The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) 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 northwestern and central

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. The ''

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 census. Grand Island is the principal city of the Grand Island metropolitan area, which consists of Hall, Merrick, ...

. It is 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 Omaha The Archdiocese of Omaha ( la, Archidioecesis Omahensis) is Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its current archbishop, George Joseph Lucas, was installed in Omaha on July 22, 2009. The ar ...

. The

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 ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, its diocesan headquarters are at 2708 Old Fair Rd., P.O. Box 1531, Grand Island, NE 68802, USA. The retired

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 ...

of the diocese is Bishop Emeritus William Dendinger. The Rev. Msgr. Joseph G. Hanefeldt was announced as successor on January 14, 2015, and was installed on March 19, 2015.

History

On January 6, 1857,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

established the Apostolic Vicariate of

in territory split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains. On March 8, 1912,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

established the

Diocese of Kearney The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska. The '' cathedra'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in Grand Island, Ne ...

on territory taken from the then Diocese of Omaha, its present Metropolitan. The diocese was enlarged with more territory from Omaha on May 13, 1916. On April 11, 1917, the diocese was renamed when the see city was transferred to Grand Island. The Omaha diocese 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 ...

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

on August 10, 1945.

Bishops

Bishops of Grand Island

The list of bishops who served the diocese and their years of service: #

James Albert Duffy James Albert Duffy (September 13, 1873 – February 12, 1968) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island, Diocese of Grand Island in N ...

(1913–1931) # Stanislaus Vincent Bona (1931–1944), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Green Bay #

Edward Joseph Hunkeler Edward Joseph Hunkeler (January 1, 1894 – October 1, 1970) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island, Nebraska (1945–1951), and Bishop and Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kans ...

(1945–1951), appointed Bishop and later Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas # John Linus Paschang (1951–1972) # John J. Sullivan (1972–1977), appointed Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph # Lawrence James McNamara (1978–2004) #

William Joseph Dendinger William Joseph Dendinger (born May 20, 1939) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Appointed by Pope John Paul II, he served as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island in Nebraska from December 13, 2004, until January 14, 2015. B ...

(2004–2015) #

Joseph G. Hanefeldt Joseph Gerard Hanefeldt (born April 25, 1958) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island in the state of Nebraska since 2015. Early life and education Joseph Hanefeldt was ...

(2015–present)

Catholic high schools

* Central Catholic High School, Grand Island *

Kearney Catholic High School Kearney Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Kearney, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island. Background Kearney Catholic High School was founded in 1961, as the first ...

, Kearney * St. Patrick High School, North Platte * Spalding Academy, Spalding

References

Sources and external links