Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah

Diocese of Savannah Diœcesis Savannensis
Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
Coat of arms
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Southern Georgia
Ecclesiastical province	Atlanta
Statistics
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2020) 2,995,000 77,200 (2.9%)
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	July 3, 1850
Cathedral	Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist
Patron saint	St. John the Baptist
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Stephen D. Parkes
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gregory John Hartmayer
Bishops emeritus	J. Kevin Boland
Map
Website
diosav.org

The Diocese of Savannah is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising 90 of the southern counties of the state of Georgia.^[1] It is led by a prelate bishop who serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in the city of Savannah.^[1] The Diocese of Savannah is a suffragan diocese part of the ecclesiastical province under the metropolitan Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Demographics[]

Today the Diocese of Savannah comprises 90 counties in south Georgia.^[1] It covers 37,038 square miles (95,930 km²). There are 56 parishes and 21 missions within the diocese, serving about 78,347 lay Catholics.^[1]

History[]

Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Savannah on 3 July 1850, taking the state of Georgia from the Diocese of Charleston and the state of Florida, less the panhandle region, from the Diocese of Mobile and making it a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, on 3 July 1850.^[1][2] On 9 January 1857, the same pope erected the Vicariate Apostolic of Florida, taking the territory that was in Florida from the Diocese of Savannah.

Pope Pius XI changed title of the diocese to Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta on 5 January 1937,^[2] reflecting the growth of the Catholic population of the state and the rising prominence of the city of Atlanta.^[2] At that time, the pope designated the Church of Christ the King in Atlanta as the co-cathedral in the second see.^[2]

With continued growth in the number of Catholics in the northern counties of Georgia, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Atlanta, taking the northern part of Georgia from the existing diocese and changing the title of the existing diocese back to Diocese of Savannah, on July 2, 1956,^[2] and created the Diocese of Savannah and the Diocese of Atlanta.^[2]

On 10 February 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated the Diocese of Atlanta to a metropolitan archdiocese, creating an ecclesiastical province of the same name, and designated the Diocese of Savannah as one of its suffragans.^[2]

Sexual abuse[]

In 2004 it was reported that the Diocese had paid a total of $50,000 to 12 people who accused 6 priests who served in the Diocese of sexually abusing them.^[3] One accused clergy, Wayland Brown was convicted and died in prison in 2019.^[4] Another accused clergy, Lorenzo Garcia, was defrocked in 2008 without facing any criminal punishment.^[4] Henry Groomer, another Catholic clergyman who was accused of sexual abuse, committed suicide in 2017 after being served with a lawsuit.^[4]

Bishops[]

Bishops of Savannah[]

From 1937 to 1956, this diocese was the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta. In 1956, it became the Diocese of Savannah again when Atlanta split off as a separate diocese.

1. Francis Xavier Gartland (1850–1854)
2. John Barry (1857–1859)
3. Augustin Verot (1861–1870), appointed Bishop of Saint Augustine
4. Ignatius Persico (1870–1874)
5. William Hickley Gross, C.Ss.R. (1873–1885), appointed Archbishop of Oregon City
6. Thomas Albert Andrew Becker (1886–1899)
7. Benjamin Joseph Keiley (1900–1922)
8. Michael Joseph Keyes, S.M. (1922–1935)
9. Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara (1935–1959), Archbishop (personal title) in 1950; appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland and later Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain
10. Thomas Joseph McDonough (1960–1967), appointed Archbishop of Louisville
11. Gerard Louis Frey (1967–1972), appointed Bishop of Lafayette in Louisiana
12. Raymond W. Lessard (1973–1995)
13. J. Kevin Boland (1995–2011)
14. Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv. (2011–2020), appointed Archbishop of Atlanta
15. Stephen D. Parkes (2020–present)

Auxiliary bishops[]

• Francis Edward Hyland (1949–1956), appointed Bishop of Atlanta
• Thomas Joseph McDonough (1957–1960), appointed Bishop of Savannah

Other bishops who were priests of this diocese[]

• Andrew Joseph McDonald, appointed Bishop of Little Rock in 1972
• Emmet M. Walsh, appointed Bishop of Charleston in 1927 and later Coadjutor Bishop of Youngstown succeeding to that see

Clergy and religious[]

The current number of priests stands at 102. Of these, 90 are serving actively, while 22 priests are in retirement status. There are 75 men that serve the diocese as members of the permanent diaconate, as well as 82 religious (mostly nuns).^[1]

Member parishes[]

High schools[]

There are 5 Catholic high schools and 16 elementary schools in the diocese, serving over 6,000 students.

See also[]

• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• 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)

References[]

External links[]

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah Official Site
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Savannah

Coordinates: 32°04′22″N 81°05′11″W / 32.07278°N 81.08639°W / 32.07278; -81.08639