Denomination Roman Catholic Secular priests 96 | Ecclesiastical province Westminster Area 12,570 km² | |
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Population- Total- Catholics (as of 2011)2,873,00099,800 (3.5%) Cathedral |
The Diocese of East Anglia is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church covering the counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Peterborough in eastern England. The diocese makes up part of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage.
Contents
Statistics
There are 85,309 members of the church who belong to the 59 parishes in the diocese. The patrons of the diocese are Our Lady of Walsingham (24 September), St Felix (8 March) and St Edmund (20 November).
Boundaries
The diocese is divided into seven deaneries, which are in turn divided into 50 parishes.
History
On 13 March 1976, by the decree Quod Ecumenicum, Pope Paul VI formed the Diocese of East Anglia (from the counties of Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk) out of the Diocese of Northampton.
On 2 June 1976, the new diocese received its first bishop, Alan Clark. Bishop Clark had previously been auxiliary bishop of Northampton and co-chairman of ARCIC (Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission), with the cathedral being established at the former parish church of St John the Baptist, Norwich. As the first bishop of the new diocese, Bishop Clark had to set up all the necessary instruments and commissions for the diocese to operate successfully. The establishment of the Diocesan Pastoral Council in 1987 strengthened these.
The diocese continued to grow with the development of the diocesan offices and diocesan tribunal attached to Bishop's House in Poringland near Norwich. Bishop Clark led a number of Lourdes pilgrimages.
Ordinaries
Pilgrimage
The diocese makes up part of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage.