# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Katowice

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Katowice (Latin: Archidioecesis Metropolitae Katovicensis) is the Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Poland. It is an ecclesiastical province in Western Poland.

## Special churches

Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Archikatedra Chrystusa Króla, dedicated to Christ the King, in the city of Katowice, Śląskie.
It has several Minor basilicas :
* Bazylika św. Ludwika Króla i Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny, also in Katowice
* Bazylika Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny (Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Uśmiechniętej), in Pszów
* Bazylika NMP i św. Bartłomieja Apostoła (Sanktuarium Matki Sprawiedliwości i Miłości Społecznej), in Piekary Śląskie
* Bazylika św. Antoniego Padewskiego, in Rybnik.

## Province

Its ecclesiastical province comprises the Metropolitan's own Archdiocese and these suffragan bishoprics:
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Gliwice
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Opole

## History

On 7 November 1922, the Holy See disentangled the Roman Catholic parishes in the Polish Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship, territorially comprising the East of formerly Austrian Cieszyn Silesia (since 1918) and formerly German East Upper Silesia (since 1922) from the then Diocese of Breslau as a permanent Apostolic Administration of Upper Silesia on 17 December the same year.
* On 28 October 1925, Pope Pius XI elevated that apostolic administration and renamed it after its see to Diocese of Katowice, then as suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kraków, by the papal Bull Vixdum Poloniae Unitas.
* In 1947, it lost territory to establish the Apostolic Administration of Český Těšín.
* It enjoyed Papal visits from the Polish Pope John Paul II in June 1983 and June 1999.
* It was promoted on March 25, 1992, as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Katowice.

## Statistics

As of 2021, it pastorally served 1,390,000 Catholics (95.1% of 1,461,000 total) on 2,400 km² in 322 parishes and 6 missions with 1,066 priests (938 diocesan, 128 religious), 5 deacons, 1,023 lay religious (193 brothers, 830 sisters) and 49 seminarians.

## Episcopal ordinaries
### Apostolic Administrator of Upper Silesia

* August Hlond, Salesians (S.D.B.) (1922.11.07 – 1925.10.28)

### Suffragan Bishops of Katowice

* August Hlond (1925.12.14 – 1926.06.24), also President of Episcopal Conference of Poland (1926 – 1948.10.22), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Gniezno–Poznan (Poland) (1926.06.24 – 1948.10.22), created Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria della Pace (1927.12.22 – 1948.10.22), Founder of the Society of Christ for Polish Immigrants (1932.09.08), Metropolitan Archbishop of Warszawa (Poland) (1946.06.13 – death 1948.10.22)
* Arkadiusz Lisiecki (1926.06.24 – death 1930.05.13)
* Stanisław Adamski (1930.09.02 – death 1967.11.12)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Teofilo Bromboszcz (1934.03.24 – death 1937.01.12), Titular Bishop of Candyba (1934.03.24 – 1937.01.12)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Juliusz Bieniek (1937.03.13 – death 1978.01.17), Titular Bishop of Dascylium (1937.03.13 – 1978.01.17)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Kurpas (1962.11.23 – death 1992.05.19)Titular Bishop of Orisa (1962.11.23 – 1992.05.19)
* Herbert Bednorz (1967.11.12 – retired 1983), succeeding as former Coadjutor Bishop of Katowice (1950.05.04 – 1967.11.12) & Titular Bishop of Bulla regia (1950.05.04 – 1967.11.12)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Czesław Domin (1970.06.06 – 1992.02.01), Titular Bishop of Dagnum (1970.06.06 – 1992.02.01), later Bishop of Koszalin–Kołobrzeg (Poland) (1992.02.01 – death 1996.03.15)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Janusz Edmund Zimniak (1980.09.25 – 1992.03.25), Titular Bishop of Polignano (1980.09.25 – ...), next as Auxiliary Bishop of Bielsko–Żywiec (Poland) (1992.03.25 – retired 2010.01.16)
* Damian Zimoń (1985.06.03 – see promotion 1992.03.25 see below)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Gerard Bernacki (1988.03.18 – retired 2012.01.31), Titular Bishop of Sala Consilina (1988.03.18 – 2018.12.21))

### Metropolitan Archbishops of Katowice

* Damian Zimoń (see above 1992.03.25 – retired 2011.10.29)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Piotr Libera (1996.11.23 – 2007.05.02), Titular Bishop of Centuria (1996.11.23 – 2007.05.02), also Secretary General of Episcopal Conference of Poland (1998 – 2007); later Bishop of Płock (Poland) (2007.05.02 – 2022.06.04)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Stefan Cichy (1998.08.26 – 2005.03.19), Titular Bishop of Bonusta (1998.08.26 – 2005.03.19), later Bishop of Legnica (Poland) (2005.03.19 – 2014.04.16)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Józef Piotr Kupny (2005.12.21 – 2013.05.18), Titular Bishop of Vanariona (2005.12.21 – 2013.05.18), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Wrocław (Breslau, Poland) (2013.05.18 – ...)
* Wiktor Skworc (2011.10.29 – 31 May 2023),
formerly Bishop of Tarnów (Poland) (1997.12.13 – 2011.10.29)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Marek Szkudło (2014.12.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of Wigry (2014.12.13 – ...)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Adam Wodarczyk (2014.12.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of Pomezania (2014.12.13 – ...)
** Auxiliary Bishop: Grzegorz Olszowski (2018.06.13 – ...), Titular Bishop of Rhoga (2018.06.13 – ...)
* Adrian Joseph Galbas (31 May 2023 – 4 November 2024)
formerly Auxillary Bishop of Elk (2019.12.12-2021.12.04), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop on 4 December 2021, and succeeded the see on 31 May 2023. Transferred to Archdiocese of Warsaw on 4 November 2024.