Puneet Varma (Editor)

California (titular see)

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The Diocese of California, a residential episcopal see from 1840 to 1849, is now a titular see of the Catholic Church.

Contents

History

Pope Gregory XVI set up the Diocese of California with the papal bull Apostolicam sollicitudinem of 27 April 1840. He assigned to the new diocese a vast territory taken from that of the Diocese of Sonora, now the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hermosillo, in Mexico. It included Alta California (corresponding to the present-day American states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming) and the Baja California Territory (the modern Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur). He set the episcopal residence at San Diego and made the diocese a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mexico City.

After the Mexican-American War, Alta California became United States territory and the Holy See divided the American diocese into US and Mexican sections.

  • On 20 November 1849, with the episcopal residence moved to Monterey, a more central position for the new diocese, the bishopric was formally suppressed, with two successor jurisdictions :
  • the US section became the Diocese of Monterey.
  • Baja California, the part that remained Mexican, has since become the present Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tijuana, with its suffragan sees of Ensenada, La Paz en la Baja California Sur and Mexicali.

    • Residential Ordinaries

  • Francisco José Vicente Garcia Diego y Moreno, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (born Mexico) (1840.04.27 – death 1846.04.30)
  • Apostolic Administrator Father José Maria González Rúbio, O.F.M. (1846 – 1849.11.20), next Apostolic Administrator of Diocese of Monterrey (1849.11.20 – 1851).

    • Titular see

    The diocese was nominally restored as Latin Titular bishopric of California or Both Californias (English) / Ambas Californias (Spanish) / Latin adjective Californien(sis)

    It has had following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :

  • John James Ward (1996.06.15 – death 2011.01.10) as emeritate; previously Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles (California, USA) (1963.10.16 – 1996.05.07) and Titular Bishop of Bria (1963.10.16 – 1996.06.15)
  • William John Waltersheid, Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh (USA) (2011.02.25 – ...), no previous prelature.

    • References

    California (titular see) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA