Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson
{{Short description|Catholic ecclesiastical territory}}
{{about|the Catholic diocese in Canada|the Anglican diocese in New Zealand|Anglican Diocese of Nelson}}
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{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction = Diocese
| name = Nelson
| latin = Dioecesis Nelsonensis
| local =
| image =
| image_size = frameless
| image_alt =
| caption = "Making Peace by the Blood of His Cross"
| coat = File:Diocese_of_Nelson.jpg
| coat_size = 200px
| coat_alt =
| coat_caption = Logo of the Diocese
| country = Canada
| territory = South-eastern British Columbia
| province = Vancouver
| coordinates =
| area_km2 = 124,272
| population =
| population_as_of =
| catholics = 65,000
| catholics_percent = 17.8
| parishes =
| churches =
| congregations =
| schools =
| members =
| denomination = Roman Catholic
| rite = Roman Rite
| established = February 22, 1936
| cathedral = Mary Immaculate Cathedral, Nelson
| cocathedral =
| patron =
| priests =
| pope = {{Incumbent pope}}
| bishop = Gregory John Bittman
| metro_archbishop = J. Michael Miller
| coadjutor =
| auxiliary_bishops =
| vicar_general =
| emeritus_bishops = Eugene Jerome Cooney
John Corriveau
| map =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| website = {{official URL}}
| footnotes =
}}
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson ({{langx|la|Dioecesis Nelsonensis}}) (erected 22 February 1936) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
Diocesan demographics
The diocese contains 31 parishes. Serving or retired in the diocese are 28 diocesan priests, 7 religious priests ministering to 75,000 Catholics. It also has 13 religious sisters and supports 7 Catholic schools. (As of March 2011) This diocese covers two time zones with the East Kootenay and Columbia Valley on Mountain Time and the rest on Pacific time.
History
In the late 1830s French Canadians in the Oregon Territory petitioned the Quebec bishops to have missionary priests sent beyond the Rocky Mountains. In response to this plea, Fathers François-Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers were sent West to a remote part of the Quebec diocese referred to as New Caledonia by the Hudson’s Bay Company. While at Boat Encampment on the Columbia River (Mica Dam area), Blanchet and Demers celebrated Mass on October 10, 1838 the first Mass celebrated in what later became the Diocese of Nelson.
During the years of westward expansion and settlement, the spiritual needs of the region presently administered by the Diocese of Nelson came under the jurisdiction of various bishoprics:
• Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory, 1843-1846
• Diocese of Vancouver Island, 1846-1863
• Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia, 1863-1890
• Diocese of New Westminster, 1890-1908
• Archdiocese of Vancouver, 1908-1936
On February 22, 1936, Pope Pius XI erected the Diocese of Nelson to cover the Kootenay and Okanagan regions of southeastern British Columbia.
Bishops
=Ordinaries=
- Martin Michael Johnson (1936–1954), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Vancouver, British Columbia
- Thomas Joseph McCarthy (1955–1958), appointed Bishop of Saint Catharines, Ontario
- Wilfrid Emmett Doyle (1958–1989)
- Peter Joseph Mallon (1989–1995), appointed Archbishop of Regina, Saskatchewan
- Eugene Cooney (1996–2007)
- John Corriveau (2007–2018)
- Gregory John Bittman (2018-present)
=Other priest of this diocese who became bishop=
- Bartolomeus Van Roijen, appointed Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador, Newfoundland in 2019
Churches
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break|width=30%}}
Castlegar
- St. Rita's
Cranbrook
- [http://smpcts.wix.com/stmcts St. Mary's]
- [http://smpcts.wix.com/stmcts Christ the Servant]
Creston
- Holy Cross
Fernie
- Holy Family
Fruitvale
- St. Rita's
Golden
- Sacred Heart
Grand Forks
- Sacred Heart
Invermere
- Canadian Martyrs
Kelowna
- Immaculate Conception Church
- St. Pius X
- Corpus Christi
- St. Charles Garnier
Keremeos
- Our Lady of Lourdes
Kimberley
- Sacred Heart
Nakusp
- Our Lady of Lourdes
{{Col-break|width=30%}}
Nelson
- [https://archive.today/20121216045631/http://www.diocese.nelson.bc.ca/parishes/mary_immaculate-nel.htm Mary Immaculate Cathedral]
Oliver
- Christ the King
Osoyoos
- St. Anne's
Penticton
- St. Ann's
- St. John Vianney's
Princeton
- St. Peter's
Revelstoke
- St. Francis of Assisi
Rossland
- Sacred Heart
Sparwood
- St. Michael's
Summerland
- Holy Child
Trail
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- St. Anthony / St. Francis Xavier
West Kelowna
- Our Lady of Lourdes
Winfield
- St. Edward's
{{Col-break|width=30%}}
{{Col-end}}
Education
=Catholic high schools=
class="wikitable" |
School
! City ! Est. ! Website ! Enrollment |
---|
Immaculata Regional High School
| Kelowna | 1960 | https://www.immaculatakelowna.ca | ~350 (co-ed) |
=Catholic elementary schools=
class="wikitable" |
School
! City ! Est. ! Website |
---|
Holy Cross
| Penticton | | http://www.holyc.com/ |
Our Lady of Lourdes
| West Kelowna | | https://www.olol-bc.com/ |
St. Joseph
| Nelson | | http://www.stjosephnelson.ca/ |
St. Mary's
| Cranbrook | | http://www.stmarysschool.ca/ |
St. Joseph
| Kelowna | 1938 | http://www.stjosephkelowna.ca/ |
St. Michaels Catholic
| Trail | | http://www.smces.ca/index.html |
Religious institutes
=Religious institutes of men=
=Religious institutes of women=
- Sisters of the Atonement (SA)
- Sisters of Charity of Halifax (SC)
- Sisters of Charity of St. Louis (SCSL)
- Daughters of Providence (FDLP)
- Congregation of Notre Dame (CND)
Notes
The diocese publishes the [http://www.diocese.nelson.bc.ca/mountain_star/current.pdf Catholic Mountain Star]{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} newspaper.
References
- {{cite web|title = Diocese of Nelson|work=Catholic-Hierarchy|url =http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dnels.html|access-date=2007-03-13}}