The Archdiocese of Katowice ( la, Katovicen(sis)) is the Latin Metropolitan

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 ...

of an ecclesiastical province in Western

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Special churches

Its

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 ...

archiepiscopal see is Archikatedra Chrystusa Króla, dedicated to

Christ the King Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one of ...

, in the city of

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

, Śląskie. It has several

Minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

s : * Bazylika św. Ludwika Króla i Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny, also in Katowice * Bazylika Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny (Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Uśmiechniętej), in

Pszów Pszów (german: Pschow) is a town in Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 13,896 inhabitants (2019). It is located on ''Rybnik Plateau'' (''Płaskowyż Rybnicki''), in close vicinity to such cities, as Rybnik, Wodzisław Śląski ...

* Bazylika NMP i św. Bartłomieja Apostoła (Sanktuarium Matki Sprawiedliwości i Miłości Społecznej), in

Piekary Śląskie Piekary Śląskie () (german: Deutsch Piekar; szl, Piekary) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The north district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesia ...

* Bazylika św. Antoniego Padewskiego, in

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; szl, Rybńik) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 miles) from the Czech border. It is on ...

Province

Its

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 ...

comprises the Metropolitan's own Archdiocese and these

Suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

bishoprics : *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gliwice The Diocese of Gliwice ( la, Glivicen(sis)) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Poland. Its episcopal see is located in the city of Gliwice. The Diocese of Gliwice is a suffragan diocese in the eccles ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of Opole The Roman Catholic Diocese of Opole ( la, Opoliensis) is a diocese located in the city of Opole in the Ecclesiastical province of Katowice in Poland. History * 1945: Established as Apostolic Administration of Opole * 28 June 1972: Established as ...

History

On 7 November 1922, the Holy See disentangled the Roman Catholic parishes in the Polish

Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

, territorially comprising the East of formerly Austrian

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Tě ...

(since 1918) and formerly German

East Upper Silesia East Upper Silesia (german: Ostoberschlesien) is the easternmost extremity of Silesia, the eastern part of the Upper Silesian region around the city of Katowice (german: Kattowitz).Isabel Heinemann, ''"Rasse, Siedlung, deutsches Blut": das Rasse- u ...

(since 1922) from the then

Diocese of Breslau 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 associat ...

as a permanent

Apostolic Administration An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Upper Silesia on 17 December the same year. * On 28 October 1925,

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

elevated that apostolic administration and renamed it after its see to Diocese of Katowice, then as

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

of the Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Kraków 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 ...

, by the papal Bull ''Vixdum Poloniae Unitas''. * In 1947, it lost territory to establish the

Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín The Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín was a short-lived (1947–1978) pre-diocesan Latin Catholic jurisdiction in Czechoslovakia. History * Established in 1947 as the Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín (named after the Mor ...

. * It enjoyed Papal visits from the Polish

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in June 1983 and June 1999. * It was promoted on March 25, 1992 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Katowice.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 1,448,500 Catholics (97.4% of 1,487,500 total) on 2,400 km² in 319 parishes and 6 missions with 1,088 priests (963 diocesan, 125 religious), 1 deacon, 1,005 lay religious (189 brothers, 816 sisters) and 117 seminarians.

Episcopal ordinaries

''(all

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

) ;''Apostolic Administrator of Upper Silesia'' * August Hlond,

Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...

(S.D.B.) (1922.11.07 – 1925.10.28 ''see below'') ;''Suffragan Bishops of Katowice'' *

August Hlond August Hlond (July 5, 1881 – October 22, 1948) was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, who was Archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno in 1926 and Primate of Poland. He was then appointed as the Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw in 194 ...

(''see above'' 1925.12.14 – 1926.06.24), also President of Episcopal Conference of Poland (1926 – 1948.10.22), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno–Poznan (Poland) (1926.06.24 – 1948.10.22), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

Santa Maria della Pace Santa Maria della Pace is a church in Rome, central Italy, not far from Piazza Navona. The building lies in rione Ponte. History The current building was built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis in 1482 ...

(1927.12.22 – 1948.10.22), Founder of

Society of Christ for Polish Immigrants A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societi ...

(1932.09.08), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Warszawa Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

(Poland) (1946.06.13 – death 1948.10.22) *

Arkadiusz Lisiecki Arkadiusz is a masculine Polish given name. Notable people with the name include: *Arkadiusz Aleksander (born 1980), Polish football player *Arkadiusz Bąk (born 1974), Polish footballer *Arkadiusz Baran (born 1979), Polish football player * Arkadi ...

(1926.06.24 – death 1930.05.13) *

Stanisław Adamski Stanisław Adamski (12 April 1875 – 12 November 1967) was a Polish bishop, politician, and social and political activist of the Union of Catholic Societies of Polish Workers (Związek Katolickich Towarzystw Robotników Polskich), founder and edit ...

(1930.09.02 – death 1967.11.12) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Teofilo Bromboszcz (1934.03.24 – death 1937.01.12), Titular Bishop of Candyba (1934.03.24 – 1937.01.12) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Juliusz Bieniek (1937.03.13 – death 1978.01.17), Titular Bishop of

Dascylium Dascylium, Dascyleium, or Daskyleion ( grc, Δασκύλιον, Δασκυλεῖον), also known as Dascylus, was a town in Anatolia some inland from the coast of the Propontis, at modern Ergili, Turkey. Its site was rediscovered in 1952 and ...

(1937.03.13 – 1978.01.17) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Kurpas (1962.11.23 – death 1992.05.19)Titular Bishop of

Orisa Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. Th ...

(1962.11.23 – 1992.05.19) * Herbert Bednorz (1967.11.12 – retired 1983), succeeding as former

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Katowice (1950.05.04 – 1967.11.12) &

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Bulla regia Bulla Regia was a Berber, Punic, and Roman town near present-day Jendouba, Tunisia. Its surviving ruins and archaeological site are noted for their Hadrianic-era semi-subterranean housing, a protection from the fierce heat and effects of the sun ...

(1950.05.04 – 1967.11.12) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Czesław Domin (1970.06.06 – 1992.02.01), Titular Bishop of

Dagnum Dagnum ( sq, Danjë or Dejë, sr, Danj, it, Dagno) was a town, bishopric and important medieval fortress located on the territory of present-day Albania, which has been under Serbian, Venetian and Ottoman control and remains a Latin Catholic t ...

(1970.06.06 – 1992.02.01), later Bishop of Koszalin–Kołobrzeg (Poland) (1992.02.01 – death 1996.03.15) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Janusz Edmund Zimniak (1980.09.25 – 1992.03.25), Titular Bishop of

Polignano Polignano a Mare (; Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy, located on the Adriatic Sea. The local economy mostly depends on tourism, agriculture and fishing. History The area has been settled ...

(1980.09.25 – ...), next as Auxiliary Bishop of Bielsko–Żywiec (Poland) (1992.03.25 – retired 2010.01.16) * Damian Zimoń (1985.06.03 – see promotion 1992.03.25 ''see below'') ** Auxiliary Bishop: Gerard Bernacki (1988.03.18 – retired 2012.01.31), Titular Bishop of

Sala Consilina Sala Consilina is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. With 12,635 inhabitants it is the most populated town of Vallo di Diano. History The ancient village of Consilinum was built during ...

(1988.03.18 – ...) ;''Metropolitan Archbishops of Katowice'' * Damian Zimoń (''see above'' 1992.03.25 – retired 2011.10.29) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Piotr Libera (1996.11.23 – 2007.05.02), Titular Bishop of

Centuria ''Centuria'' (, plural ''centuriae'') is a Latin term (from the stem ''centum'' meaning one hundred) denoting military units originally consisting of 100 men. The size of the century changed over time, and from the first century BC through most ...

(1996.11.23 – 2007.05.02), also Secretary General of Episcopal Conference of Poland (1998 – 2007); later Bishop of

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to the ...

(Poland) (2007.05.02 – ...) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Stefan Cichy (1998.08.26 – 2005.03.19), Titular Bishop of

Bonusta Bonusta was a town, not far from Carthage, in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. No trace of it has been identified.Stefano Antonio Morcelli''Africa christiana'' Volume I, Brescia 1816, pp. 105–106 Bishop Rufinianus At the Confe ...

(1998.08.26 – 2005.03.19), later Bishop of

Legnica Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda (Kaczawa), Czarna Woda ...

(Poland) (2005.03.19 – 2014.04.16) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Piotr Kupny (2005.12.21 – 2013.05.18), Titular Bishop of Vanariona (2005.12.21 – 2013.05.18), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

(Breslau, Poland) (2013.05.18 – ...) * Wiktor Skworc (2011.10.29 – ...), formerly Bishop of

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarnów ...

(Poland) (1997.12.13 – 2011.10.29) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Marek Szkudło (2014.12.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of

Wigry Wigry ( lt, Vygriai, Vingriai) is a lake located in north-eastern part of Poland, in Podlaskie Voivodeship. Wigry lake is situated in the forests of the Augustów Wilderness – trees grow on about 80% of its shoreline. There are 19 smalle ...

(2014.12.13 – ...) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Adam Wodarczyk (2014.12.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of Pomezania (2014.12.13 – ...).

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links - data for all sections

Diocese website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katowice, Roman Catholic Archdiocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Poland

Religious organizations established in 1925 Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

Organisations based in Katowice