About the Diocese

The Diocese of Santa Rosa was established on February 21, 1962. Drawn from portions of two previously existing dioceses, San Francisco and Sacramento, the new Diocese formed the northern counties of California into a new Church territory with its center in Santa Rosa.   

Today, The Diocese of Santa Rosa includes a Catholic population of about 150,000 people in the counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte. As such, it is geographically large and very diverse; but demographically, it remains the smallest of the dioceses in California.

The Cathedral of St. Eugene was built in 1950, on the site of the Asistencia Santa Rosa de Lima Ð a small mission outpost established by the creek where a young Native American woman was baptized in 1828, on the feast of St. Rose.  To mark that occasion, Fr. Juan Amoros - a successor of Fr. Junipero Serra --   declared the creek and its entire area would henceforth be known as Santa Rosa.  And so it remains. 

Territory

11,711 Square Miles comprising Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties in the State of California

History

Established as a Diocese February 21, 1962 from portions of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Diocese of Sacramento.  Pastored, in succession, by five bishops: Leo T. Maher (1962-1969), Mark J. Hurley (1969-1986), John T. Steinbock (1987-1991), G. Patrick Ziemann (1992-1999), and Daniel Walsh (2000-  )

Population

148,605 Catholics in an area population of 758,893

Parishes

• 42 Parishes
• 22 Missions

Personnel

• 90 Diocesan Priests, 61 on active duty
• 13 Religious Order Priests
• 21 Priests serving from other dioceses
• 69 Women Religious (sisters)
• 35 Brothers
• 39 Permanent Deacons
• 31 Lay Ministers

Education

• 5 High Schools: 2 Diocesan, 2 operated by Religious orders, 1 parochial
• 14 Elementary Schools: 1 Diocesan, 12 Parochial, 1 Private
• School enrollment: 4,013
• Catechesis/Religious Education Enrollment: 7,741
• Total students under Catholic formation: 12,559

Welfare

• 5 Catholic hospitals (543,795 people assisted per year)
• 1 Home for the aged (54 people assisted)
• 12 Special centers for Social Services (28,429 people assisted)
• 2 Residence for the disabled (12 people assisted)

Sacraments/Rites per year

• 3,254 Infant Baptisms
• 125 Adult Baptisms
• 187 Received into full communion
• 2,204 First Communions
• 870 Confirmations
• 774 Marriages
• 995 Funerals

All figures from the 2003 Official Catholic Directory of the United States