The Catholic Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee ( la, Dioecesis Pensacolensis–Talloseiensis) is a diocese in the Province of Miami, both in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The patron saint of the diocese is St. Michael the Archangel.

Main churches

Co-Cathedral of Saint Thomas More, Tallahassee (cropped)

The episcopal see is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, in

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

, which city also has 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 ...

: Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel. There is also a co-cathedral, the Co-Cathedral of Saint Thomas More, in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

Statistics

As of 2023, the diocese pastorally served 63,834 Catholics (4.1% of 1,438,000 total) on 36,724 km² in 49 parishes and 6 missions with 67 priests (53 diocesan, 14 religious), 64 deacons, 22 lay religious (8 brothers, 15 sisters), 18 seminarians.

History

The diocese was formed on 1 October 1975 with territories split off from the

diocese of St. Augustine The Diocese of St. Augustine is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church, located in the U.S. state of Florida. It is a suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, covering much of North Florida, including t ...

and the then– diocese of Mobile (now archdiocese).

Bishops of Pensacola–Tallahassee

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

René Henry Gracida René Henry Gracida (born June 9, 1923) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas from 1983 to 1997. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Fl ...

(1975-1983), appointed Bishop of Corpus Christi #

Joseph Keith Symons Joseph Keith Symons (born October 14, 1932) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Symons served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in Florida from 1990 to 1998. Previously, he served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese ...

(1983-1990), appointed Bishop of Palm Beach # John Mortimer Smith (1991-1995), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Trenton #

John Huston Ricard John Huston Ricard, S.S.J. (born February 29, 1940) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida from 1997 to 2011 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimor ...

, S.S.J. (1997-2011) # Gregory Lawrence Parkes (2012-2016), appointed Bishop of Saint Petersburg #

William Albert Wack William Albert Wack, C.S.C. (born June 28, 1967) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee in Florida since August 22, 2017. Early life William Wack was born June 28, ...

, C.S.C. (2017–present)

Other priests from the diocese who became bishops

Martin Holley Martin David Holley (born December 31, 1954) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, from 2016 to 2018, when he was removed by Pope Francis for financial mismanagement of the dio ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Washington in 2004 and later Bishop of Memphis

Catholic high schools

* John Paul II Catholic High School, Tallahassee *

Pensacola Catholic High School Pensacola Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic, co-educational high school in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It was established in 1941 and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. History Pensacola ...

, Pensacola

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google map & satellite photo - data for most sectionsRoman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pensacola-Tallahassee, Roman Catholic Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States Christian organizations established in 1975 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1975 establishments in Florida