Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville

Diocese of Nashville Dioecesis Nashvillensis
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Middle Tennessee
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of Louisville
Population - Catholics	70,633 (3.4%)
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	July 28, 1837
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Incarnation
Patron saint	St. Joseph Our Lady of Guadalupe
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	David Raymond Choby Bishop of Nashville
Metropolitan Archbishop	Joseph Edward Kurtz Archbishop of Louisville
Map
File:Diocese of Nashville map.PNG
Website
dioceseofnashville.com

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville (Latin: Dioecesis Nashvillensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tennessee. It was founded on July 28, 1837 by the Dominican Bishop Richard Pius Miles. The Cathedral Church of the Incarnation is the seat of the Bishops of Nashville.

History

Cathedral of the Incarnation, Nashville

Extent of diocese

Prior to 1970, the diocese encompassed the entire state. At that time, Pope Paul VI removed the westernmost counties in the state to create the new Diocese of Memphis; 18 years later, Pope John Paul II removed the easternmost counties to create the Diocese of Knoxville.

The diocese today

The remnant Nashville diocese now encompasses roughly the counties in the Middle Grand Division of the state, with the majority of its membership living in Nashville and surrounding suburbs. However, some parishes outside that area have seen considerable growth in recent times due to the influx of Hispanic immigrants settling in some smaller communities; often, the Spanish-speaking membership outnumbers the English-speaking communicants in such churches.

A study released in 2014 by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University cited the Diocese of Nashville as having the 8th highest rate of conversions to Catholicism.

The cathedral of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Incarnation, located on West End Avenue in Nashville, close to the Vanderbilt University campus. St. Mary's Church, located in downtown, served as the diocese's cathedral until 1914.

Ordinaries

The following is a list of Bishops who served the Diocese of Nashville, along with their dates of service:

1. Richard Pius Miles, OP (1837–1860)
2. James Whelan, OP (1860–1864)
3. Patrick Feehan (1865–1880)
4. Joseph Rademacher (1883–1893)
5. Thomas Sebastian Byrne (1894–1923)
6. Alphonse John Smith (1923–1935)
7. William Lawrence Adrian (1936–1969)
8. Joseph Aloysius Durick (1969–1975)
9. James Daniel Niedergeses (1975–1992)
10. Edward Urban Kmiec (1992–2004)
11. David Raymond Choby (2005—)

Current parishes and missions

Nashville area

Antioch

• St. Ignatius

Brentwood

• Holy Family

Franklin

• St. Matthew
• St. Phillip

Gallatin

• St. John Vianney

Hendersonville

• Our Lady of the Lake

Joelton

• St. Lawrence

Lebanon

• St. Frances Cabrini

Nashville

• Cathedral of the Incarnation
• Church of the Assumption
• Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (college chaplaincy at Vanderbilt University)
• Christ the King
• Holy Name
• Holy Rosary
• Mary, Queen of Angels
• Our Lady of Guadaloupe
• St. Anne
• St. Edward
• St. Henry
• St. Mary of the Seven Dolors (protocathedral)
• St. Patrick
• St. Pius X
• St. Vincent de Paul

Old Hickory

• St. Stephen

Outside Nashville

Alto

• St. Margaret Mary (mission)

Ashland City

• St. Martha

Cedar Hill

• St. Michael (mission)

Celina

• Divine Savior (mission)

Centerville

• Christ the Redeemer

Clarksville

• Immaculate Conception

Columbia

• St. Catherine

Cookeville

• St. Thomas Aquinas

Decherd

• Good Shepherd

Dickson

• St. Christopher

Dover

• St. Francis of Assisi

Fayetteville

• St. Anthony

Hohenwald

• Holy Trinity

Lafeyette

• Holy Family

Lawrenceburg

• Sacred Heart

Lewisburg

• St. John the Evangelist

Loretto

• Sacred Heart
• St. Joseph

Madison

• St. Joseph

Manchester

• St. Mark

McEwen

• St. Patrick

McMinnville

• St. Catherine

Murfreesboro

• St. Rose of Lima. When this church was proposed, the Ku Klux Klan organized a march against it in 1929. The church predominately served Irish, Italian, and German immigrants.

Pulaski

• Immaculate Conception

Shelbyville

• St. William

Smithville

• St. Gregory

Smyrna

• St. Luke

Sparta

• St. Andrew

Spring Hill

• Nativity

Springfield

• Our Lady of Lourdes

Tennessee Ridge

• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Tullahoma

• St. Paul the Apostle

Waynesboro

• St. Cecilia

Catholic education

Primary and middle schools

Nashville area

Franklin

• St. Matthew School (K-8)

Gallatin

• St. John Vianney School (Pre K—8)

Nashville

• Christ the King (Pre K—8)
• Holy Rosary Academy (K-8)
• Overbrook School (Pre K—8)
• St. Ann School (Pre K—8)
• St. Bernard Academy(Pre K—8)
• St. Edward School (Pre K—8)
• St. Henry School (Pre K—8)
• St. Pius X Classical Academy (Pre K—8)

Madison

• St. Joseph School (Pre K—8)

Outside Nashville

Clarksville

• Immaculate Conception Elementary School (Pre K—8)

Decherd

• Good Shepherd School (Pre K—8)

Lawrenceburg

• Sacred Heart School (Pre K—8)

Loretto

• Sacred Heart School (Pre K—8)

McEwen

• St. Patrick School (Pre K—8)

Murfreesboro

• St. Rose of Lima School (K-8)

Tullahoma

• St. Paul the Apostle School (K—8)

High schools

• Father Ryan High School, Nashville
• Pope John Paul II High School, Hendersonville
• St. Cecilia Academy, Nashville

Colleges

• Aquinas College, Nashville (run by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia)

See also

• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic Church hierarchy
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville Official Site