Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

See Diocese of Alexandria for namesakes

Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana Dioecesis Alexandrina in Louisiana
Location
Country	United States of America
Territory	Parishes of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Catahoula Parish, Lasalle, Grant
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of New Orleans
Statistics
Area	28,780 sq mi (74,500 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 395,000 44,600 (11.3%)
Parishes	50
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1853
Cathedral	St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Patron saint	St. Francis Xavier
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	David Talley
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gregory Michael Aymond
Map
Website
diocesealex.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria (Louisiana) is the Latin suffragan diocese for central Louisiana in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Its cathedral episcopal see is St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, Louisiana. It also has a former Cathedral and Minor Basilica: the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The current Bishop of Alexandria is David Talley.

Statistics and extent

As per 2014, it pastorally served 42,929 Catholics (11.2% of 383,421 total) on 27,810 km² in 50 parishes with 71 priests (61 diocesan, 10 religious), 19 deacons, 43 lay religious (14 brothers, 29 sisters) and 10 seminarians.^[1]

It encompasses the civil parishes (Louisiana counties) of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Cathoula, Lasalle and Grant.

History

The bishopric was established on August 6, 1910 as the Diocese of Alexandria, named after its new see Alexandria, Louisiana, on the territory of the suppressed Diocese of Natchitoches (founded in 1853). The first Bishop of was Augustus Marie Martin.

On October 18, 1976, it was renamed the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport.

On June 16, 1986, when the northern Louisiana portion of the territory was separated to form the new Diocese of Shreveport, the diocese was again renamed the Diocese of Alexandria.^[2]

Bishops

^[3]

Arms

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected. Adopted 1853 Escutcheon Gules, a cross throughout Argent between four bells of the last; overall, at the center point, a crescent checky Sable and Or. Symbolism The red background represents the Red River that runs through the See City. The cross, for the Faith, divides the four bells that are taken from the arms of the Ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria, in Egypt, for which the City is named. Overall, at the center of the design is a black and gold (yellow) checky crescent, which is taken from the arms of the Spanish family “Xavier,” and this symbol is used throughout ecclesiastical heraldry as the classic charge for Saint Francis Xavier, titular of the cathedral-church in Alexandria.

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Rectory in Alexandria

Catholic High schools

• Holy Savior Menard Central High School, Alexandria
• St. Joseph High School, Plaucheville
• St. Mary's High School, Natchitoches

See also

• namesake Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall in Ontario, Canada
• List of Catholic dioceses in the United States

References

Sources and external links

• GCatholic, with Google map and satellite photo - data for most sections
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria Official Site

Coordinates: 31°17′34″N 92°27′33″W / 31.29278°N 92.45917°W / 31.29278; -92.45917