomas O'Donnell (1923–1929), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Halifax, Nova Scotia *

Gerald C. Murray Gerald C. Murray (born 1885 in Montreal) was a Canadian clergyman and prelate for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, as well as Victoria and Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. ...

, C.SS.R. (1930–1934), appointed Bishop of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan * John Hugh MacDonald (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 (1946–1962) * Remi Joseph De Roo (1962–1999) *

Raymond Roussin Raymond O. Roussin was the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 2004 to January 2009, when his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI. Curriculum vitae Born, Raymond Roussin, on June 17, 1939, in St. Vital, Wi ...

, 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 *

(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), 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 , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Sisters * Franciscan Poor Clares *

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

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 Kamloops Indian Residential School was part of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, it was once the largest residential school in Canada, with its enrolment peaking at 500 in the 1950s. The sc ...

, the diocese released
statement of apology and commitment.
*

Kuper Island Indian Residential School The Kuper Island Indian Residential School, also known as Kuper Island Indian Industrial School, was a Canadian Indian residential school located on Kuper Island (now known as Penelakut Island), near Chemainus, British Columbia, that operated f ...

* 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

Organizations based in Victoria, British Columbia