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Brief History of the Diocese
Pope Pius XII
established the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana on October 21, 1944. The
Diocese of Fort Wayne, the Mother Diocese, was established in 1857. Then,
the territory now occupied by the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana had only
three small brick churches with resident pastors, and four frame missions.
Total Catholic population was about 5,000 people. Missionaries were still
active in the area.
On November 11, 1944, the Holy See made the announcement regarding the
partitioning of the Fort Wayne Diocese creating the Diocese of
Lafayette-in-Indiana. The name was expressed in that manner to distinguish
it from the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. The new diocese had 54 parishes
and a Catholic population of 31,700. The area designated had 9,832 square
miles and comprised 24 counties in Northcentral Indiana extending from the
Illinois to the Ohio state lines. Catholics comprised fewer than 6 percent
of the total population. The area was largely rural.
John George Bennett was consecrated first bishop of the Lafayette See on
January 10, 1945. He was a son of a parish in the new diocese, St. Mary's in
Dunnington. His successors have been John Joseph Cardinal Carberry, Bishop
Raymond Gallagher, Bishop George Fulcher, and the current ordinary, Bishop
William L. Higi, also a son of the diocese. Bishop Higi's home parish is St.
Mary, Anderson. |
