The Archdiocese of Las Vegas ( la, Archidiœcesis Campensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southern Nevada, United States. The seat of the archdiocese is Guardian Angel Cathedral in Las Vegas. The see had been a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Francisco from its creation in 1995 until 2023, when Las Vegas was elevated as a metropolitan see. The Archdiocese of Las Vegas has two suffragan sees in its ecclesiastical province: the Dioceses of Reno and Salt Lake City.

Territory

The Archdiocese of Las Vegas now comprises all of the counties of the State of Nevada and Utah. Prior to May 30, 2023 and the elevation of the diocese to an archdiocese, the diocesan territory comprised Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine Counties.

History

1776–1931: Missionary territory

The first Catholic Mass in southern Nevada was celebrated in 1776 in present-day Laughlin by Francisco Hermenegildo Tomas Garces, traveling from Mexico when the entire region was part of the Spanish Empire. Bishop Lawrence Scanlan, head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Salt Lake City, established the first parish in

Pioche Pioche is an unincorporated town in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States, approximately northeast of Las Vegas. U.S. Route 93 is the main route to Pioche and bypasses the town center just to the east, with Nevada State Route 321 and Nevad ...

in the late 1880s. He ministered to the scattered Catholic population throughout southern Nevada. In 1908, Scanlan created St. Joan of Arc, the first parish in Las Vegas. Scanlan said that he chose the name Joan of Arc because the blistering sun in Las Vegas reminded him of her suffering when she was burned at the stake.

1931–1995: Territory of the Diocese of Reno

In 1931,

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 ...

erected the

Diocese of Reno The Diocese of Reno is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern Nevada region of the United States, centered on the city of Reno. The diocese is composed of 12 counties in Nevada. The See of Reno ...

, including the entire State of Nevada. The southern Nevada region remained part of this diocese for the next 64 years. With the establishment of Boulder City in 1931 to construct

Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...

, St. Andrew Parish was created there to serve the Catholic construction workers. In 1976, Pope Paul VI renamed the Diocese of Reno the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas to reflect the growth of the Catholic population in southern Nevada.

1995–2023: Formation as the Diocese of Las Vegas

In 1995, Pope John Paul II divided the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas into the

and the Diocese of Las Vegas. He appointed

Daniel F. Walsh Daniel Francis Walsh (born October 2, 1937) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Walsh first served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in California from 1981 to 1987, then as bishop of the Diocese of ...

, previously bishop of Reno-Las Vegas, as the first bishop of Las Vegas. The second bishop of Las Vegas was

Joseph A. Pepe Joseph Anthony Pepe (born June 18, 1942) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas in Nevada from 2001 to 2018. Biography Early life Joseph Pepe was born on June 18, 194 ...

of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, named by John Paul II in 2001. In 2003, Pepe dedicated the Our Lady of LaVang Vietnamese Catholic Community in Las Vegas as a shrine. In 2004, he opened a diocese human resources department along with an Office of Hispanic Ministry, an Office of

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

and Worship and a diocesan Office of Archives. In 2007, Pepe dedicated Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. In 2007, George Chaanine, a priest at Our Lady of Las Vegas Parish, was sentenced to four to 12 years in state prison for assault. Chaanine had physically and sexually assaulted Michaelina Bellamy, the events coordinator for the parish, then evaded arrest for six days. Bellamy's injuries included a broken hand and two large gashes to her head. Chaanine later said he was in love with Bellamy and investigators found evidence that he provided her with financial support. On February 28, 2018, Pope Francis accepted Pepe's letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

2018–present: Elevation to archdiocese

George Leo Thomas George Leo Thomas (born May 19, 1950) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of Las Vegas since 2023. He has been the ordinary of the diocese since 2018, when it was still a suffragan see. He previously serv ...

, previously bishop of the Diocese of Helena, was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas by Pope Francis on February 28, 2018 and was installed as bishop on May 15, 2018. On May 30, 2023, Pope Francis elevated the Diocese of Las Vegas to an archdiocese and established the new ecclesiastical province of Las Vegas, with the Dioceses of Reno and Salt Lake City as suffragan dioceses. Bishop Thomas was elevated to be the first archbishop of the archdiocese.

Sex abuse

Six families sued the Diocese of Las Vegas, along with Bishops Pepe and Walsh, in 2002. The plaintiffs claimed that Mark Roberts of Saint Peter the Apostle Parish in Henderson had physically and sexually abused them as boys between 1996 and 1999. In 2001, Roberts pleaded guilty of open or gross lewdness and four counts of child abuse and neglect. He was sentenced to three years probation and inpatient psychological treatment. In April 2019, the diocese published a list of 33 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors. The list went back several decades, when the diocese was part of the Diocese of Reno.

Churches

Bishops

Bishops of Las Vegas

(1995-2000), appointed Bishop of Santa Rosa in California #

(2001–2018) #

(2018–2023); elevated to Archbishop of Las Vegas

Archbishops of Las Vegas

(2023–present)

Auxiliary bishops

Gregory W. Gordon (2021–present)

Education

Superintendents

* Ellen F. Ayoub (1995–2006) * Richard Facciolo (2006–2008) * Catherine Thompson (2015–present)

High schools

Bishop Gorman High School – Las Vegas

Other schools

* Our Lady of Las Vegas – Las Vegas * St. Anne's – Las Vegas, opened 1954 * St. Anthony of Padua – Henderson, opened 2020 * St. Elizabeth Ann Seton – Las Vegas * St. Francis de Sales – Las Vegas, opened 1964 * St. Viator – Las Vegas

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas Official SiteGuardian Angel Cathedral Official Site
{{authority control Catholic Church in Nevada Las Vegas Christian organizations established in 1995 Las Vegas Las Vegas 1995 establishments in Nevada