Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are 11,438 square miles within the diocese. The diocese's eastern border is at the Mississippi River; the northern border is comprised of the Jasper, Powesheik, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar, and Clinton counties; the western border is made up of the counties of Jasper, Marion, Monroe, and Appanoose counties; and the southern border is the Iowa and Missouri border.

The current Bishop of the Diocese is Bishop William Edwin Franklin. The Latin tile for this Diocese is Dioecesis Davenportensis, and the corporate title is the Diocese of Davenport. The Metropolitan for this Diocese is the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The Cathedral parish for this Diocese is Sacred Heart Cathedral.

History

Before 1881, the Diocese of Dubuque's territory was comprised of the entire state of Iowa. Eventually, Bishop John Hennessy became convinced that the Dubuque Diocese should be divided in two, with the Dubuque Diocese covering the northern half of the state, and the southern half covered by a new diocese. Hennessy felt that the See of this new Diocese should have been located at Des Moines, Iowa. However the Vatican chose Davenport as the See city of this Diocese.

On June 14, 1881 the southern territory of the Dubuque Diocese was taken to form the Diocese of Davenport. Fr. John McMullen, a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago was chosen to be the first Bishop. Bishop McMullen was ordained as Bishop by Archbishop Patrick Augustine Feehan of Chicago, Bishop John Hennessy of Dubuque, and Bishop John Lancaster Spalding of Peoria.

The Diocese of Davenport was split in two on August 12, 1911, which reduced it to its current size. The Diocese of Des Moines became the See city of this new diocese, which covered the southwestern quarter of the state of Iowa.

Ordinaries

The following is a list of Bishops who served the Diocese of Davenport, along with their dates of service;

• John McMullen – June 14, 1881 – July 4, 1883 (His death)
• Henry Cosgrove – July 11, 1884 – December 22, 1906 (His death)
• James J. Davis – December 22, 1906 – December 2, 1926 (His death)
• Henry Patrick Rohlman – May 20, 1927 – September 8, 1944 (Reassigned as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque)
• Ralph Leo Hayes – November 16, 1944 – 20 October 20, 1966 (Retired)
• Gerald Francis O'Keefe – October 20, 1966 – November 12, 1993 (Retired)
• William Edwin Franklin – November 12, 1993 (Current Bishop)

External Links

• The Diocese of Davenport's Web Site