Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 102 churches in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see to the Archdiocese of Detroit. The mother church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. On April 18, 2013, Pope Francis accepted Bishop Walter A. Hurley's resignation and appointed the Rev. David J. Walkowiak to be the twelfth Bishop of Grand Rapids.

History

The diocese was created from territory taken from the Diocese of Detroit on May 19, 1882 by Pope Leo XIII. In 1938, it lost territory when Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Saginaw. Further territory was lost in 1970 when Pope Paul VI created both the Diocese of Gaylord to its north and the Diocese of Kalamazoo to its south.
The diocese's St. Adalbert Church in Grand Rapids became one of the less than seventy minor basilicas in the United States when Pope John Paul II raised it to that rank in 1979.

Churches

Bishops

Bishops of Grand Rapids

  1. Henry J. Richter
  2. Michael J. Gallagher, appointed Bishop of Detroit
  3. Edward D. Kelly
  4. Joseph G. Pinten
  5. Joseph C. Plagens
  6. Francis J. Haas
  7. Allen J. Babcock
  8. Joseph M. Breitenbeck
  9. Robert J. Rose
  10. Kevin M. Britt
  11. Walter A. Hurley
  12. David J. Walkowiak

    Coadjutor Bishops

  13. Michael J. Gallagher
  14. Kevin M. Britt

    Auxiliary Bishops

  15. Joseph Schrembs, appointed Bishop of Toledo and later Bishop of Cleveland
  16. Charles Salatka, appointed Bishop of Marquette and later Archbishop of Oklahoma City
  17. Joseph Crescent McKinney

    High schools