Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau (Latin: Dioecesis Campifontis-Capitis Girardeauensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Missouri. It was founded on July 2, 1956. The current bishop is the Most Reverend John J. Leibrecht, D.D, Ph.D., appointed October 20, 1984.
The diocese was formed from from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the Diocese of Saint Joseph. It consists of 39 counties in southern of Missouri, is mainly rural, and includes the urban areas of Springfield, Branson, and Cape Girardeau.
The diocese includes 66 parishes, 19 missions, 2 chapels, and, as of a 2003 estimate, 63,179 Catholics. The diocese has an increasing Hispanic population.
This region is mainly located in the Ozarks and Bootheel of Missouri, where Catholics make up about 5% of the total population. The religion of the Ozarks, in particular, is notably individualistic and conservative; a major Christian denomination in the region is Pentecostalism.
The past bishops of the diocese are:
- Charles Herman Helmsing (1956–1962)
- Ignatius Jerome Strecker (1962–1969)
- William Wakefield Baum (1970–1973)
- Bernard Francis Law (1973–1984)
- John Joseph Leibrecht (1984—)
