Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend

Fort Wayne–South Bend Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis–South Bendensis
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Northeastern Indiana, Michiana
Ecclesiastical province	Indianapolis
Statistics
Area	5,792 km2 (2,236 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2006) 1,247,850 159,888 (12.8%)
Parishes	84
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	January 8, 1857 (161 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Fort Wayne)
Co-cathedral	Saint Matthew Cathedral (South Bend)
Patron saint	Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Kevin C. Rhoades
Map
Website
www.diocesefwsb.org

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne

St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend

The Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend (Latin: Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis–South Bendensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in north-central and northeastern Indiana. The Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades was appointed diocesan bishop by Pope Benedict XVI on November 14, 2009, and was installed on January 13, 2010. The Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend encompasses 14 Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble, Steuben, St. Joseph, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley. The diocese has a co-cathedral setup with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne as the primary cathedral and Saint Matthew's Cathedral in South Bend as the associate cathedral.

History

The diocese was erected as the Diocese of Fort Wayne (Dioecesis Wayne Castrensis) suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati on January 8, 1857, from territory earlier belonging to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vincennes. In 1944 it became suffragan to the newly elevated Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In 1944 and 1956 it lost territory to the newly formed dioceses of Lafayette and Gary, respectively. In 1960 its name was changed to the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend.

Bishops

Schools

Arms

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected Adopted 1960 Escutcheon The arms of the diocese are composed of a crescent moon at the top, with a fortified wall below it. On the wall three Bottony crosses are found. Below the wall is a river bend flowing diagonally with a fleur-de-lis on it. Between the riven and the wall a six-winged seraph is present. Symbolism The crescent moon represents the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet.” As the Immaculate Conception, she is patroness of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, and its cathedral in Fort Wayne. The three crosses represent the Blessed Trinity. The Father sent the Son into the world; the Son sent the Spirit. It was this mission of Son and Spirit through missionaries that brought this diocese into being. The crosses replace swords on the family crest of General Anthony Wayne, the founder of the fort that grew into the See City of Fort Wayne. The fortified wall represents Fort Wayne. The six-winged seraph symbolizes the inspired word of God. St. Matthew is one of the inspired evangelists who recorded this Word. Thus the angel identifies the patron of the cathedral in South Bend. The river bend is expressed in heraldry by a wavy line. This represents the See City of South Bend. The fleur-de-lis is the lily, symbol of purity and of the chaste foster father of Christ, St. Joseph. It indicates the locale of the See City — the St. Joseph River and valley, and St. Joseph County. As the lily of France, it recalls the colonization of this region by French Catholics.

Catholic radio within the diocese

• WRDF "Redeemer Radio" 106.3 FM in Fort Wayne
• WRDI "Redeemer Radio" 95.7 FM in South Bend

Reports of Sex Abuse

In 2003, a partial list which had been released under Bishop John D’Arcy included the names of 16 priests who were credibly accused of sexually abusing 33 children.^[1] However, the list did not contain all of their names.^[1] On August 17, 2018, Bishop Rhoades announced that he would release the full list of clergy in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend who were credibly accused of sexual abuse "in a matter of weeks."^[1] Rhoades noted that he previously listed the names of three priests who he removed from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend during his tenure as Bishop due to allegations of sex abuse.^[2][3] On September 18, 2018, Rhoades fulfilled this promise and released the list which revealed the names of 18 priests and deacons who previously served the Diocese and were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.^[4][5][6]

Ecclesiastical Province of Indianapolis

See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of Indianapolis

Footnotes

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend Official Site

Coordinates: 41°04′50″N 85°08′21″W / 41.08056°N 85.13917°W / 41.08056; -85.13917