Roman Catholic Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden

Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden
Dioecesis Groningensis-Leovardiensis
Bisdom Groningen-Leeuwarden
Location
Country  Netherlands
Territory Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, and the Noordoostpolder
Ecclesiastical province Utrecht
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Utrecht
Statistics
Area 9,205 km2 (3,554 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2013)
1,914,000
109,500 (5.7%)
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Established 1956
Cathedral Saint Joseph Church, Groningen
Patron saint Saint Boniface[1]
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop Vacant
Metropolitan Archbishop Wim Eijk
Vicar General Peter Wellen
Map

Location of the Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden in the Netherlands
Website
www.bisdomgl.nl

The Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden (Dutch: Bisdom Groningen-Leeuwarden; Latin: Dioecesis Groningensis-Leovardiensis) is a suffragan Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern part of the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht (covering all the Netherlands). It encompasses the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, as well as the Noordoostpolder, a part of the province of Flevoland.[2]

The cathedral episcopal seat is the Saint Joseph Cathedral in the city of Groningen, capital of the province of the same name.[3] Neither former cathedral remains in Catholic use : the Sint-Maartenskerk, dedicated to Saint Martin, also in Groningen, is now Protestant church; the Sint-Vituskerk, dedicated to Saint Vitus, in Leeuwarden (Friesland province, most of dutch Frisia) is now ruined.

History

  • Established on 12 May 1559 as Diocese of Groningen / Groningen(sis) (Latin), on territories split off from the then Diocese of Utrecht and Diocese of Munster (Germany).
  • Suppressed in 1600.
  • The diocese was re-erected on 2 February 1956 as the Diocese of Groningen/ Groningen(sis) (Latin), on territories split off from its Metropolitan, the Archdiocese of Utrecht, and from the Diocese of Haarlem (Holland).
  • Renamed on 4 February 2006 as Diocese of Groningen–Leeuwarden (Nederlands) / Groninga–Leeuwarden (Curiate Italian) / Groningen(sis) et Leovardien(sis) (Latin adjective), albeit it without a co-cathedral.

Statistics and extent

As per 2014, it pastorally served 110,000 Catholics (5.7% of 1,923,000 total) on 8,585 km² in 81 parishes with 36 priests (30 diocesan, 6 religious), 3 deacons, 18 lay religious (7 brothers, 11 sisters) and 9 seminarians. It is the smallest Dutch diocese in population, even while it is the largest in area, covering an area of some 9,205 square kilometers (3,554 sq mi). As per the most recent data available, the number of churchgoers in 2005 was 12,435 or 0.7% of the total population.[4]

Episcopal ordinaries

(all Roman Rite)

Suffragan Bishops of Groningen
  • Johannes Knijff, Friars Minor (O.F.M. Obs.) (1561.08.08 – 1578.10.01), no other prelature
  • Father Johannes van Bruheze (Jan van Bruhezen) (1576 – 1577 not possessed see below),
  • Fr. Arnoldus Nijlen, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1577 – 1580 not possessed see below)
  • Fr. Johannes van Bruheze (Jan van Bruhezen) (see above 1589 – 1592); later Apostolic Vicar of Batavia (Netherlands) (1592 – death 1600.09.10 not possessed)
  • Fr. Arnoldus Nijlen, O.P. (see above 1593 – 1594 not possessed), died 1603
Suffragan Bishops of Groningen
  • Pieter Antoon Nierman (10 March 1956 – retired 21 May 1969), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Sala Consilina (1969.05.21 – resigned 1970.11.29); died 1976
  • Bernard Möller (21 May 1969 – death 26 April 1999)
  • Wim Eijk (17 July 1999 – 26 November 2005 see below)
Suffragan Bishops of Groningen
  • Wim Eijk (see above' 26 November 2005 – 11 December 2007), next Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht (Netherlands) (2007.12.11 – ...), President of Episcopal Conference of the Netherlands (2011.06 – 2016.06.14), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Callisto (2012.02.18 [2012.05.17] – ...)
  • Gerard de Korte (18 June 2008 – 5 March 2016); previously Titular Bishop of Cesarea in Mauretania (2001.04.11 – 2008.06.18) as Auxiliary Bishop of Utrecht (Netherlands) (2001.04.11 – 2008.06.18); next Bishop of ’s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) (2016.03.05 – ...)
  • Cornelis Franciscus Maria van den Hout (2017.04.01 bishop-elect–2017.06.03 ordained - ...), no previous prelature.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bisdomgroningenleeuwarden.nl/?O=200&Page=1
  2. ↑ http://www.bisdomgroningenleeuwarden.nl/?O=14&Page=1
  3. ↑ http://www.bisdomgroningenleeuwarden.nl/?O=155&Page=1
  4. ↑ (in Dutch) Kerncijfers 2005 uit de kerkelijke statistiek van het Rooms-Katholiek Kerkgenootschap in Nederland

Coordinates: 53°12′53″N 6°34′23″E / 53.2146°N 6.5731°E / 53.2146; 6.5731

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