- Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois
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Diocese of Joliet in Illinois
Dioecesis Joliettensis in Illinois
Location Country United States Ecclesiastical province Archdiocese of Chicago Metropolitan Joliet, Illinois Statistics Population
- Total
655,051Information Denomination Roman Catholic Rite Latin Rite Established December 11, 1948 Cathedral Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus Patron saint St. Francis Xavier Current leadership Pope Benedict XVI Bishop R. Daniel Conlon Metropolitan Archbishop Francis Eugene Cardinal George Auxiliary Bishop Bishop Joseph M. Siegel Emeritus Bishops Joseph Leopold Imesch Map 
Website dioceseofjoliet.org The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the City of Joliet in Illinois and its surrounding counties: DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Kendall and Will. It is governed by a bishop, who is a suffragan of the Archbishop of Chicago. The mother church is the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus.
On Tuesday, May 17, 2011, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, His Excellency Archbishop Pietro Sambi, announced that the Holy Father, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, named His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, 62, until then Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio (part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati, Ohio), as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet (part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Chicago, Illinois), succeeding His Excellency, the Most Reverend Archbishop James Peter Sartain, who was named Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, Washington in September of 2010.
Contents
History
In 1808, the area that is now known as Joliet was governed by the Diocese of Bardstown, present-day Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky. In 1824, administration of the area was transferred to the Archdiocese of Saint Louis in Missouri. Another period of reorganization for the expanding American Catholic community led to the transfer of administration over Joliet to the now-defunct Diocese of Vincennes, present-day Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In 1836, with the construction of the I&M canal irish immigrants swarmed into the area. Fr. John Plunkett was assigned to provide to the spiritual needs of the workers. He established St. Patrick Church, which is still operating, as the first church in the Joliet area.
With the industrialization of Illinois and the emergence of Chicago as an important center of commerce for the nation, the new churches and missions in the Joliet area flourished. Its congregants were mostly newly arrived immigrant laborers from Europe and several generations of local farmers.
In 1948, the Diocese of Joliet was formally established to meet the demands of the exponential growth of Catholicism in the region, resulting from local post-World War II housing developments and commercial modernization.
Bishops
- Martin Dewey McNamara (1948-1966, Died)
- Romeo Roy Blanchette (1966-1979, Resigned)
- Joseph Leopold Imesch (1979-2006, Retired)
- J. Peter Sartain (2006-2010, Appointed Archbishop of Seattle)
- R. Daniel Conlon (2011-present)
High schools
- Benet Academy, Lisle
- Bishop McNamara High School, Kankakee
- Immaculate Conception High School, Elmhurst
- Joliet Catholic Academy, Joliet
- Montini Catholic High School, Lombard
- Providence Catholic High School, New Lenox
- St. Francis High School, Wheaton
Resources
Categories:- Joliet, Illinois
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois
- Religious organizations established in 1948
- Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
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