Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria (Louisiana) is the Latin suffragan diocese for central Louisiana in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.

See Diocese of Alexandria for namesakes

Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana Dioecesis Alexandrina in Louisiana
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Parishes of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Catahoula Parish, Lasalle, Grant
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of New Orleans
Statistics
Area	28,780 sq mi (74,500 km^2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 395,000 44,600 (11.3%)
Parishes	50
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1853
Cathedral	St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Patron saint	St. Francis Xavier
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Robert W. Marshall, elect
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gregory Michael Aymond
Map
Website
diocesealex.org

Its cathedral episcopal see is St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, Louisiana. It also has a former Cathedral and Minor Basilica: the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Statistics and extent

As per 2014, it pastorally served 42,929 Catholics (11.2% of 383,421 total) on 27,810 km² in 50 parishes with 71 priests (61 diocesan, 10 religious), 19 deacons, 43 lay religious (14 brothers, 29 sisters) and 10 seminarians.[1]

It encompasses the civil parishes (Louisiana counties) of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Cathoula, Lasalle and Grant.

History

The bishopric was established on August 6, 1910 as the Diocese of Alexandria, named after its new see Alexandria, Louisiana, on the territory of the suppressed Diocese of Natchitoches (founded in 1853). The first Bishop of was Augustus Marie Martin.

On October 18, 1976, it was renamed the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport.

On June 16, 1986, when the northern Louisiana portion of the territory was separated to form the new Diocese of Shreveport, the diocese was again renamed the Diocese of Alexandria.[1]

Reports of Sex Abuse

In February 2019, the Diocese of Alexandria released the names of 27 Catholic clergy who were accused of committing sex abuse while serving in the Diocese.[2] Two clergy on this list were convicted while three others gave financial settlements to their victims.[3] Three more names were added to this list in June 2019.[4] In 2013, one accused priest, Reverend Frederick James Lyons, was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance and stripped of this title of protonotary apostolic supernumerary.[5][5] The name of Fr. Theodore Lelieveld, who was accused of committing sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of Alexandria in the mid-1960s and died in 1976, was added to the list in September 2019 after sex abuse allegations against him were deemed credible.[6]

Bishops

Bishops of Natchitoches

1. Augustus Marie Martin (1853-1875)
2. Francis Xavier Leray (1876-1879), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later Archbishop of New Orleans
3. Anthony Durier (1884-1904)
4. Cornelius Van de Ven (1904-1910 see below)

Bishops of Alexandria

1. Cornelius Van de Ven (see above 1910-1932)
2. Daniel Francis Desmond (1932-1945)
3. Charles Pasquale Greco (1946-1973)
4. Lawrence Preston Joseph Graves (1973-1976 see below)

Bishops of Alexandria-Shreveport

1. Lawrence Preston Joseph Graves (see above 1976-1982)
2. William Benedict Friend (1982-1986), appointed Bishop of Shreveport

Bishops of Alexandria

1. John C. Favalora (1986-1989), appointed Bishop of Saint Petersburg and later Archbishop of Miami
2. Sam G. Jacobs (1989-2003), appointed Bishop of Houma–Thibodaux
3. Ronald Paul Herzog (2004-2017)
4. David Talley (2017-2019)
5. Robert W. Marshall Bishop Elect, appointed April 21, 2020

Coadjutor Bishops

• David Talley (2016-2017)

Arms

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected. Adopted 1853 Escutcheon Gules, a cross throughout Argent between four bells of the last; overall, at the center point, a crescent checky Sable and Or. Symbolism The red background represents the Red River that runs through the See City. The cross, for the Faith, divides the four bells that are taken from the arms of the Ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria, in Egypt, for which the City is named. Overall, at the center of the design is a black and gold (yellow) checky crescent, which is taken from the arms of the Spanish family "Xavier," and this symbol is used throughout ecclesiastical heraldry as the classic charge for Saint Francis Xavier, titular of the cathedral-church in Alexandria.

Catholic High schools

• Holy Savior Menard Central High School, Alexandria
• St. Joseph High School, Plaucheville
• St. Mary's High School, Natchitoches

See also

• namesake Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall in Ontario, Canada
• List of Catholic dioceses in the United States

References

1. "Diocese of Alexandria, USA". GCatholic. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
2. https://www.diocesealex.org/ongoing-clergy-sexual-abuse-page/diocese-releases-names-of-clergy/
3. https://bishop-accountability.org/member/psearch.jsp
4. https://www.kalb.com/content/news/Diocese-of-Alexandria-releases-names-of-3-former-clergy-accused-of-sexual-abuse-511655592.html
5. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2013/11_12/2013_11_08_RomanCatholicDioceseofAlexandria_AlexandriaPriest.htm
6. https://www.kalb.com/content/news/Diocese-of-Alexandria-releases-another-name-of-clergy-with-credible-allegations-of-sexual-abuse-561120621.html

Sources and external links

• GCatholic, with Google map and satellite photo - data for most sections
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria Official Site