Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen

Diocese of Metuchen
Dioecesis Metuchenis

The coat of arms of the Diocese of Metuchen
Location
Country United States
Territory Counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren, New Jersey
Ecclesiastical province Metropolitan Province of Newark
Statistics
Area 3,688 km2 (1,424 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2013)
1,527,000
642,000 (42.0%)
Parishes 94
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established November 19, 1981
Cathedral Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop James F. Checchio
Bishop of Metuchen
Metropolitan Archbishop John Joseph Myers
Archbishop of Newark
Map
Website
diometuchen.org
St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen (Latin: Dioecesis Metuchenis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in New Jersey, centered in the borough of Metuchen. It was erected on November 19, 1981, from the territory of the Diocese of Trenton. The diocese encompasses the New Jersey counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. The Bishop of Metuchen presides from the Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen.

The diocese counts more than 600,000 Catholics within its purview, distributed across more than one hundred parishes, serviced by 160 priests residing in the diocese, with 100 non-resident priests and 150 deacons assisting. Six hundred religious serve the schools and various organizations throughout the diocese.

History

In 2006, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the diocese's founding, it began preparations for a synod, the First Synod of the Diocese of Metuchen.

Ordinaries of the diocese

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

  1. Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1981–1986) Appointed Archbishop of Newark on May 30, 1986; appointed Archbishop of Washington on November 21, 2000; created Cardinal on February 21, 2001; retired on May 16, 2006.
  2. † Edward Thomas Hughes (1986–1997) Retired on July 7, 1997; died on December 25, 2012.
  3. † Vincent DePaul Breen (1997–2002) Resigned in 2002; died on March 30, 2003.
  4. Paul Gregory Bootkoski (2002–2016) Appointed bishop of Metuchen in 2002; retired on March 8, 2016.
  5. James Francis Checchio (2016–present) Current bishop of the diocese; named on March 8, 2016.[1]

† = deceased

High schools

Elementary and junior high schools

A member of the Saint Peter's Healthcare System

Ecclesiastical province

Arms

The official coat of arms is blazoned with Quarterly, Or and Argent, in dexter chief a tongue of fire Gules; in sinister base the letter "M" Azure, crowned Argent; overall a cross Moline Azure. The cross is taken from the arms of the See of Trenton from which the diocese was formed; the tongue of fire refers both to "metachen," Lenni Lenape for firewood, and the descent of the Holy Spirit; the crowned M refers to the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the diocesan patron, founding bishop Theodore McCarrick's arms, and Pope John Paul II's arms. Its four quarters represent the four counties comprising the diocese.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rinunce e nomine, 08.03.2016". Bollettino (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Saint Peter's Healthcare System | Saint Peter's University Hospital". Saintpetershcs.com. Retrieved 2011-02-14.

Coordinates: 40°32′32.8″N 74°21′45.96″W / 40.542444°N 74.3627667°W / 40.542444; -74.3627667

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