Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz

The Diocese of Mainz, (Latin: Diœcesis Moguntinus) historically known in English as Mentz as well as by its French name Mayence, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was founded in 304, promoted in 780 to Metropolitan Archbishopric of Mainz and demoted back in 1802 to bishopric. The diocese is suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg.[1][2][3] Its district is located in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. The seat of the diocese is in Mainz at the Cathedral dedicated to Saints Martin and Stephen.[4]

"Bishop of Mainz" redirects here. For a list of pre-modern bishops, see Elector of Mainz.
"Diocese of Mainz" redirects here. For the ancient and medieval diocese, see Electorate of Mainz.
Diocese of Mainz

Diœcesis Moguntinus

Bistum Mainz
Mainz Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
CountryGermany
Ecclesiastical provinceFreiburg
MetropolitanArchdiocese of Freiburg
Statistics
Area7,692 km2 (2,970 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2019)
2,982,141
686,705 (24.1%)
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established4th Century
CathedralMainz Cathedral
Patron saintSt. Martin of Tours
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopPeter Kohlgraf
Metropolitan ArchbishopStephan Burger
Auxiliary BishopsUdo Bentz
Vicar GeneralUdo Bentz
Bishops emeritusFranziskus Eisenbach
Map
Website
bistummainz.de

History

Organization, extent and statistics

Under Article 14 of the Reichskonkordat of 1933, which remains in force, the determination of the bishop to head the episcopal see and the composition of the chapter are governed by the provisions of Baden Concordat of 1932.

As per 2014, it pastorally served 749,583 Catholics (25.9% of 2,891,000 total) on 7,692 km² in 319 parishes, 504 priests (409 diocesan, 95 religious), 124 deacons, 447 lay religious (132 brothers, 315 sisters), 19 seminarians.

It is divided into 20 deaneries, which in turn are divided into 136 pastoral care units. In 2007 these parish associations or parish groups included all 335 parishes and other chaplaincies of the diocese (as of 2007).[5] Pastoral units on the parish level have been introduced as a result of a profound structural change in the Catholic Church in Germany in many dioceses, the constitution of these units was determined by particular law [law of a particular region or territory], i.e., allowing for differences from one diocese to another. In the diocese of Mainz a parish group may be several parishes merged under the leadership of a single pastor. The parishes retain their church and state church legal personality. The pastor is attached to a pastoral team and a pastoral council. Parish associations, however, are combinations of several parishes, each with its own pastor. Several parish groups can join together to form a parochial associations.

Catholic Education

Catholic Private Schools
Modern stainless steel sculpture of St. Martin in front of the Martinus School Mainz in the old town of Mainz

The most important educational institution of the Diocese is the Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Mainz. Besides the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz and the (arch)dioceses of Cologne, Limburg, Speyer and Trier belong to the initiators of this university . There are also other schools as the Edith-Stein-Schule in Darmstadt, Liebfrauenschule in Bensheim, the Episcopal Willigis-Gymnasium in Mainz, Abendgymnasium Ketteler of Mainz and the Episcopal College Willigis secondary school in Mainz.

Facilities at state universities

The diocese maintains three facilities at state universities. The most important of them is the Catholic Theological Faculty at the University of Mainz. In addition, there are at University of Giessen, the Institute for Catholic theology and their didactics, which is located at the Department of History and Cultural Studies. At the Technische Universität Darmstadt is an institute for theology and social ethics.

Bildungswerk der Diözese Mainz

The Bildungswerk der Diözese Mainz (educational works of the diocese of Mainz) promotes "... the church's adult education in the diocese from the parish to the diocesan level ..." The Bildungswerk is also a member of the Catholic Adult Education Hesse - Regional Working Group.

Other educational institutions
  • Institut für Kirchenmusik Mainz: training institution for catholic Church musicians

Major churches

Cathedral and Major basilicas

Other well-known churches

Liturgical calendar
The reliquary shrine of the Mainz saints is located in the eastern crypt of Mainz cathedral. On the occacion of the recovery of the cathedral and the 25th bishop anniversary of Albert Stohr a reliquary as goldwork was donated depicting the 22 saints particularly venerated in the diocese of Mainz. As material gold-plated silver decorated with jewels had been chosen. Depicted are martyrs and bishops, priests, scholars and soldiers, confessors, virgins and widows, as listed left. The focus is on the diocese Saint St. Martin; the canonization of Hildegard von Bingen was anticipated. The shrine had been crafted by the Mainz goldsmith Richard Walker.

Local feasts of the diocese are:

  • 5. January:John Neumann, Redemptorist priest and fourth Bishop of Philadelphia
  • 4. February: Rabanus Maurus, Frankish Benedictine monk, archbishop of Mainz
  • 14. February: Valentine, 3rd-century Christian martyr
  • 23. February: Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz and statesman of the Holy Roman Empire
  • 27. April: Peter Canisius, Jesuit priest who supported the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany
  • 15. May: Rupert of Bingen, patron saint of pilgrims
  • 2. June: Marcellinus and Peter, 4th-century Christian martyrs in Rome
  • 5. June: Boniface, leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the German parts of the Frankish Empire.
  • 10. June: Bardo of Mainz, presided over the Synod of Mainz in 1049 which denounced simony and priest marriage
  • 21. June: Alban of Mainz, priest, missionary, and martyr.
  • 27. June: Creszenz, Aureus, Theonest saints venerated by the Church of Mainz
  • 4. July: anniversary of the consecration of Mainz cathedral
  • 16. August: Roch, Christian saint, confessor, specially invoked against the plague
  • 6. September: Anniversary of the consecration of churches who do not know the day of their consecration
  • 17. September: Hildegard of Bingen, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath.
  • 28. September: Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun who was part of Boniface's mission to the Germans
  • 16. October: Lullus, first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface
  • 26. October: Amandus of Straßburg, confessor, first bishop of Straßburg.
  • 29. October: Ferrutius, Roman soldier, martyr in Mogontiacum
  • 11. November: Martin of Tours, soldier, later Bishop of Tours
  • 27. November: Bilihildis, Frankish noblewoman, founder and abbess of the monastery of Altmünster near Mainz

List of Bishops

For bishops and archbishops before 1802, see Elector_of_Mainz#Bishops_and_archbishops.

Archdiocese (to 1802)

Diocese (1802–present)
  • Joseph Maria Reuß (Reuss) (1954–1978)
  • Wolfgang Rolly (1972–2003)
  • Franziskus Eisenbach (1988–2002)
  • Werner Guballa (2003–2012)
  • Ulrich Neymeyr (2003–2014)
  • Udo Markus Bentz (2015– )

See also

References
  1. website of the Archdiocese of Freiburg
  2. "Diocese of Mainz" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016
  3. "Diocese of Mainz" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016
  4. gcatholic.org
  5. Schematismus der Diözese Mainz 2007
  6. "Bishop Hermann von Gehrden, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 30, 2016
  7. "Bishop Sigfried Piscator, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 30, 2016
  8. "Bishop Heinrich Hopfgarten, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 30, 2016
  9. "Bishop Heinrich von Rübenach, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 30, 2016
  10. "Bishop Johannes Schulte, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 29, 2016
  11. "Bishop Berthold von Oberg, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 30, 2016
  12. "Bishop Dionysius (Denys) Part, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 1, 2016
  13. "Bishop Matthias Emich, O. Carm." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 1, 2016
  14. "Bishop Georg Fabri, O.P." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 3, 2016
  15. "Bishop Erhard von Redwitz, O. Cist." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 3, 2016
  16. "Bishop Johannes Bonemilch" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 3, 2016
  17. "Bishop Thomas Ruscher" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 3, 2016
  18. "Bishop Paul Huthen" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 3, 2016
  19. "Bishop Johannes Münster" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 3, 2016
  20. "Bishop Maternus Pistor" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 5, 2016
  21. "Bishop Michael Helding" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 5, 2016
  • GCatholic
  • Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Mainz" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Literature
  • Stefan Burkhardt, Mit Stab und Schwert. Bilder, Träger und Funktionen erzbischöflicher Herrschaft zur Zeit Kaiser Friedrich Barbarossas. Die Erzbistümer Köln und Mainz im Vergleich. Thorbecke, Ostfildern, 2008
  • Friedhelm Jürgensmeier: Das Bistum Mainz. Von der Römerzeit bis zum II. Vatikanischen Konzil, Knecht Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 1988, ISBN 3-7820-0570-8
  • Hans Werner Nopper, Die vorbonifatianischen Mainzer Bischöfe. Mülheim, 2001
  • Franz Usinger, Das Bistum Mainz unter französischer Herrschaft (1798-1814). Falk, Mainz, 1911
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