Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord (Latin: Diœcesis Gaylordensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Northern Michigan region of the United States. It comprises the twenty-one most northern counties of the lower peninsula of the state, and includes the cities of Gaylord, Traverse City, Alpena, Manistee and Petoskey. The fifth bishop is Steven J. Raica.

Diocese of Gaylord Diœcesis Gaylordensis
St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Counties of Charlevoix, Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, and Iosco
Ecclesiastical province	Detroit
Statistics
Area	11,171 sq mi (28,930 km^2)
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2018) 506,623 46,095[1] (9.1%)
Parishes	75
Schools	17
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	December 19, 1970 (50 years ago)
Cathedral	St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral
Patron saint	Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Secular priests	76
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Sede Vacante
Apostolic Administrator	Walter A. Hurley
Map
Website
dioceseofgaylord.org

The diocese covers approximately 11,171 square miles (28,930 km²) and has a population of 505,000, 66,000 of whom are Catholic. It contains 77 parishes and 17 schools.[1]

History

Original cathedral

Pope Paul VI created the Diocese of Gaylord December 19, 1970 from territory separated from the Dioceses of Saginaw and Grand Rapids, and erected it on July 20, 1971.[1] He named Edmund Szoka as first bishop and the church of St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral (Gaylord, Michigan) as the cathedral.

Bishops

Bishops of Gaylord

1. Edmund Casimir Szoka (1971–1981), appointed Archbishop of Detroit and later President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and Governorate of Vatican City State (elevated to Cardinal in 1988)
2. Robert John Rose (1981–1989), appointed Bishop of Grand Rapids
3. Patrick R. Cooney (1989–2009)
4. Bernard Hebda (2009–2013), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Newark and later Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
5. Steven J. Raica (2014 – March 25, 2020),[2] appointed Bishop of Birmingham

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

• Chad William Zielinski, appointed Bishop of Fairbanks in 2014

High schools

• Catholic Central High School, Manistee
• St. Francis High School, Traverse City
• St. Mary Cathedral High School, Gaylord
• St. Mary High School, Lake Leelanau
• St. Michael Academy, Petoskey

See also

• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic Church hierarchy
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States

References

1. "About Our Diocese". Diocese of Gaylord. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
2. "Transition of Bishop Raica Information - Diocese of Gaylord". www.dioceseofgaylord.org. Retrieved 2020-04-10.

* 1.

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord Official Site

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected Adopted 1970 Escutcheon The diocesan arms consists of the "argent" wavy bordure. The two "argent" six-point stars with a "chevronel" (a reduced-in-width form of the "chevron", one of the most ancient heraldic pieces) surmounting the "or" (golden) Cross. Symbolism The "argent" wavy bordure recalls that the Diocese is nearly surrounded by the two Great Lakes, Michigan and Huron, and the Straits of Mackinac. The two "argent" six-point stars are reminiscent of the stars that appear on the crest of the Carmelite Order, recalling that the Church of Gaylord is under the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The two stars also represent the Dioceses of Grand Rapids and Saginaw which yielded territories to establish the Gaylord diocese in 1971. The "chevronel" (a reduced-in-width form of the "chevron", one of the most ancient heraldic pieces) surmounting the "or" (golden) Cross, was chosen to symbolize the new presence of the Church of Our Lord in the City of Gaylord, the city highest in elevation in Michigan's lower peninsula; indeed, the "chevron," whose shape recalls the truss of a roof, has been adopted in heraldry since the time of the Middle Ages to symbolize the building where the population assembles; for Catholics this building is the Church.