Diocese of La Rochelle (-Saintes)

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Bishop(s) Bernard Housset, Bishop

General Information Type of Jurisdiction: Diocese United: 22 January 1852 Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Poitiers Rite: Latin (or Roman) Country: France Square Kilometers: 6,863 (2,650 Square Miles) Conference Region: Sud-Ouest Official Web Site: http://catholique-larochelle.cef.fr/ Mailing Address: B.P. 1088, 26 rue Saint-Jean-du-Perot, 17087 La Rochelle CEDEX 02, France Telephone: 5.46.41.40.06 Fax: 5.46.41.41.64

Historical Details

• Diocese of La Rochelle
  • Latin Name: Rupellensis
  • Erected: 4 May 1648
  • Country: France

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Past and Present Ordinaries

• Henri-Marie de Laval de Bois-Dauphin † (1 Jul 1661 Appointed - 22 Nov 1693 Died)
• Charles Magdelaine Frézeau de Frèzelière † (24 Dec 1693 Appointed - 4 Nov 1702 Died)
• Jean-Charles de Coucy † (16 Aug 1789 Appointed - 1816 Resigned)
• Michel-François de Couët du Vivier de Lorry † (9 Apr 1802 Appointed - 20 Nov 1802 Retired)
• Jean-François de Mandolx † (30 Sep 1802 Appointed - 17 Dec 1804 Appointed, Bishop of Amiens)
• Gabriel-Laurent Paillou(x) † (17 Dec 1804 Appointed - 15 Dec 1826 Died)
• Joseph Bernet † (29 Mar 1827 Appointed - 6 Oct 1835 Appointed, Archbishop of Aix (-Arles-Embrun))
• Clément Villecourt † (6 Oct 1835 Appointed - 7 Mar 1855 Resigned)
• Jean-Baptiste-François-Anne-Thomas Landriot † (8 Apr 1856 Appointed - 30 Dec 1866 Appointed, Archbishop of Reims)
• Léon-Benoit-Charles Thomas † (12 Jan 1867 Appointed - 10 Nov 1883 Appointed, Archbishop of Rouen)
• Pierre-Marie-Etienne-Gustave Ardin † (10 Jan 1884 Appointed - 2 Apr 1892 Appointed, Archbishop of Sens (-Auxerre))
• François-Joseph-Edwin Bonnefoy † (26 Nov 1892 Appointed - 5 Apr 1901 Appointed, Archbishop of Aix (-Arles-Embrun))
• Emile-Paul-Angel-Constant Le Camus † (5 Apr 1901 Appointed - 28 Sep 1906 Died)
• Jean-Auguste-François-Eutrope Eyssautier † (27 Nov 1906 Appointed - 7 Mar 1923 Died)
• Eugène Curien † (23 Dec 1923 Appointed - 8 Nov 1937 Resigned)
• Louis Liagre † (7 Mar 1938 Appointed - 10 Aug 1955 Died)
• François Xavier Arthur Florent Morilleau † (10 Aug 1955 Succeeded - 23 Mar 1963 Resigned)
• Félix-Marie-Honoré Verdet † (1 Jul 1963 Appointed - 17 Aug 1979 Retired)
• François-Marie-Christian Favreau (17 Aug 1979 Succeeded - 8 Sep 1983 Appointed, Bishop of Nanterre)
• Jacques Louis Antoine Marie David (21 Feb 1985 Appointed - 2 Feb 1996 Appointed, Bishop of Evreux)
• Georges Paul Pontier (5 Aug 1996 Appointed - 12 May 2006 Appointed, Archbishop of Marseille)
• Bernard Housset (28 Nov 2006 Appointed - )

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Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
Diocese of La Rochelle
4 May 1648	Erected		Diocese of La Rochelle (erected)
29 November 1801	Territory Added	Diocese of Luçon (suppressed)	Diocese of La Rochelle
29 November 1801	Territory Added	Diocese of Saintes (suppressed)	Diocese of Angoulême Diocese of La Rochelle Diocese of Poitiers
6 October 1822	Territory Lost	Diocese of La Rochelle	Diocese of Luçon
Diocese of La Rochelle (-Saintes)
22 January 1852	United	Diocese of La Rochelle	Diocese of La Rochelle (-Saintes)
16 December 2002	Metropolitan Changed		Diocese of La Rochelle (-Saintes) (from Bordeaux)

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Statistics

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
Diocese of La Rochelle (-Saintes)
1950	400,000	500,000	80.0%	311	34	345	1,159		11	185	498	ap1951
1970	440,000	487,343	90.3%	259	42	301	1,461		52	438	503	ap1971
1980	455,000	502,800	90.5%	190	58	248	1,834		73	455	477	ap1981
1990	475,000	518,000	91.7%	161	43	204	2,328	2	58	361	476	ap1991
1999	498,000	539,000	92.4%	132	36	168	2,964	8	49	289	60	ap2000
2000	380,000	557,305	68.2%	124	35	159	2,389	10	47	284	63	ap2001
2001	380,000	557,305	68.2%	123	33	156	2,435	11	45	275	58	ap2002
2002	380,000	557,024	68.2%	111	29	140	2,714	11	40	248	58	ap2003
2003	380,000	557,024	68.2%	109	30	139	2,733	13	34	248	55	ap2004
2004	380,000	557,024	68.2%	121	33	154	2,467	14	37	221	55	ap2005

Note: Any changes in boundaries over time are not indicated in the above table.

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Affiliated Bishops, Living

• Jacques Louis Antoine Marie David (Bishop: 21 Feb 1985 to 2 Feb 1996)
• Jean-Charles Marie Descubes (Priest: 3 Jul 1965 to 13 Dec 1996)
• François-Marie-Christian Favreau (Coadjutor Bishop: 7 Oct 1977; Bishop: 17 Aug 1979 to 8 Sep 1983)
• Bernard Housset (Bishop: 28 Nov 2006 - )
• Georges Paul Pontier (Bishop: 5 Aug 1996 to 12 May 2006)

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Affiliated Bishops, Deceased

• Pierre-Marie-Etienne-Gustave Ardin † (Bishop: 10 Jan 1884 to 2 Apr 1892)
• Joseph Bernet † (Bishop: 29 Mar 1827 to 6 Oct 1835)
• François-Joseph-Edwin Bonnefoy † (Bishop: 26 Nov 1892 to 5 Apr 1901)
• Jean-Charles de Coucy † (Bishop: 16 Aug 1789 to 1816)
• Michel-François de Couët du Vivier de Lorry † (Bishop: 9 Apr 1802 to 20 Nov 1802)
• Eugène Curien † (Bishop: 23 Dec 1923 to 8 Nov 1937)
• Jean-Auguste-François-Eutrope Eyssautier † (Bishop: 27 Nov 1906 to 7 Mar 1923)
• Charles Magdelaine Frézeau de Frèzelière † (Bishop: 24 Dec 1693 to 4 Nov 1702)
• Jean-Baptiste-François-Anne-Thomas Landriot † (Bishop: 8 Apr 1856 to 30 Dec 1866)
• Henri-Marie de Laval de Bois-Dauphin † (Bishop: 1 Jul 1661 to 22 Nov 1693)
• Emile-Paul-Angel-Constant Le Camus † (Bishop: 5 Apr 1901 to 28 Sep 1906)
• Louis Liagre † (Bishop: 7 Mar 1938 to 10 Aug 1955)
• Jean-François de Mandolx † (Bishop: 30 Sep 1802 to 17 Dec 1804)
• François Xavier Arthur Florent Morilleau † (Coadjutor Bishop: 5 May 1954; Bishop: 10 Aug 1955 to 23 Mar 1963)
• Gabriel-Laurent Paillou(x) † (Bishop: 17 Dec 1804 to 15 Dec 1826)
• Marie-Joseph-Jean-Baptiste-André-Clément-Fulbert Petit † (Priest: 25 May 1857 to 16 Apr 1887)
• Léon-Benoit-Charles Thomas † (Bishop: 12 Jan 1867 to 10 Nov 1883)
• Henri-Victor Valleau † (Priest: 25 May 1861 to 26 Nov 1892)
• Félix-Marie-Honoré Verdet † (Bishop: 1 Jul 1963 to 17 Aug 1979)
• Clément Villecourt † (Bishop: 6 Oct 1835 to 7 Mar 1855)