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The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore as well as Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington Counties in Maryland. The archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is considered the oldest in the United States within its boundaries at the time. The Holy See granted the archdiocese the right of precedence in the nation at liturgies, meetings, and councils on August 15, 1859.[1] However, the archdiocese does not enjoy primatial status. The archdiocese comprises nine Maryland counties and Baltimore city, having 518,000 Catholics, 545 priests, five hospitals, and two seminaries (St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore and Mount St. Mary's Seminary at Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland).[2][3]
[edit] HistoryBefore and during the American Revolutionary War, the Catholics in Great Britain's thirteen colonies in America (and also its colonies in Canada) were under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of the London District, in England. The war was formally ended by the Treaty of Paris, which was signed on September 3, 1783, and was ratified by the Congress of the Confederation (of the newly independent United States of America) on January 14, 1784, and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784. The ratification documents were exchanged in Paris on May 12, 1784. A petition was sent by the Maryland clergy to the Holy See, on November 6, 1783, for permission for the missionaries in the United States to nominate a superior who would have some of the powers of a bishop. In response to that, Father John Carroll — having been selected by his brother priests — was confirmed by Pope Pius VI, on June 6, 1784, as Superior of the Missions in the thirteen United States of North America, with power to give the sacrament of confirmation. This act established a hierarchy in the United States and removed the Catholic Church in the U.S. from the authority of the Vicar Apostolic of the London District. The Holy See then established the Apostolic Prefecture of the United States on November 26, 1784. Because Maryland was one of the few regions of the colonial United States that was predominantly Catholic, the apostolic prefecture was elevated to become the Diocese of Baltimore[4] — the first diocese in the United States — on November 6, 1789. On April 8, 1808, the suffragan dioceses of Boston,[5] New York,[6] Philadelphia,[7] and Bardstown (moved in 1841 to Louisville) [8] were erected by Pope Pius VII from the territory of the Diocese of Baltimore, which was simultaneously raised to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese. The newly established Province of Baltimore — whose metropolitan was archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore — comprised all of the states and territories of the nation. The Archdiocese again lost territory with the creation of the Diocese of Richmond (Va.)[1] on July 11, 1820, and the Diocese of Wilmington (Del.)[2] on March 3, 1868. In 1850, the Diocese of Wheeling (then in Va.; now Wheeling-Charleston, W. Va.) [3] was erected, from the Diocese of Richmond. In 1974, the Diocese of Arlington (Va.)[4] was erected, from the Diocese of Richmond. Due to the rapid growth of the Roman Catholic Church in the region, the see was renamed the Archdiocese of Baltimore-Washington on July 22, 1939. The Archdiocese of Washington (D.C.)[5] became an independent entity on November 15, 1947, resulting in the present-day Archdiocese of Baltimore. From 1808 until 1847, Baltimore was the only archdiocese and therefore the entire country was one ecclesiastical province.[6] As the nation's population grew and waves of Catholic immigrants came from Europe, the Holy See continued to erect new dioceses and elevate others to metropolitan archdioceses, which simultaneously became metropolitan sees of new ecclesiastical provinces. Thus, the Province of Baltimore gradually became smaller and smaller. In 1847, the then-Diocese of Saint Louis was elevated to an archdiocese and metropolitan see of the new Province of Saint Louis. In 1850, the Diocese of New York was raised to an archdiocese. Also in 1850, the Diocese of Oregon City (now Portland) was raised to an archdiocese. In 1875, the dioceses of Boston and Philadelphia were likewise elevated. The Archdiocese has published The Catholic Review since the 19th century. [edit] Prelature[edit] In general; "Prerogative of Place"
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is led by the prelature of the Archbishop of Baltimore and a corps of auxiliary bishops who assist in the administration of the archdiocese as part of a larger curia. Fifteen people have served as Archbishop of Baltimore; the current Archbishop is Edwin Frederick O'Brien. In 1858, the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide), with the approval of Pope Pius IX, conferred "Prerogative of Place" on the Archdiocese of Baltimore. This decree gave the archbishop of Baltimore precedence over all the archbishops of the United States (but not cardinals) in councils, gatherings, and meetings of whatever kind of the hierarchy (in conciliis, coetibus et comitiis quibuscumque), regardless of the seniority of other archbishops in promotion or ordination.[9] [edit] CathedralsThe archbishop is concurrently the pastor of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the co-cathedral; the bishop appoints the cathedral and co-cathedral's rectors. The Basilica, built in 1806–1821, is the first cathedral and parish in the United States within its boundaries at the time. It is considered the mother church of the United States. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is one of only three United States dioceses that has two churches serving as cathedrals in the same city — the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in the Diocese of Honolulu share the distinction. The Diocese of Burlington also has this in common. Other dioceses with two cathedrals have their churches in separate cities[10]. [edit] Archbishops of Baltimore
[edit] Auxiliary bishops
[edit] Affiliated bishopsThe following men began their service as priests in Baltimore before being appointed bishops elsewhere (years in parentheses refers to their years in Baltimore):
[edit] Education[edit] Primary schoolsSaint Francis of Assisi School is a primary school located in the Archdiocese. It serves students from preschool – eighth grade.[11] [12] [edit] High Schools
[edit] Province of BaltimoreFurther information: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of Baltimore [edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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