- Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George
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Diocese of Prince George
Dioecesis Principis GeorgensisLocation Country Canada Territory Northern British Columbia Ecclesiastical province Archdiocese of Vancouver Statistics Area 345,600 km2 (133,400 sq mi) Population
- Catholics
51,200 (as of 2004)Information Denomination Roman Catholic Rite Roman Rite Established July 13, 1967 Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral Current leadership Bishop Gerald William Wiesner Website pgdiocese.bc.ca The Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George (Latin: Dioecesis Principis Georgensis) was created as the Vicariate Apostolic of Prince Rupert on January 14, 1944, when the Vicariate Apostolic of Yukon-Prince Rupert was split. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. It was elevated on July 13, 1967.
Contents
Diocesan Demographics
The diocese consists of 1 bishop, 5 religious & 16 diocesan priests, 4 brothers, 17 sisters, all serving 51,200 Catholics in 18 parishes, 20 missions & 8 schools.
History
The first priest to baptise in the area of Fort George was Father Demers in 1842. In 1885, Father Adrien-Gabriel Morice, OMI, served the Carrier and Sekani First Nations from Stuart Lake. He invented the Carrier syllabics (the written grammar of the language) and translated the Carrier prayer book, which is still used today. Father Morice was also credited with the first map of the interior of British Columbia and published by the government in 1907.
On January 14, 1944, the Vicariate Apostolic of Yukon-Prince Rupert split into the Vicariate Apostolic of Prince Rupert and the Vicariate Apostolic of Whitehorse. The Peace Region of BC, which was part of the old Archdiocese of Grouard-MacLennan, became part of the newly formed Vicariate of Prince Rupert. Emile-Marie Bunoz became the first bishop of the newly formed territory.
in 1956, Bishop John Fergus O'Grady, OMI, became the third bishop of the Vicariate. Under his leadership the number of schools were greatly increased to thirteen. The Frontier Apostolate was created by Bishop O'Grady to help staff the schools and administrations. 1960, Prince George College (later known as O'Grady Catholic High School) was built and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, of Ireland.
On July 13, 1963, Vicariate Apostolic of Prince Rupert was elevated to a diocese and changed its name to Diocese of Prince George. The administration moved from Prince Rupert to Prince George.
During the 1980 & 1990's the diocese suffered financial setbacks. The diocese had to sell of property and its debt was paid off by 1996. Immigration Canada changed its rules around recruiting from other countries and the Frontier Apostolate, which helped bring immigration to the area, came to an end. Low registration also forced the closure of O'Grady Catholic High School in Prince George in 2001 and in 2008, St. Joseph's elementary in Vanderhoof.
Ordinaries
- Emile-Marie Bunoz, O.M.I. (1944–1945)
- Anthony Jordan, O.M.I. (1945–1955)
- John Fergus O'Grady, O.M.I. (1955–1986)
- Hubert Patrick O'Connor, O.M.I. (1986–1991) - Bishop Emeritus
- Gerald William Wiesner, O.M.I. (1992 - )
Churches
Prince George
- Sacred Heart Cathedral
- Saint Mary's Parish
- Christ our Saviour Parish
- Immaculate Conception Parish
- St. Theresa’s Mission (Ft. Babine, Ft. Ware, TsayKeh, Takla)
Burns Lake
- Immaculata Parish
- Grassy Plains Mission
Chetwynd
- Our Lady of Peace Parish
- Holy Cross Mission (Tumbler Ridge)
- St. Theresa’s Mission (Camp Emile)
Dawson Creek
- Notre Dame Parish
- St. Anne Mission (Kelly Lake)
Fort St. James
- Our Lady of the Snows
- St. Cecilia Mission (Tache)
- Portage Mission
Fort St. John
- Church of the Resurrection
- Doig Mission
- Halfway Mission
- Blueberry Mission
Fraser Lake
- St. Andrew’s Parish
- Nadleh Mission
- Stellaquo Mission
Kitimat
- Christ the King Parish
McBride
- St. Patrick’s Parish
Mackenzie
- St. Peter’s Parish
New Hazelton
- St. Mary’s Parish
- St. Felix Mission, (Stewart)
- Holy Rosary Mission, (Moricetown)
Prince Rupert
- Annunciation Parish
- Our Lady of the Islands Mission (Queen Charlottes)
Smithers
- St. Joseph’s Parish
- St. Anthony’s Mission (Houston)
Terrace
- Sacred Heart Parish
Vanderhoof
- St. Joseph’s Parish
- Stoney Creek Mission
Education
Catholic high schools
- O'Grady Catholic High School, of Prince George, was opened in 1960 & closed 2001.
Catholic elementary schools
School City Est. Website Sacred Heart Prince George 1949 http://www.shspg.com/ Immaculate Conception Prince George 1981 http://www.icschool.ca/ St. Mary’s Prince George 1960 http://www.stmaryspg.org/ Notre Dame Dawson Creek 1944 http://www.notredamedc.org/ St. Anthony’s Kitimat 1957 http://www.catholickitimat.ca/ Annunciation Prince Rupert n/a St. Joseph’s Smithers n/a Veritas Terrace http://www.sacredheartnews.ca/ - St. Joseph's Elementary, of Vanderhoof, closed in 2008.
Religious Orders
Religious communities of men
Religious communities of women
Cemeteries
Charities
Health Care
- Bulkley Valley District Hospital, of Smithers, was established 1933 & closed in 1969.
Saints, Blessed & Venerables
Rose Prince may become Canada's 1st First Nation's saint.
See also
Lejac Residential School - School & memorial site of Rose Prince.
Notes
- The Northern Catholic News is published by the diocese for the community.
References
- CBC Article: Grave of B.C. First Nations woman draws pilgrims seeking miracles Oct. 16, 2008
- Diocese of Prince George - Annual Lejac Pilgramage
Footnotes
External links
- Diocese of Prince George official site
- "Diocese of Prince George". Catholic-Hierarchy. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dprge.html. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- Rose Prince
- The road to Catholic sainthood: one miracle at a time
Retrieved 2009-05-10
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