- Roman Catholic Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden
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Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden
Dioecesis Groningensis-Leovardiensis
The Saint Joseph Church in GroningenLocation Country Netherlands Territory Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, and the Noordoostpolder Statistics Area 9,205 km2 (3,554 sq mi) Population
- Total
- Catholics
1,780,171
110,000 (6.2%)Information Denomination Roman Catholic Rite Latin Rite Established 1956 Cathedral Saint Joseph Church, Groningen Patron saint Saint Boniface[1] Current leadership Pope Benedict XVI Bishop Gerard de Korte Metropolitan Archbishop Wim Eijk Map
Location of the Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden in the NetherlandsWebsite bisdomgroningen.nl The Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden (Dutch: Bisdom Groningen-Leeuwarden; Latin: Dioecesis Groningensis-Leovardiensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern Netherlands. It encompasses the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, as well as the Noordoostpolder, a part of the province of Flevoland.[2]
The diocese was erected on 2 February 1956 as the Diocese of Groningen. Its current name was created on 4 February 2006.[2]
There are some 110,000 Catholics (or 6.2 % of the total population) living in the diocese, making it the smallest Dutch diocese in population, even while it is the largest in area, covering an area of some 9,205 square kilometers (3,554 sq mi). As per the most recent data available, the number of churchgoers in 2005 was 12,435 or 0.7 % of the total population.[3]
The current bishop is Mgr. Gerard Johannes Nicolaus de Korte, former auxiliary bishop of Utrecht, who was appointed on 18 June 2008.[4] The episcopal seat is the cathedral of Saint Joseph located in the city of Groningen.[5]
Bishops
- Pieter Antoon Nierman (10 March 1956 – 21 May 1969)[6]
- Johann Bernard Wilhelm Maria Möller (21 May 1969 – 26 April 1999)[6]
- Wim Eijk (17 July 1999 — 11 December 2007)[6]
- Gerard de Korte (18 June 2008 – present)[6]
References
External links
- (Dutch) Bisdom Groningen-Leeuwarden, official website
- Giga-Catholic Information
Roman Catholic dioceses in the Netherlands Province of Utrecht Archdiocese of Utrecht · Diocese of Breda · Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden · Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam · Diocese of Roermond · Diocese of Rotterdam · Diocese of 's-HertogenboschProvince of Port of Spain Sui iuris Jurisdictions Categories:- Religious organizations established in 1956
- Roman Catholic Dioceses in the Netherlands
- Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
- Netherlands stubs
- European Roman Catholic diocese stubs
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