Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst in Canada

for namesakes, see Diocese of Bathurst

Diocese of Bathurst Dioecesis Bathurstensis in Canada Diocèse de Bathurst
File:Coat of Arms of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst.svg Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Bathurst
Location
Country	Canada
Ecclesiastical province	Moncton
Statistics
Population - Catholics	105,000 (91%)
Parishes	57
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Cathedral	Sacred Heart Cathedral
Secular priests	41
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Vacant
Website
diocesebathurst.com

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst (in Canada) (originally Diocese of Chatham) (Latin: Dioecesis Bathurstensis in Canada) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Moncton. It has its cathedral episcopal see, Sacred Heart Cathedral, in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada.

History

The Diocese of Chatham was erected 8 May 1860, as the Diocese of Chatham, and covered the entire north of the Province of New Brunswick.

In its early years, Irish clergy dominated its affairs, though there was a French Catholic majority population in more northerly Restigouche and Gloucester Counties. Northumberland County, where Chatham was located, was predominantly Irish and Scottish Catholic. Over time, however, the tendency of the Irish to prefer an urban life, and move to Boston and other parts of the US, reduced the English-speaking Catholic populations, especially in the northern counties.

The first bishop was The Most Reverend James Rogers who retired in 1903, a well-respected and portly Irishman who did much to build the Catholic Church in the Diocese. Religious institutes were brought in, schools and hospitals built and vocations harvested. A fine cathedral, now St. Michael's Basilica was constructed, with a matching Bishop's Palace which housed the diocesan administration as well as the bishop. Colleges were opened in Chatham for the English (now St. Thomas University) and Bathurst for the French (Collège du Sacré-Coeur de Bathurst, merged into Université de Moncton). Bishop Thomas Barry continued Bishop Roger's work from 1902 to 1920.

The next appointment in 1920 was a French speaker. By this time the French were in a majority in the diocese, and Bishop Patrice Chiasson decided to move his headquarters to Bathurst, a majority French-speaking area. The move was complete in 1938 and it was renamed on 13 March 1938.

Bishop Camille Leblanc, who served from 1942 to 1969, was especially esteemed for his simplicity and frugal life style.

Territorial losses

Year	Along with	To form
1936	Diocese of Saint John, New Brunswick	Archdiocese of Moncton
1944		Diocese of Edmundston

Incumbent episcopal Ordinaries

• James Rogers (1860 - 1902)
• Thomas Francis Barry (1902 - 1920)
• Patrice Alexandre Chiasson, C.I.M. (1920 - 1942)
• Camille-André Le Blanc (1942 - 1969)
• Edgar Godin (1969 - 1985)
• Arsène Richard (1985 - 1989)
• André Richard, C.S.C. (1989 - 2002)
• Valéry Vienneau (2002 - 2012)
• Daniel Jodoin (2013 - )

External links and references

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst site
• GigaCatholic, with incumbent biographies
• First Catholic Bishop of Bathurst Accessed October 17, 2012
• Bathurst School Controversy in 1860s Accessed October 17, 2012