Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau

Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau Dioecesis Campifontis–Capitis Girardeauensis
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Location
Country	United States
Territory	39 counties across Southern Missouri
Ecclesiastical province	St. Louis
Statistics
Area
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2010) 1,269,180 68,217 (5.4%)
Parishes	66
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	August 24, 1956 (67 years ago)
Cathedral	St. Agnes Cathedral (Springfield)
Co-cathedral	Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation (Cape Girardeau)
Patron saint	Rose Philippine Duchesne, Pope Pius X
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Sede vacante
Emeritus Bishops	John Joseph Leibrecht
Map
Website
dioscg.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau (Latin: Dioecesis Campifontis–Capitis Girardeauensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Missouri. The See is vacant after Bishop James Vann Johnston, Jr. was installed as Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

History

Cathedral of St. Mary of the Annunciation in Cape Girardeau

The diocese was formed on August 24, 1956 from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the Diocese of Kansas City. It consists of 39 primarily rural counties in the southern third of Missouri that include the urban areas of Springfield (the diocese headquarters), Branson and Cape Girardeau.

The diocese has two cathedrals: St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield and The Cathedral of the Annunciation in Cape Girardeau. The two cathedrals are often (mistakenly) referred to as co-cathedrals. The diocese established the Cape Girardeau cathedral as part of an eventual plan to create a separate diocese in Cape Girardeau.

Demographics

The diocese includes 66 parishes, 19 missions, 2 chapels, and, as of a 2003 estimate, 63,179 Catholics. The diocese has an increasing Hispanic population.

This region is mainly located in the Ozarks and Bootheel of Missouri, where Catholics make up about 5% of the total population. The religion of the Ozarks, in particular, is notably individualistic and conservative; a major Christian denomination in the region is Pentecostalism.

Each year, tens of thousands of Vietnamese American Catholics converge on Carthage, at the western end of the diocese, to participate in the Marian Days celebration.

Bishops

The bishops of the diocese and their terms of service:

1. Charles Herman Helmsing (1956–1962)
2. Ignatius Jerome Strecker (1962–1969)
3. William Wakefield Baum (1970–1973)
4. Bernard Francis Law (1973–1984)
5. John Joseph Leibrecht (1984–2008)
6. James Vann Johnston, Jr. (2008–2015)

High schools

• McAuley Catholic High School, Joplin
• Notre Dame High School, Cape Girardeau
• Springfield Catholic High School, Springfield

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

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau Official Site
• [1]