Archdiocese of Louisville

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Bishop(s) Shelton Joseph Fabre, Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz, Archbishop Emeritus Suffragan Dioceses Covington Knoxville Lexington Memphis Nashville Owensboro

General Information Type of Jurisdiction: Archdiocese Elevated: 10 December 1937 Metropolitan See Rite: Latin (or Roman) State: Kentucky Country: United States of America Square Kilometers: 21,041 (8,127 Square Miles) Conference Region: V (AL, KY, LA, MS, TN) Catholic Directory Abbreviation: L Official Web Site: http://www.archlou.org/ Mailing Address: 3940 Poplar Level Rd., Louisville, KY 40213, USA Telephone: (502)585-3291 Fax: 585-2466

Historical Details

• Diocese of Bardstown
  • Erected: 8 April 1808
  • Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Baltimore
  • State: Kentucky
  • Country: United States of America

• Diocese of Louisville
  • Latin Name: Ludovicopolitana
  • Name Changed: 13 February 1841
  • Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Cincinnati
  • State: Kentucky
  • Country: United States of America

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Past and Present Ordinaries

• Benedict Joseph Flaget, P.S.S. † (8 Apr 1808 Appointed - 25 Aug 1832 Resigned)
• John Baptist Mary David, P.S.S. † (25 Aug 1832 Succeeded - 21 Mar 1834 Resigned)
• Benedict Joseph Flaget, P.S.S. † (17 Mar 1833 Appointed - 11 Feb 1850 Died)
• Martin John Spalding † (11 Feb 1850 Succeeded - 6 May 1864 Appointed, Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland)
• Peter Joseph Lavialle † (7 Jul 1865 Appointed - 11 May 1867 Died)
• William George McCloskey † (3 Mar 1868 Appointed - 17 Sep 1909 Died)
• Denis O’Donaghue † (7 Feb 1910 Appointed - 26 Jul 1924 Retired)
• John Alexander Floersh † (26 Jul 1924 Succeeded - 25 Feb 1967 Retired)
• Thomas Joseph McDonough † (25 Feb 1967 Appointed - 29 Sep 1981 Resigned)
• Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O.P. † (28 Dec 1981 Appointed - 12 Jun 2007 Retired)
• Joseph Edward Kurtz (12 Jun 2007 Appointed - 8 Feb 2022 Retired)
• Shelton Joseph Fabre (8 Feb 2022 Appointed - )

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Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
Diocese of Bardstown
8 April 1808	Erected	Diocese of Baltimore	Diocese of Boston (erected) (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Vermont) Diocese of Bardstown (erected) (States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and the Old Northwest Territory) Diocese of New York (erected) (State of New York plus Sussex, Bergen, Morris, Essex, Somerset, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties in New Jersey) Diocese of Philadelphia (erected) (Pennsylvania, Delaware, and 7 counties of New Jersey)
19 June 1821	Territory Lost	Diocese of Bardstown	Diocese of Cincinnati (erected) (Ohio)
6 May 1834	Territory Lost	Diocese of Bardstown	Diocese of Vincennes (erected) (Indiana and the eastern portion of Illinois)
6 May 1834	Territory Lost	Diocese of Bardstown	Diocese of Saint Louis (the rest of Illinois (not part of Vincennes))
18 June 1834	Territory Added		Diocese of Bardstown (KY and TN)
28 July 1837	Territory Lost	Diocese of Bardstown	Diocese of Nashville (erected) (State of Tennessee)
Diocese of Louisville
13 February 1841	Name Changed	Diocese of Bardstown	Diocese of Louisville
19 July 1850	Metropolitan Changed		Diocese of Cleveland (from Baltimore to Cincinnati) Diocese of Detroit (from Baltimore to Cincinnati) Diocese of Louisville (from Baltimore to Cincinnati) Diocese of Vincennes (from Baltimore to Cincinnati)
29 July 1853	Territory Lost	Diocese of Louisville	Diocese of Covington (erected) (Eastern part of KY)
9 December 1937	Territory Lost	Diocese of Louisville (Ballard, Carliste, Hickman, Fulton, McCracken, Graves, Livingston, Marshall, Calloway, Trigg, Lyon, Crittenden, Caldwell, Christian, Hopkins, Webster, Union, Henderson, Daviess, Eandock, McLean, Ohio, Muhlenberg, Butler, Todd, Logan, Breckinridge, ...)	Diocese of Owensboro (erected)
Archdiocese of Louisville
10 December 1937	Elevated	Diocese of Louisville	Archdiocese of Louisville
14 January 1988	Territory Lost	Diocese of Covington (Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clark, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Garrard, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Jessimine, Johnson, Knot, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Manifee, Montgo...) Archdiocese of Louisville (Anderson, Boyle, Lincoln, McCreary, Mercer, Pulaski, and Wayne)	Diocese of Lexington (erected)

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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 Louisville
1910	135,421			142	62	204	663					ce
Archdiocese of Louisville
1950	132,050	905,078	14.6%	168	133	301	438		246	420	110	ap1951
1965	196,271	1,097,104	17.9%	280	186	466	421		377	1,526	137	ap1967
1970	196,537	1,097,104	17.9%	259	159	418	470		303	1,482	123	ap1971
1976	196,505	1,223,700	16.1%	255	113	368	533		261	1,542	124	ap1977
1980	210,154	1,320,000	15.9%	248	110	358	587	44	232	1,462	126	ap1981
1990	196,734	1,156,000	17.0%	206	73	279	705	82	167	1,281	126	ap1991
1999	178,420	1,139,022	15.7%	185	59	244	731	96	83	1,026	113	ap2000
2000	196,929	1,206,280	16.3%	176	64	240	820	107	152	953	112	ap2001
2001	196,910	1,215,069	16.2%	172	66	238	827	108	150	987	112	ap2002
2002	197,283	1,220,070	16.2%	170	65	235	839	106	146	941	111	ap2003
2003	197,285	1,220,070	16.2%	171	59	230	857	111	138	944	111	ap2004
2004	196,888	1,119,465	17.6%	159	58	217	907	110	137	870	111	ap2005
2006	210,000	1,190,000	17.6%	144	61	205	1,024	104	133	796	112	ap2007
2010	218,000	1,234,000	17.7%	136	56	192	1,135	119	117	697	102	ap2011
2013	224,600	1,368,911	16.4%	133	50	183	1,227	140	106	580	102	ap2014
2016	280,000	1,389,465	20.2%	139	41	180	1,555	130	87	494	111	ap2017
2019	183,831	1,413,500	13.0%	140	49	189	972	142	93	501	101	ap2020
2021	174,330	1,396,298	12.5%	140	50	190	917	141	85	744	101	ap2022

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

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Affiliated Bishops, Living

• Shelton Joseph Fabre (Archbishop: 8 Feb 2022 - )
• Joseph Edward Kurtz (Archbishop: 12 Jun 2007 to 8 Feb 2022)
• William Edward Lori
• William Francis Medley (Priest: 22 May 1982 to 15 Dec 2009)
• Robert William Muench
• Joseph Mark Spalding (Priest: 3 Aug 1991 to 21 Nov 2017)
• Charles Coleman Thompson (Deacon: 25 Oct 1986; Priest: 30 May 1987 to 26 Apr 2011)
• James Kendrick Williams (Priest: 25 May 1963 to 15 Apr 1984)

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Affiliated Bishops, Deceased

• Guy Ignatius Chabrat, P.S.S. † (Deacon: 21 Sep 1811; Priest: 21 Dec 1811; Coadjutor Bishop: 27 Jul 1832 - Did Not Take Effect)
• Francis Ridgley Cotton † (Priest: 17 Jun 1920 to 16 Dec 1937)
• John Baptist Mary David, P.S.S. † (Coadjutor Bishop: 4 Jul 1817; Bishop: 25 Aug 1832 to 21 Mar 1834)
• Roland Pierre DuMaine †
• Benedict Joseph Flaget, P.S.S. † (Bishop: 8 Apr 1808 to 25 Aug 1832)
• John Alexander Floersh † (Coadjutor Bishop: 6 Feb 1923; Bishop: 26 Jul 1924; Archbishop: 10 Dec 1937 to 25 Feb 1967)
• Michael Heiss † (Priest: 18 Oct 1840 to 3 Mar 1868)
• Rupert (Gilbert Paul) Hillerich, O.F.M. Conv. †
• Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O.P. † (Archbishop: 28 Dec 1981 to 12 Jun 2007)
• Peter Joseph Lavialle † (Priest: 12 Feb 1844; Bishop: 7 Jul 1865 to 11 May 1867)
• Charles Garrett Maloney † (Priest: 8 Dec 1937; Auxiliary Bishop: 30 Dec 1954 to 5 Jan 1988)
• William George McCloskey † (Bishop: 3 Mar 1868 to 17 Sep 1909)
• Thomas Joseph McDonough † (Archbishop: 25 Feb 1967 to 29 Sep 1981)
• John McGill † (Priest: 13 Jun 1835 to 23 Jul 1850)
• George Thomas Montgomery †
• Denis O’Donaghue † (Bishop: 7 Feb 1910 to 26 Jul 1924)
• Theodore Henry Reverman † (Priest: 26 Jul 1901 to 2 Jul 1926)
• James Ryan † (Priest: 24 Dec 1871 to 28 Feb 1888)
• John Lancaster Spalding † (Priest: 19 Dec 1863 to 19 Dec 1876)
• Martin John Spalding † (Priest: 13 Aug 1834; Coadjutor Bishop: 9 May 1848; Bishop: 11 Feb 1850 to 6 May 1864)

Source(s)

Diocese of Louisville Series Episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Volume 1, Page 172 Archdiocese of Louisville Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Volume 30, Page 260, to Page 262

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