Roman Catholic Diocese of Telšiai

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Telšiai (Latin: Telsen(sis)) is a suffragan Latin diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of Kaunas, one of two in Lithuania.

Diocese of Telšiai

Dioecesis Telsensis (-Klaipedensis)

Telšių vyskupija
Location
CountryLithuania
Ecclesiastical provinceKaunas
MetropolitanKaunas
Statistics
Area13,373 km2 (5,163 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2014)
705,000
564,000 (80%)
Information
RiteLatin Rite
CathedralTelšiai Cathedral
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopAlgirdas Jurevičius
Metropolitan ArchbishopLionginas Virbalas SJ
Map

Location of Diocese of Telšiai in Lithuania

History
St Anthonys Cathedral, Telsiai

The diocese was established on 4 April 1926 on territory split off from the Diocese of Samogitia. On 28 May 1997, it lost territory to establish the Diocese of Šiauliai.

On 24 December 1991, the Territorial Prelature of Klaipėda (Memel), which had been seceded from the Diocese of Ermland on 4 April 1926, and was repeatedly held in personal union by the Bishops already, was merged into the Telšiai Diocese.[1]

Statistics

As of 2014, the diocese pastorally served 564,000 Catholics (80.0% of 705,000 total) on 13,373 square kilometres (5,163 sq mi) in 79 parishes and 95 missions with 164 priests (148 diocesan, 16 religious), 50 lay religious (18 brothers, 32 sisters) and 20 seminarians studying at the Telšiai Bishop Vincentas Borisevičius Priest Seminary.

Special churches

Its cathedral is the Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua in the city of Telšiai. It also has the former cathedral of the Diocese of Samogitia in Varniai and a minor basilica dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Žemaičių Kalvarija.

Episcopal ordinaries

(all Roman rite)

Suffragan Bishops of Telšiai
  • Justinas Staugaitis (1926.04.05 – death 1943.07.08), also Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Klaipėda (Lithuania) (1926.04.05 – 1939)
  • Vincentas Borisevičius (see above 1944.01.21 – death 1946.11.18)
    • Apostolic Administrator Bishop Petras Maželis (1959.11.10 – 1964.02.14 see below) while Titular Bishop of Celenderis (1955.05.22 – 1964.02.14) as Auxiliary Bishop of Telšiai (1955.05.22 – 1964.02.14); previously Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Klaipėda (Lithuania) (1949.12.20 – 1955.05.22)
  • Petras Maželis (see above 1964.02.14 – death 1966.05.21), also again Bishop-Prelate of Klaipėda (1964.02.14 – 1966.05.21)
    • Apostolic Administrator Bishop Juozapas Pletkus (1967.11.08 – death 1975.09.29) while Titular Bishop of Tubia (1967.11.08 – 1975.09.29), also Apostolic Administrator of Klaipėda (Lithuania) (1967.11.08 – 1975.09.29)
    • Apostolic Administrator Bishop Antanas Vaičius (1982.07.05 – 1989.03.10 see below), Titular Bishop of Sullectum (1982.07.05 – 1989.03.10) and Apostolic Administrator of Klaipėda (Lithuania) (1982.07.05 – 1991.12.24)
  • Antanas Vaičius (see above 1989.03.10 – retired 2001.05.26), died 2008
  • Jonas Boruta, SJ (2002.01.05 – 2017.09.18), previously Titular Bishop of Vulturara (1997.05.28 – 2002.01.05) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Vilnius (Lithuania) (1997.05.28 – 2002.01.05)
  • Kęstutis Kėvalas (2017.09.18 – 2020.02.19), previously Titular Bishop of Abziri (2012.09.27 – 2017.04.20) as Auxiliary Bishop of Kaunas (Lithuania) (2012.09.27 – 2017.04.20), coadjutor bishop of Telšiai (2017.04.20 – 2017.09.18); later promoted as Archbishop of Kaunas (2020.02.19-).
  • Algirdas Jurevičius (2020.06.01-), previously Titular Bishop of Materiana and Auxiliary Bishop of Kaunas (2018.07.02-2020.06.01)

Auxiliary episcopate
  • Linas Vodopjanovas (Genadijus), OFM (2012.02.11 – 2016.05.20), appointed as Bishop of Panevėžys
  • Jonas Kauneckas (2000.05.13 – 2002.01.05)
  • Liudas Povilonis, MIC (1969.11.07 – 1973.07.07)
  • Pranciskus Ramanauskas (1944.02.28 – 1959.10.17)

Notes
  1. Cf. "Territorial Prelature of Klaipėda / Territorialis Praelatura Klaipedensis", on: Catholic Hierarchy, retrieved on 14 May 2011.

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