Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City (Latin: Dioecesis Civitatis Jeffersoniensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the state of Missouri in the United States, The diocese consists of 38 counties in mainly rural northeastern and central Missouri, and includes the urban areas of Columbia, and the state capital Jefferson City. The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is located in Jefferson City.

Diocese of Jefferson City

Dioecesis Civitatis Jeffersoniensis
Cathedral of Saint Joseph
Location
Country United States
Territory38 counties across central and northeastern Missouri
Ecclesiastical provinceSt. Louis
Coordinates
Statistics
Area22,127 sq mi (57,310 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2010)
878,672
88,000 (10.4%)
Parishes95
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJuly 2, 1956 (64 years ago)
CathedralCathedral of Saint Joseph
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopShawn McKnight
Bishops emeritusJohn R. Gaydos
Map

The 38 counties in the Diocese of Jefferson City
Website
diojeffcity.org

History
St. Peter's Church in Jefferson City was the first diocesan cathedral.

On July 2, 1956 Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Jefferson City. Its territory was taken from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Diocese of Kansas City, and the Diocese of Saint Joseph.[1][2]

The diocese has 95 parishes, 15 missions, 68 active diocesan priests, 8 religious priests, and 88,000 Catholics. It has 73 Women Religious, 2 Religious Brothers, and 90 permanent deacons.

Bishops

The bishops of the diocese and their terms of service:

  1. Joseph M. Marling, C.PP.S. (1956-1969)
  2. Michael Francis McAuliffe (1969-1997)
  3. John R. Gaydos (1997-2017)
  4. Shawn McKnight (2018–present)

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
  • Anthony Joseph O'Connell, appointed Bishop of Knoxville in 1988

High schools
  • Helias High School, Jefferson City
  • Sacred Heart High School, Sedalia
  • Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School, Columbia

Newspaper

"The Catholic Missourian" is the official newspaper of the diocese. Copies of the current issue are available at parishes and on the diocesan website.[3]

Alphonse J. Schwartze Memorial Catholic Center
Alphonse J. Schwartze Memorial Catholic Center

The Alphonse J. Schwartze Memorial Catholic Center serves as the chancery offices for the diocese of Jefferson City. It is located adjacent to the Cathedral of Saint Joseph. It is the pastoral center and a headquarters for the diocese. The center is named in memory of Alphonse J. Schwartze, a philanthropist who was the primary benefactor. Schwartze was a parishioner of St. Joseph's Church in Westphalia, Missouri. Groundbreaking for the center took place on April 1, 2004, with John R. Gaydos, Bishop of Jefferson City, presiding. Also, present was Schwartze's brother, Emil. Blessing of the completed center took place on October 7, 2007. Present for the blessing were Gaydos and bishops from neighboring dioceses in Missouri: Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis; Robert W. Finn, Bishop of Kansas City-Joseph; and John Joseph Leibrecht, Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau; Robert J. Herman, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis.

History

The chancery for the diocese had several addresses prior to the current one. The first was a temporary one located at 505 Bolivar Street in Jefferson City. The first permanent chancery was at 312 East Capitol Avenue from 1957 until 1968. From 1968 until 2005, the chancery was located at 605 Clark Avenue in Jefferson City.

Features

The building is 26,795 square feet (2,489.3 m2) and contains 47 rooms of various sizes, including a chapel and meeting rooms.

St. Alphonsus Chapel

The Saint Alphonsus Chapel is dedicated to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. It is dominated by an imported 4½ foot wooden image of Christ modeled after the Gero Crucifix of the Cathedral of St. Peter and the Virgin Mary in Cologne, Germany. The selection of this crucifix was made in order to link the occupation of the building with World Youth Day which was held in Cologne in 2005. The chapel seats 50 people.

Artwork

The walls of the center display various gifts from the clergy and laity of the diocese. The vast majority of the original paintings are by Louis Wellington McCorkle, who was a member of the American Artists Professional League. The Peruvian artwork is from the estate of the late Francis G. Gillgannon. Photographs are from the collection of historical archives of the diocese.

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See also
  • Catholic Church by country
  • Catholic Church in the United States
  • Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Louis
  • Global organisation of the Catholic Church
  • List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
  • List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
  • List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
  • List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States

References
  1. "Diocese of Jefferson City". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  2. "Diocese of Jefferson City". Giga Catholic. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  3. "The Catholic Missourian". Retrieved 2016-05-14.
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