Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs (Latin: Dioecesis Coloratensium Fontium) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado. St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the diocese and is located in Colorado Springs. The diocese was established on November 10, 1983 and covers 15,493 square miles (40,130 km2) in ten counties of the central and eastern portions of the state, viz. Chaffee, Lake, Park, Teller, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne.[1]

Diocese of Colorado Springs

Dioecesis Coloratensium Fontium
St. Mary's Cathedral
Location
Country United States
Territory 10 counties in central Colorado
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Denver
Statistics
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2010)
978,124
165,213
Parishes37
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedNovember 10, 1983
CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral
Patron saintOur Lady of Guadalupe
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopMichael John Sheridan
Metropolitan ArchbishopSamuel Joseph Aquila
Bishops emeritusRichard Charles Patrick Hanifen
Map
Website
diocs.org

History

Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Colorado Springs from territory separated from the Archdiocese of Denver and Diocese of Pueblo in 1983. The territory includes 39 parishes with approximately 173,321 Catholics in a total population of 1,083,259.

Bishop Richard Hanifen created the diocesan arms which features a snow-capped purple mountain on a blue (azure) field that represents Pikes Peak. Below the mountain are green hills, and a blue and silver representing the spring for which the area and diocese are named. In the waters of the lower portion of the shield are three gold interlocked rings which represent the Holy Trinity.[1]

On October 16, 2020, it was revealed that all three of Colorado's Catholic Dioceses, including the Diocese of Colorado Springs, had paid $6.6 million in compensation to 81 victims of clergy sex abuse within the past year, regardless of how long ago the abuse happened.[2] On December 1, 2020, it was revealed that at least two priests were accused of committing acts of sex abuse while they were serving in the Diocese of Colorado Springs.[3][4]

Coat of arms

Bishop Robert C. Hannifen, the first bishop of the diocese, designed its coat of arms, shown in the right sidebar at the top of this article, upon its erection in 1984,[5] The coat of arms features a shield divided vertically into three regions.

  • The purple mountain, snowcapped in argent (silver or white), on a blue and green background in the upper region represents Pike's Peak, a focal point of the physical topography of the diocese. Spiritually, it represents the "mountain of the Lord" of the prophet Isaiah signifying the presence of a faithful, loving God as a rock of refuge and strength.
  • The blue and argent ripples spanning the middle region are the heraldic representation of water, signifying the springs that gave their name to the diocesan see. Spiritually, these ripples signify the saving waters of baptism through which people of diverse cultures profess belief in "one body, one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all and works through all and is in all." (Ephesians 4:4-5).
  • Three interlocking circles of or (gold or yellow) on a blue background in the lower region reflect the concepts of mutuality, community, and prophecy calling the People of God to be a sign and sacrament of the reign of God growing within them and to announce the good news of Christ's presences.

Bishops

Bishops of Colorado Springs
  1. Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen (1983-2003)
  2. Michael John Sheridan (2003–present)

See also

References
  1. "Diocese of Colorado Springs: An Overview". Diocese of Colorado Springs. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  2. Padilla, Anica (October 16, 2020). "Catholic Dioceses In Colorado Pay $6.6 Million To Sex Abuse Survivors". CBS 4 Denver. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  3. Julie Asher, Catholic News Service (December 7, 2020). "Colorado report names nine more priests accused of abusing minors decades ago". Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. Paul, Jesse; Brown, Jennifer (December 1, 2020). "52 Catholic priests in Colorado, including iconic Father Woody, abused 212 victims, further investigation finds". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  5. Right sidebar on "About" Page of diocesan web site.


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