Backgrounder
prepared by
Department of Communications
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth Street NE · Washington, DC 20017
202-541-3200 · 202-541-3173 fax · www.usccb.org/comm
Archdiocese of Washington
(Sources:
The 2007 Official Catholic Directory and the archdiocesan website.)
Geography:
The District of Columbia and Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles Counties in Maryland.
Statistics:
Number of Catholics: 582,448
Catholics as Percentage of Population: 22%
Number of Parishes: 140
Number of Priests: 646
Number of Schools:
Elementary: 94
Secondary: 17
Colleges and Universities: 3
Cathedral: Saint Matthew's Cathedral
Succession of (Arch)Bishops:
Archbishop Michael J. Curley (Archbishop of Baltimore and Washington) 1939-1947
Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle 1948-1973
Cardinal William Baum 1973-1980
Cardinal James Hickey 1980-2000
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick 2000-2006
Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl 2006-present
Key Historical Dates:
1789: Founding of Georgetown University, the first Catholic college in the United States
1939: The Archdiocese of Washington is formally separated from the Archdiocese of Baltimore though both archdioceses have the same archbishop
1947: The Archdiocese receives its first resident archbishop
1979: Pope John Paul II visits Washington, D.C. on his first pastoral visit to the United States
Present: The Archdiocese of Washington is the largest private social service provider in the region