The Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam ( nl, Bisdom Haarlem–Amsterdam, la, Dioecesis Harlemensis–Amstelodamensis) is a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

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

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. As one of the seven suffragans 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

Archbishop of Utrecht List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht. Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580 Founders of the Utrecht diocese * * * * * Bishops * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

, the diocesan territory comprises the north west of the Netherlands, including the cities of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

(capital of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

) and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

(in the same province and Dutch nominal national capital). Johannes Hendriks has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam since 2020.

History

The diocese was founded on 12 May 1559, on territory (central and North Holland) canonically split off from the Diocese of Utrecht, which was simultaneously promoted to archbishopric and became its Metropolitan. In 1592 (during the Eighty Years War, during which the Spanish crown lost Holland) it was suppressed, and its territory was immediately included in the new Dutch Mission ''sui iuris'' 'Batavia', soon promoted an Apostolic vicariate. In 1833, the diocese was restored as (pre-diocesan) '' Apostolic Administration of Haarlem'', which was on 4 March 1853 promoted as ''Diocese of Haarlem'' (in 1827 the Concordat established the foundation of a Diocese of Amsterdam but no bishop was nominated). On 16 July 1955, it lost territories, to the existing

Diocese of Breda The Roman Catholic Diocese of Breda is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands. Description It was erected on March 14, 1853, with Johannes van Hooydonk being made its first bishop. The current bishop is Joha ...

, and to establish the Diocese of Groningen and

Diocese of Rotterdam The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rotterdam is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in South Holland province of the Netherlands. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht. Since 2011, the b ...

. On 7 October 2008, it was renamed as Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam.

Special churches

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 ...

episcopal see of the Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam is the

Cathedral of Saint Bavo The Cathedral of Saint Bavo is a cathedral in Haarlem, the Netherlands, built by Joseph Cuypers from 1895 to 1930 to replace the former '' waterstaatskerk'' in the Jansstraat called the St. Joseph. That church was itself a replacement for the Si ...

, a

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 ...

in Haarlem, which city also has two former cathedrals:

Saint Joseph Church In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

and Saint Bavo Church (now a Protestant church). Other minor basilicas in the diocese are Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in Laren and Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Amsterdam, both in the province of North Holland.Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam
, ''GCatholic.org'', 18 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.

Statistics

In 2013, the diocese pastorally served 462,000 Catholics (15.8% of 2,915,000 total) on 2,912 km² in 145 parishes, with 194 priests (161 diocesan, 33 religious), 54 deacons, 557 lay religious (81 brothers, 476 sisters).

Ordinaries

Nicolaas van Nieuwland Nicolaas van Nieuwland, or Nicolas Van Nienlant (9 June 1510 – July 15, 1580) was a Dutch Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Haarlem and abbot of Egmond Abbey from 1562 to 1569 and as Auxiliary Bishop of Utrecht (1541–?).

(1561–1569) *

Godfried van Mierlo Godfried van Mierlo, O.P. (2 February 1518 – 28 July 1587) was a Dominican friar who served as the Bishop of Haarlem and the last direct Abbot of Egmond Abbey from 1570 to 1578. Biography Van Mierlo was born in the City of Helmond on 2 F ...

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

(O.P.) (1570–1587) * ''Diocese suppressed'' * Franciscus Josefus van Vree (1853–1861) * Gerardus Petrus Wilmer (1861–1877) * Pieter Matthijs Snickers (1877–1883) * Caspar Josefus Martinus Bottemanne (1883–1903) * Augustinus Josefus Callier (1903–1928) * Johannes Dominicus Josephus Aengenent (1928–1935) * Johannes Petrus Huibers (1935–1960) * Joannes Antonius Eduardus van Dodewaard (1960–1966) * Theodorus Henricus Johannes Zwartkruis (1966–1983) * Hendrik Joseph Alois Bomers (1983–1998) *

Jozef Marianus Punt Jozef Marianus "Jos" Punt (born 10 January 1946) was the Roman Catholic bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam in the Netherlands from 2001 to 2020. Early life Joseph Marianus Punt was born on 10 January 1946 in Alkmaar, North Holland, Netherlands. In his ...

(2001–2020) * Johannes Hendriks (2020–present)

References

External links