The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst (in Canada) (originally Diocese of Chatham) ( la, Dioecesis Bathurstensis in Canada) is a suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Moncton The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moncton ( la, Archidioecesis Monctonensis) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of New Brunswick. Its suffragan dioceses are Bathurst in Canada, Edmundston, and Saint John, New Br ...

. It has its cathedral episcopal see, Sacred Heart Cathedral, in Bathurst,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada.

History

On 8 May, 1860, the Diocese of St. John was divided, creating the Diocese of Chatham. The diocese comprises the northern half of the Province of

, including the counties of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, Madawaska,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, Restigouche,

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 ...

, and the part of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

north of the

Richibucto River The Richibucto River is a river in eastern New Brunswick, Canada which empties into the Northumberland Strait north of Richibucto. It is 80 kilometres long.Diocese of St. John, itself originally a portion of the

Archdiocese of Quebec The Archdiocese of Québec ( la, Archidiœcesis Quebecensis; french: Archidiocèse de Québec) is a Catholic archdiocese in Quebec, Canada. Being the first see in the New World north of Mexico, the Archdiocese of Québec is also the primatial s ...

. James Rogers was appointed the first bishop and consecrated 15 August in the same year. On his arrival at Chatham, Bishop Rogers found only seven priests to attend an immense stretch of country. During his episcopate of forty-two years, the diocese greatly expanded; by the time he resigned on 7 August, 1902, he left a diocese of 47 parishes and 51 priests. On the resignation of Bishop Rogers, Thomas Francis Barry, consecrated titular Bishop of Thugga and

Coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

of Chatham, on 7 August, 1902, succeeded to the See of Chatham. The steady march of development, facility of communication, and immigration, required the formation of new parishes each year; by 1908 the diocese contained 57 churches with resident priests and 25 missions with churches. The Catholic population in 1908 numbered about 66,000; a large percentage of which is French Acadian by descent and language. At the time, the secular clergy numbered 65 priests, with 5 theological students, and the regular 31 priests and 7 brothers. Sisters, numbering about 200, of several religious congregations, were in charge of various institutions. There were 8 parochial schools with about 1000 pupils, one classical college (at

Caraquet Caraquet ( ) is a town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay in the Acadian Peninsula, its name is derived from the Mi'kmaq term for ''meeting of two rivers''. The Caraquet River and Rivière du Nor ...

) for boys, directed by the Eudist Fathers, with 130 pupils, and 3 schools taught by Sisters under the Government School Law, with about 400 pupils. Two orphan asylums supported 100 orphans, and 4 hospitals are directed by the Hospital Sisters of St. Joseph, among them the government hospital for lepers at Tracadie. The Trappist Fathers and the Trappistine Sisters, expelled from France, have opened monasteries in the parish of Rogersville. Bishop Thomas Barry served as Bishop of Chatam until 1920, when he was succeeded by Patrice Chiasson, who moved the see to the francophone settlement of Bathurst. The diocese was renamed as such in 1938, before The next appointment in 1920 was a French speaker. By this time the French were in a majority in the diocese, and Bishop Patrice Chiasson decided to move his headquarters to Bathurst, a majority French-speaking area. The move was complete in 1938 and it was renamed on 13 March 1938.

Territorial losses

Bishops

Bishops of the diocese

* James Rogers (1860 - 1902) *

Thomas Francis Barry Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

(1902 - 1920) *

Patrice Alexandre Chiasson Patrice is a given name meaning ''noble'' or ''patrician'', related to the names Patrick and Patricia. In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French, it is used as a masculine first name. Popularity In the United States, the popul ...

, C.I.M. (1920 - 1942) * Camille-André Le Blanc (1942 - 1969) *

Edgar Godin Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

(1969 - 1985) *

Arsène Richard Arsène is a masculine French given name. It is derived from the Latin name ''Arsenius'', the Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀρσἐνιος (''Arsenios''), which means "male, virile". It has also been used as a surname. It may refer to: Gi ...

(1985 - 1989) *

André Richard André Richard (born 18 April 1944) is a Swiss composer and conductor. Life Born in Bern, Richard studied singing, music theory and music composition first at the Conservatoire de musique de Genève and later at the Hochschule für Musik Freibur ...

, C.S.C. (1989 - 2002), appointed Archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick *

Valéry Vienneau The French name Valery () is a male given name or surname of Germanic origin ''Walaric'' (see Walric of Leuconay), that has often been confused in modern times with the Latin name ''Valerius''—that explains the variant spelling Valéry (). The S ...

(2002 - 2012), appointed Archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick *Daniel Jodoin (2013 - 2022), appointed, Bishop of Nicolet, Québec

Coadjutor bishop

(1899-1902)

Auxiliary bishop

Louis James O’Leary Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

(1914-1920), appointed Bishop of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Henry Joseph O’Leary, appointed Bishop of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in 1913 *

Louis-Joseph-Arthur Melanson Louis-Joseph-Arthur Melanson (March 23, 1879 – October 23, 1941) was a Canadian priest and the first Archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick. Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, he was of Acadian descent on his father's side. Melanson moved to New ...

, appointed Bishop of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan in 1932 *

Norbert Robichaud Norbert is a Germanic given name, from ''nord'' "north" and ''berht'' "bright". Norbert is also occasionally found as a surname. People with the given name Academia * Norbert Angermann (born 1936), German historian * Norbert A’Campo (born 1941 ...

, appointed Archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick in 1942 *

Donat Chiasson Donat may refer to: People * Camille Donat (born 1988), French triathlete * Donat, Bishop of Dublin (died 1074), first bishop of Dublin * Robert Donat (1905–1958), English actor * Peter Donat (1928–2018), Canadian actor, nephew of Robert * Ri ...

, appointed Archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick in 1972 * Joseph Edward Troy, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Saint John, New Brunswick in 1984

External links and references

Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst site

First Catholic Bishop of Bathurst
Accessed October 17, 2012 *
Bathurst School Controversy in 1860s
Accessed October 17, 2012 {{Authority control Bathurst Religious organizations established in 1860 Bathurst Bathurst, New Brunswick Catholic Church in New Brunswick Organizations based in New Brunswick 1860 establishments in New Brunswick