Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana Dioecesis Alexandrina in Louisiana
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Parishes of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Catahoula Parish, Lasalle, Grant
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of New Orleans
Statistics
Area	28,780 sq mi (74,500 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 395,000 44,600 (11.3%)
Parishes	50
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1853
Cathedral	St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
Patron saint	St. Francis Xavier
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Ronald Paul Herzog Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana David Talley Coadjutor Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana
Metropolitan Archbishop	Gregory Michael Aymond Archbishop of New Orleans
Map
Website
diocesealex.org

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Rectory in Alexandria

The Diocese of Alexandria is the Roman Catholic diocese for central Louisiana, based in Alexandria, with its see at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. It encompasses the parishes, or counties, of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Cathoula, Lasalle, and Grant.

The current Bishop of the Diocese is Ronald Paul Herzog, who was appointed to office on November 4, 2004 and formally installed on January 5, 2005. Prior to becoming Bishop, he had been a priest of the Biloxi, Mississippi diocese since 1977. On September 21, 2016 Pope Francis named Atlanta Auxiliary Bishop David Talley as Coadjutor Bishop of Alexandria.^[1]

The corporate title of the diocese is The Diocese of Alexandria. The Latin title of the diocese is Dioecesis Alexandrina in Louisiana.

History

The diocese was founded in 1853 as the Diocese of Natchitoches (Natchitochensis) and the first Bishop of was Augustus Marie Martin.

In 1910, the name of the Diocese changed to the Diocese of Alexandria (Alexandrinus).

In 1976, the name of the Diocese changed again to the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport (Alexandrinus-Shreveportuensis). It was known by this name until the summer of 1986, when the northern Louisiana portion of the territory was separated to form the new Diocese of Shreveport. Once again, the diocese was known as the Diocese of Alexandria.^[2]

Ordinaries of the Diocese

The list of the bishops of the diocese and their years of service:

1. Augustus Marie Martin (1853–1875), Deceased
2. Francis Xavier Leray (1876–1879), Reassigned as Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans
3. Anthony Durier (1884–1904), Deceased
4. Cornelius Van de Ven (1904–1932), Deceased
5. Daniel Francis Desmond (1932–1945),His Deceased
6. Charles Pasquale Greco (1946–1973), Retired
7. Lawrence Preston Joseph Graves (1973–1982), Resigned
8. William Benedict Friend (1982–1986), Reassigned as Bishop of Shreveport, Louisiana
9. John Clement Favalora (1986–1989), Reassigned as Bishop of Saint Petersburg
10. Sam Gallip Jacobs (1989–2003), Reassigned as Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana
11. Ronald Paul Herzog (2004–Present)
12. David Talley (2016-Present), Coadjutor

High schools

• Holy Savior Menard Central High School, Alexandria
• St. Joseph High School, Plaucheville
• St. Mary's High School, Natchitoches

Arms

Arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected. Adopted 1853 Escutcheon Gules, a cross throughout Argent between four bells of the last; overall, at the center point, a crescent checky Sable and Or. Symbolism The red background is used to signify the Red River that runs through the See City. The cross, of The Faith, divides the four bells that are taken from the arms of the Patriarchal See of Alexandria, in Egypt, for which the See City is named. Overall, at the center of the design is a black and gold (yellow) checky crescent, which is taken from the arms of the Spanish family “Xavier,” and this symbol is used throughout ecclesiastical heraldry as the classic charge for Saint Francis Xavier, titular of the cathedral-church in Alexandria.

References

1. ↑ "Bishop David Talley named coadjutor for Diocese of Alexandria". Diocese of Alexandria. Retrieved 2016-09-21. 
2. ↑ "Diocese of Alexandria". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-20. 

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria Official Site

Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
Ordinaries	Bishops of Natchitoches Augustus Marie Martin Francis Xavier Leray Anthony Durier Cornelius Van de Ven Bishops of Alexandria in Louisiana Cornelius Van de Ven Daniel Francis Desmond Charles Pasquale Greco Lawrence Preston Joseph Graves William Benedict Friend John Clement Favalora Sam Gallip Jacobs Ronald Paul Herzog
Churches	Cathedral St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Alexandria Parishes Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Natchitoches
Education	High schools Holy Savior Menard Central High School, Alexandria St. Joseph High School, Plaucheville St. Mary's High School, Natchitoches
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Coordinates: 31°17′34″N 92°27′33″W / 31.29278°N 92.45917°W / 31.29278; -92.45917