The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson () (erected 22 February 1936) is a suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Vancouver The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Vancouver () is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Holy Rosary Cathedral (Vancouver), Holy R ...

Diocesan demographics

The diocese contains 31 parishes. Serving or retired in the diocese are 28 diocesan priests, 7 religious priests ministering to 75,000 Catholics. It also has 13 religious sisters and supports 7 Catholic schools. (As of March 2011) This diocese covers two time zones with the East Kootenay and Columbia Valley on Mountain Time and the rest on Pacific time.

History

In the late 1830s French Canadians in the Oregon Territory petitioned the Quebec bishops to have missionary priests sent beyond the Rocky Mountains. In response to this plea, Fathers François-Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers were sent West to a remote part of the Quebec diocese referred to as New Caledonia by the Hudson’s Bay Company. While at Boat Encampment on the Columbia River (Mica Dam area), Blanchet and Demers celebrated Mass on October 10, 1838 the first Mass celebrated in what later became the Diocese of Nelson. During the years of westward expansion and settlement, the spiritual needs of the region presently administered by the Diocese of Nelson came under the jurisdiction of various bishoprics: • Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory, 1843-1846 • Diocese of Vancouver Island, 1846-1863 • Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia, 1863-1890 • Diocese of New Westminster, 1890-1908 • Archdiocese of Vancouver, 1908-1936 On February 22, 1936,

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 ...

erected the Diocese of Nelson to cover the Kootenay and Okanagan regions of southeastern British Columbia.

Bishops

Ordinaries

* Martin Michael Johnson (1936–1954), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Vancouver, British Columbia * Thomas Joseph McCarthy (1955–1958), appointed Bishop of Saint Catharines, Ontario * Wilfrid Emmett Doyle (1958–1989) * Peter Joseph Mallon (1989–1995), appointed Archbishop of Regina, Saskatchewan * Eugene Cooney (1996–2007) * John Corriveau (2007–2018) * Gregory John Bittman (2018-present)

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Bartolomeus Van Roijen, appointed Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador, Newfoundland in 2019

Churches

Castlegar *St. Rita's Cranbrook
St. Mary'sChrist the Servant
Creston *Holy Cross Fernie *Holy Family Fruitvale *St. Rita's Golden *Sacred Heart Grand Forks *Sacred Heart Invermere *Canadian Martyrs Kelowna *Immaculate Conception Church *St. Pius X *Corpus Christi *St. Charles Garnier Keremeos *Our Lady of Lourdes Kimberley *Sacred Heart Nakusp * Our Lady of Lourdes Nelson

Oliver *Christ the King Osoyoos *St. Anne's Penticton *St. Ann's *St. John Vianney's Princeton *St. Peter's Revelstoke *St. Francis of Assisi Rossland *Sacred Heart Sparwood *St. Michael's Summerland *Holy Child Trail *Our Lady of Perpetual Help *St. Anthony / St. Francis Xavier West Kelowna *Our Lady of Lourdes Winfield *St. Edward's

Education

Catholic high schools

Catholic elementary schools

Religious institutes

Religious institutes of men

* Order of St. Augustine *

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation wa ...

* Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin * Order of the Friars Minor * MSTU Order * Order of St. Basil

Religious institutes of women

* Sisters of the Atonement (SA) * Sisters of Charity of Halifax (SC) * Sisters of Charity of St. Louis (SCSL) * Daughters of Providence (FDLP) * Congregation of Notre Dame (CND)

Notes

The diocese publishes th
Catholic Mountain Star
newspaper.

References

External links

* {{R-C provinces in Canada

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Christian organizations established in 1936 Organizations based in British Columbia Nelson, British Columbia Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century