| Jurisdiction: | Diocese |
| Birmingham in Alabama | |
| Latin: | Dioecesis Birminghamiensis |
| Coat: | Coat of arms of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama.svg |
| Coat Size: | 150px |
| Country: |  United States |
| Territory: | Northern Alabama |
| Province: | Mobile |
| Area Sqmi: | 28,091 |
| Population: | 3,187,797 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Catholics: | 113,241 |
| Catholics Percent: | 3.5 |
| Parishes: | 54 |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Rite: | Roman Rite |
| Established: | 28 June 1969 (split from Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham) |
| Cathedral: | Cathedral of Saint Paul |
| Patron: | Saint Paul |
| Bishop: | Steven John Raica |
| Metro Archbishop: | Thomas John Rodi |
| Emeritus Bishops: | Robert Joseph Baker |
| Map: | Diocese of Birmingham.jpg |
| Map Size: | 150px |
| Website: | bhmdiocese.org |
The Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory. or diocese, of the Catholic Church that encompasses the northern 39 counties of Alabama in the United States.[1] It was erected on December 9, 1969, with territory from what is now the Archdiocese of Mobile. The Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mobile.
The Cathedral of Saint Paul, in Birmingham, Alabama serves as the Episcopal see of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. EWTN, a major Catholic media enterprise, is located in the diocese.
After the American Revolution ended in 1791, the Birmingham area and most of Alabama was considered part of the State of Georgia. In 1793, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas centered in New Orleans to administer most of the Deep South region of the new United States.[2]
In 1837, the Vatican created the Vicariate Apostolic of Alabama and the Florida, covering all of the new State of Alabama. The vicariate was succeeded in 1834 by the Diocese of Mobile. The Birmingham area would remain part of the Diocese of Mobile, succeeded by the Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham, for the next 135 years.
In 1844, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, the first Catholic church in Tuscaloosa, was opened.[3] The first Catholic church in Birmingham was St. Paul's, opened in 1872.[4] St. Mary of the Visitation Church in Huntsville, dedicated in 1877, is the oldest Catholic church in North Alabama.[5]
Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Birmingham, with territory taken from the Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham, on June 28, 1969, simultaneously renaming the mother diocese to Diocese of Mobile. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Vath as the first bishop of Birmingham.[6]
In 1980, Pope John Paul II elevated the Diocese of Mobile to a metropolitan archdiocese and designated the Diocese of Birmingham as one of its suffragans. Vath died in 1987.[7]
Reverend Raymond Boland from the Archdiocese of Washington became the next bishop of Birmingham, named by John Paul II in 1988.[8] The same pope appointed Boland as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in 1993.
To replace Boland, John Paul II named David Edward Foley of Washington as bishop of Birmingham.[9] In 1999, Foley prohibited priests in his diocese, under most circumstances, from celebrating Mass in the ad orientem position. Though the decree never specifically mentioned EWTN, observers agreed that it was directed at the influence of Mother Angelica's network on the practice.[10] Foley retired in 2005. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Robert Baker from the Diocese of Charleston as bishop of Birmingham. Baker retired in 2020.
The current bishop of Birmingham is Steven J. Raica, formerly bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord. He was appointed by Pope Francis in 2020.[11] [12]
On February 8, 2024, the Diocese of Birmingham launched a major re-structuring program in which they temporarily passed any diocesan-level activities in the fields of religious education, evangelization, sacred music, and youth protection. As a result of the initial stage of this restructuring program, several lay employees were laid off permanently.[13]
Bishop Vath in 1985 sent Reverend Charles V. Cross to the Servants of Paraclete Center in New Mexico for treatment after receiving complaints that Cross had sexually abused minors. When Cross returned to Birmingham, he was banned from any parish positions. In 1993, Robert W. Wilford accused Cross of sexual abuse during the 1960's when he was a teenager and sued the diocese in 1995. However, the case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations. In 2002, after receiving several more allegations against Cross, Bishop Foley permanently suspended him from ministry.[14]
In 2004, four priests accused of sexual abuse who served in the diocese agreed to pay a settlement of $45,000 to eleven of their victims.[15]
Reverend Francis Mary Stone (also known as David Stone) was arrested in 2013 on charges of sexually molesting his eight year-old son. He had fathered the boy with Christina Presnell, an EWTN employee, while he was serving as a host of the network's show Life on the Rock between 2001 and 2007. After the boy was born, the diocese removed Stone from public ministry. Stone was acquitted in 2016 of the sexual abuse charges.[16]
In 2018, Bishop Baker released a list of six clergy who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving the diocese.[17] [18] Baker stated that "they committed these deplorable acts,” and apologized to the victims. He permanently removed the five living priests from ministry.
As of 2023, the Diocese of Birmingham operated 19 elementary and high schools. Four other schools in the diocese were operated independently.[20]