The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Katowice () is the Latin Metropolitan
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in Poland. It is an ecclesiastical province in Western
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
Special churches
Its
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
archiepiscopal see is Archikatedra Chrystusa Króla, dedicated to
Christ the King
Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where Christ is described as being seated at the right hand of God.
Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one o ...
, in the city of
Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
,
Śląskie.
It has several
Minor basilica
Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...
s :
* Bazylika św. Ludwika Króla i Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny, also in Katowice
* Bazylika Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny (Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Uśmiechniętej), in
Pszów
* Bazylika NMP i św. Bartłomieja Apostoła (Sanktuarium Matki Sprawiedliwości i Miłości Społecznej), in
Piekary Śląskie
* Bazylika św. Antoniego Padewskiego, in
Rybnik
Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 mi) from the Czech Republic, Czech border. It i ...
.
Province
Its
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...
comprises the Metropolitan's own Archdiocese and these
suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
bishoprics:
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gliwice
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Opole
History
On 7 November 1922, the Holy See disentangled the Roman Catholic parishes in the Polish
Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship, territorially comprising the East of formerly Austrian
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...
(since 1918) and formerly German
East Upper Silesia (since 1922) from the then
Diocese of Breslau as a permanent
Apostolic Administration of Upper Silesia on 17 December the same year.
* On 28 October 1925,
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
elevated that apostolic administration and renamed it after its see to Diocese of Katowice, then as
suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
of the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Kraków
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
, by the
papal Bull
A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it.
History
Papal ...
''Vixdum Poloniae Unitas''.
* In 1947, it lost territory to establish the
Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín.
* It enjoyed Papal visits from the Polish
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
in June 1983 and June 1999.
* It was promoted on March 25, 1992, as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Katowice.
Statistics
As of 2021, it pastorally served 1,390,000 Catholics (95.1% of 1,461,000 total) on 2,400 km² in 322 parishes and 6 missions with 1,066 priests (938 diocesan, 128 religious), 5 deacons, 1,023 lay religious (193 brothers, 830 sisters) and 49 seminarians.
Episcopal ordinaries
;Apostolic Administrator of Upper Silesia
* August Hlond,
Salesians (S.D.B.) (1922.11.07 – 1925.10.28)
;Suffragan Bishops of Katowice
*
August Hlond (1925.12.14 – 1926.06.24), also President of Episcopal Conference of Poland (1926 – 1948.10.22), later Metropolitan Archbishop of
Gniezno–Poznan (Poland) (1926.06.24 – 1948.10.22), created
Cardinal-Priest
A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...
of
Santa Maria della Pace (1927.12.22 – 1948.10.22), Founder of the
Society of Christ for Polish Immigrants (1932.09.08), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Warszawa (Poland) (1946.06.13 – death 1948.10.22)
*
Arkadiusz Lisiecki (1926.06.24 – death 1930.05.13)
*
Stanisław Adamski (1930.09.02 – death 1967.11.12)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Teofilo Bromboszcz (1934.03.24 – death 1937.01.12), Titular Bishop of
Candyba
Kandyba or Candyba ( Hittite: 𒄭𒅔𒁺𒉿 ''Hinduwa'', Lycian: 𐊜𐊙𐊋𐊂𐊆 ''Xãkbi'', , ) was a settlement in ancient Lycia, in modern-day Antalya province on the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
The modern Turkish vil ...
(1934.03.24 – 1937.01.12)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Juliusz Bieniek (1937.03.13 – death 1978.01.17), Titular Bishop of
Dascylium (1937.03.13 – 1978.01.17)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Kurpas (1962.11.23 – death 1992.05.19)Titular Bishop of
Orisa
Orishas (singular: orisha) are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several African diaspora religions, religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban Santería and B ...
(1962.11.23 – 1992.05.19)
*
Herbert Bednorz (1967.11.12 – retired 1983), succeeding as former
Coadjutor Bishop
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese.
The coa ...
of Katowice (1950.05.04 – 1967.11.12) &
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of
Bulla regia
Bulla Regia was a Berbers, Berber, Punics, Punic, and ancient Romans, Roman town near present-day Jendouba, Tunisia. Its surviving ruins and archaeological site are noted for their Emperor Hadrian, Hadrianic-era semi-subterranean housing, a prote ...
(1950.05.04 – 1967.11.12)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Czesław Domin (1970.06.06 – 1992.02.01), Titular Bishop of
Dagnum (1970.06.06 – 1992.02.01), later Bishop of
Koszalin–Kołobrzeg (Poland) (1992.02.01 – death 1996.03.15)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Janusz Edmund Zimniak (1980.09.25 – 1992.03.25), Titular Bishop of
Polignano (1980.09.25 – ...), next as Auxiliary Bishop of
Bielsko–Żywiec (Poland) (1992.03.25 – retired 2010.01.16)
*
Damian Zimoń (1985.06.03 – see promotion 1992.03.25 ''see below'')
** Auxiliary Bishop:
Gerard Bernacki (1988.03.18 – retired 2012.01.31), Titular Bishop of
Sala Consilina (1988.03.18 – 2018.12.21))
;Metropolitan Archbishops of Katowice
*
Damian Zimoń (''see above'' 1992.03.25 – retired 2011.10.29)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Piotr Libera (1996.11.23 – 2007.05.02), Titular Bishop of
Centuria
''Centuria'' (; : ''centuriae'') is a Latin term (from the stem ''centum'' meaning one hundred) denoting military units originally consisting of 100 men. The size of the centuria changed over time, and from the first century BC through most of ...
(1996.11.23 – 2007.05.02), also Secretary General of Episcopal Conference of Poland (1998 – 2007); later Bishop of
Płock
Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...
(Poland) (2007.05.02 – 2022.06.04)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Stefan Cichy (1998.08.26 – 2005.03.19), Titular Bishop of
Bonusta (1998.08.26 – 2005.03.19), later Bishop of
Legnica
Legnica (; , ; ; ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. As well as being the seat of the county, since 1992 the city has been the seat of the Diocese of Legnica. Le ...
(Poland) (2005.03.19 – 2014.04.16)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Piotr Kupny (2005.12.21 – 2013.05.18), Titular Bishop of
Vanariona (2005.12.21 – 2013.05.18), later Metropolitan Archbishop of
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
(Breslau, Poland) (2013.05.18 – ...)
*
Wiktor Skworc (2011.10.29 – 31 May 2023),
formerly Bishop of
Tarnów
Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...
(Poland) (1997.12.13 – 2011.10.29)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Marek Szkudło (2014.12.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of
Wigry (2014.12.13 – ...)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Adam Wodarczyk (2014.12.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of
Pomezania (2014.12.13 – ...)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Grzegorz Olszowski (2018.06.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of Rhoga (2018.06.13 – ...)
*
Adrian Joseph Galbas (31 May 2023
[ – 4 November 2024)
formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Elk (2019.12.12-2021.12.04), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop on 4 December 2021, and succeeded the see on 31 May 2023. Transferred to Archdiocese of Warsaw on 4 November 2024.
]
See also
* List of bishops of Katowice
* List of Catholic dioceses in Poland
* Roman Catholicism in Poland
Polish members of the Catholic Church, like elsewhere in the world, are under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Latin Church includes 41 dioceses. There are three eparchies of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the country ...
Sources and external links
GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links - data for all sections
Diocese website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katowice, Roman Catholic Archdiocese
Roman Catholic dioceses in Poland
Religious organizations established in 1925
Organisations based in Katowice