Joshua Bennett
The Roman Catholic Church is organised territorially by dioceses, and the bishop of a particular area is usually a native-born priest from that region. However, there are exceptions, and in the United States, for example, there are many foreign-born bishops. To find out who the Catholic bishop is in your area, you can search online by diocese or by the bishop's name.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Latin Church Dioceses in the United States | 176 |
| Number of Ecclesiastical Provinces | 33 |
| Number of Active Foreign-Born Bishops in the United States | 38 |
| Percentage of Active American Bishops that are Foreign-Born | 12% |
| Countries that have Produced Bishops Serving in the United States | Italy, Nicaragua, Haiti, Ireland, Uganda, Colombia, Lebanon, Peru, Spain, Cuba, South Africa, Malta, Argentina, El Salvador, and Cameroon |
| American Territories with Bishops | Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Bishops in the United States | Anthony B. Taylor, Albert M. M. Bahhuth, Timothy E. Freyer, Gerald R. Barnes, Earl A. Boyea, Bernard A. Hebda, and many more |
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What You'll Learn
Bishops in my state
The Roman (Latin) Catholic Church is organised territorially by dioceses, with 176 Latin Church dioceses in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each diocese is led by a bishop.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) consists of all active and retired bishops—diocesan, coadjutor, and auxiliary—in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 176 Latin Church dioceses in the United States are divided into 33 ecclesiastical provinces. Each province has a metropolitan archdiocese led by an archbishop, and at least one suffragan diocese. Each suffragan diocese is led by a bishop.
Some examples of bishops in various states include:
- Bishop William F. Medley in Kentucky
- Bishop Joel M. Konzen SM in Texas
- Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton in Michigan
- Bishop Thomas J. Curry in California
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Foreign-born bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is a national membership organization of Catholic Bishops in the United States. As of 2025, there are thirty-eight active foreign-born bishops serving in the US, which is about 12% of all active American bishops. These bishops represent nations including Italy, Nicaragua, Haiti, Ireland, Uganda, Colombia, Lebanon, Peru, Spain, Cuba, South Africa, Malta, Argentina, El Salvador, and Cameroon.
The US generally has a significant number of foreign-born bishops compared to other nations with large Catholic populations, where bishops are usually appointed from native-born priests. Most foreign-born bishops in the US serve as auxiliary bishops in culturally diverse dioceses. Two archdioceses (Los Angeles and San Antonio) and nine dioceses (including San Diego, Raleigh, and Salt Lake City) are led by a foreign-born bishop or archbishop.
Three American archdioceses and two dioceses have more than one foreign-born active bishop assigned to them. For example, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has four foreign-born bishops: Archbishop Gomez and Bishops Szkredeka, Aclan, and Bahuth. Additionally, several dozen bishops currently serving in the US are first-generation American-born children of immigrant parents.
A 2022 survey by The Catholic Project found that 24% of Catholic priests were foreign-born. The global nature of the Catholic Church and its diversity creates a need for the linguistic, cultural, and liturgical competencies that foreign-born clergy can offer. A 2024 US Conference of Catholic Bishops survey found that 90% of the 134 Catholic dioceses responding relied to some extent on foreign-born religious workers, including priests, religious sisters, brothers, and other laypersons.
However, changes in visa regulations in 2023 have made it difficult for foreign-born clergy to obtain permanent residency in the US, and many have been forced to abandon their ministries to avoid overstaying their visas. Proposed legislation, such as the Religious Workforce Protection Act, aims to address this issue by extending the five-year limit on religious worker visas until green card applications are processed.
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Eastern Rite Catholic bishops
Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, also known as Eastern Churches or Eastern Catholic Churches, are a diverse group of Christian denominations primarily located in Southwest Asia, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. They are also present in East Africa and South India. They are categorised into three main groups based on their historical and theological differences from the Roman Catholic Church: the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Eastern Catholic Churches.
The Eastern Rite Catholic Churches encompass approximately 18 million followers across 23 churches, including the Armenian Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, and the Syrian Catholic Church. The largest of these is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, with nearly 5 million adherents.
The Eastern Rite Catholic Churches have their own distinct organisational structure, with patriarchates, major archiepiscopates, metropolitanates, and eparchies. The patriarchates are under the jurisdiction of a patriarch, who holds special rights and privileges within the general hierarchy. The major archiepiscopates govern a certain number of dioceses of their rite, while the metropolitanates govern ecclesiastical provinces independent of the patriarchates and major archiepiscopates. Eparchies are similar to Latin dioceses and are usually subject to one of the higher organisations.
The Eastern Rite Catholic Churches maintain their own liturgical traditions and customs while recognising the authority of the Pope. They are governed by the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, which allows for the ordination of married men to the priesthood, a practice that sets them apart from the stricter clerical celibacy of the Latin Church.
The Eastern Rite Catholic Churches have a rich history, with origins tracing back to the beginnings of Christianity. They have experienced divisions and reunions throughout their existence, influenced by geographical isolation and doctrinal differences. The special status of these churches was guaranteed at the time of their union with Rome and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council in 1964.
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Bishops in American territories
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is an assembly of the Catholic Church hierarchy of the United States and its territories. The USCCB includes bishops from the five inhabited US territories: Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.
In Puerto Rico, the six bishops form their own episcopal conference, the Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña. The bishops in Puerto Rico's six dioceses (one metropolitan archdiocese and five suffragan dioceses) are led by a foreign-born archbishop or bishop.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and Guam, the bishops belong to the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific. The Metropolitan Province of Agaña comprises the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Wake Island, an unorganized and unincorporated US territory. The bishops in these territories are also often foreign-born.
The bishop in the US Virgin Islands is a member of the USCCB. The Diocese of Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is led by Bishop Herbert A. Bevard. The US Virgin Islands are also part of the Metropolitan Province of Washington, D.C., which includes the District of Columbia and five neighbouring counties in Maryland.
In addition to the bishops in these inhabited territories, there are also bishops serving in the United States who are first-generation American-born children of immigrant parents. The majority of Eastern Rite Catholic bishops in the US are foreign-born, and there are two Eastern Catholic metropoliae, each led by a metropolitan archbishop called an archeparch. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, based in Houston, Texas, was established in 2012 to serve former Anglican groups and clergy who converted to Catholicism. It is similar to a diocese but is national in scope, including parishes and communities across the United States.
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Locating my diocese
The Roman (Latin) Catholic Church is organized territorially by dioceses. There are 3,172 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, including over 652 archdioceses and 2,249 dioceses, as well as various other types of jurisdictions. Most of these conform to state, county, borough, or parish political boundaries.
To find your diocese, you can use an online Catholic directory. These directories allow you to search for your diocese, bishop, or church, and provide information on Mass times, missions, clergy, and other details.
If you are in the United States, the USCCB website provides a list of bishops and dioceses by state. It also has a locator tool to find information for Roman dioceses and archdioceses, as well as eparchies and archeparchies.
Additionally, you can search for your local diocese by looking up your local Catholic church. Each church is part of a diocese, and you can often find information about the diocese on the church's website or by contacting the church directly.
Some examples of dioceses in the United States include the Diocese of St. Cloud, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and the Diocese of San Diego.
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Frequently asked questions
You can find out who the Catholic bishop is in your area by visiting the USCCB website and searching for your diocese or archdiocese.
The Roman (Latin) Catholic Church is organized territorially by dioceses. Catholic churches originating in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa are called eparchies and have their own distinctive systems.
An archdiocese is a diocese that is the main or central diocese of a region.
In most nations, bishops are appointed from that country's native-born priests. However, in the United States, there are a significant number of foreign-born bishops, with most serving as auxiliary bishops in culturally diverse dioceses.
The Catholic bishop of New York State is Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia.
