Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

thumb|260px|right|Mission San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastical territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of approximately 1 million.http://www.diocese-sdiego.org/en-us/diocese/aboutus/censusinformation.aspx The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
==Leadership and religious institutes==
On January 4, 2012, Bishop Cirilo Flores was appointed as coadjutor bishop with immediate right of succession to Bishop Robert Henry Brom, then already 75, who had served since January 1990. Bishop Brom had submitted his resignation when he turned 75, as all Roman Catholic bishops must, and Pope Francis accepted it on September 18, 2013, making Coadjutor Bishop Flores the Bishop of San Diego. Bishop Flores died on September 6, 2014 after a stroke and a battle with cancer. In March 2015, Pope Francis appointed Robert McElroy as the bishop of the diocese, and he was installed on April 15.
There are 233 priests, 118 active (not retired) deacons, 213 religious sisters and 30 religious brothers in the diocese.
==History==
The first Roman Catholic churches in the current territory of the Diocese of San Diego were two of the twenty-one "California Missions" (Mission San Diego de Alcala and Mission San Luis Rey de Francia). The area was first included in a diocese in 1840, with the creation of the Diocese of Both Californias (serving the entirety of the Mexican colonial provinces of Baja California and Alta California). After the conquest of Alta California by the United States, that diocese was divided, with the American portion becoming the Diocese of Monterey, later renamed the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles. In 1922, the diocese was again divided, with the southern portion becoming the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego.
The current diocese was created as a result of the division of the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego. The Diocese of San Diego was established on July 11, 1936, at which time it included San Diego County, Imperial County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County; the remainder of the former diocese then became the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In 1978, the Diocese of San Diego was itself divided, with Riverside County and San Bernardino County becoming the Diocese of San Bernardino. 
Currently, the Diocese of San Diego includes 99 parishes and 16 missions, serving San Diego County and Imperial County. In addition, the diocese includes 45 elementary schools, 5 high schools and 2 universities (University of San Diego and John Paul the Great Catholic University). 
=== Clergy sexual abuse cases===
On February 28, 2007, the diocese filed for bankruptcy protection after the diocese was unable to reach a settlement agreement with numerous plaintiffs suing over sexual abuse by clergy. On September 7, 2007, the diocese agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of child sexual abuse by clergy, the 2nd-largest settlement payment by a Roman Catholic diocese in U.S. history. Perpetrators included 48 priests and one lay coordinator of altar boys. In September 2018, eight more priests were added to this list. On December 17, 2018, Juan Garcia Castillo, who served as a priest at St. Patrick Parish in Carlsbad, was convicted of sexual battery for inappropriately touching a seminarian of his age and buying him alcohol at a local BJ's restaurants in Carlsbad, California, where he and the seminarian, together with another seminarian were having dinner.
On December 11, 2019, it was announced that four victims of convicted, and now deceased, sexual abuser Anthony Edward Rodrigue will sue the Diocese of San Diego. Their lawsuit will begin on January 2, 2020.
==Bishops==
===Bishops of San Diego===
# Charles Francis Buddy (1936–1966)
# Francis James Furey (1966–1969, coadjutor bishop 1963–1966), appointed Archbishop of San Antonio
# Leo Thomas Maher (1969–1990)
# Robert Henry Brom (1990–2013, coadjutor bishop 1989–1990)
# Cirilo Flores (2013–2014, coadjutor bishop 2012–2013)
# Robert W. McElroy (2015–present)
===Auxiliary bishops===
* Richard Henry Ackerman, C.S.Sp. (1956–1960), appointed Bishop of Covington
* John R. Quinn (1967–1971), appointed Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa and later Archbishop of Oklahoma City and Archbishop of San Francisco
* Gilbert Espinosa Chávez (1974–2007)
* Salvatore J. Cordileone (2002–2009), appointed Bishop of Oakland and later Archbishop of San Francisco
* John P. Dolan (2017–present)
* Ramon Bejarano (2020–present)
.
===Other priest of this diocese who became bishop===
* Phillip Francis Straling, appointed Bishop of San Bernardino in 1978
== Diocese churches ==
=== Historic Churches ===
# Mission San Luis Rey de Francia - is a former California Spanish mission church in San Luis Rey, a neighborhood of Oceanside, California. This Mission lent its name to the Luiseño tribe of Mission Indians. This historic landmark is the oldest Christian church in all of North County San Diego.
** Mission San Luis Rey Parish =
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=== Local parish churches ===
# Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church - El Cajon (westside) "Since it was founded in 1954, Our Lady of Grace parish has continued to grow. As a parish, our interests and ministries are diverse and robust. We have active monthly clubs like 55 Plus Club, Catholic Women's Club, International Catholic Families and the Knights of Columbus."
# Guardian Angels Catholic Church - Santee
# Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church - El Cajon (westside) "Since it was founded in 1954, Our Lady of Grace parish has continued to grow. As a parish, our interests and ministries are diverse and robust. We have active monthly clubs like 55 Plus Club, Catholic Women's Club, International Catholic Families and the Knights of Columbus."
# Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church- Lakeside
# Queen of Angels Catholic Church - Alpine
# St. Francis of Assisi Parish - Vista Village
# St. Margaret Parish - East Oceanside
# St Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Parish - Downtown Oceanside
# St. Thomas More Parish - South Vista
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=== Monasteries ===
* Prince of Peace Abbey - A Monastery of the Order of Saint Benedict.
** Prince of Peace Abbey - Familypedia Roster of Marriages and Cemetery Burials
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==Auxiliary organizations ==
* Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego official website
* San Diego & Imperial Valley Catholic Schools
* Office for Evangelization and Catechetical Ministry
* Catholic Community Foundation of San Diego
* San Diego Office for Vocations
* San Diego Young Adult Ministries
* Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego
* The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA - Founded in 1833, SSVP is a worldwide organization dedicated to serving neighbors in need.
* San Diego Catholic Adult Community - Events for Single, Married, Divorced, Widowed Adults. The Best Way for Catholics to Meet.
===High schools===
* Academy of Our Lady of Peace, Normal Heights, San Diego, administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
* Cathedral Catholic High School*, Carmel Valley, San Diego
* Mater Dei Catholic High School**, Chula Vista
* St. Augustine High School, North Park, San Diego, administered by the Augustinians
* Vincent Memorial Catholic High School, Calexico.
: * Formerly the University of San Diego High School
: ** Formerly Marian Catholic High School
=== San Diego Catholics in Scouting ===
* San Diego Catholic Committee on Scouting - Delivering Catholic Youth Ministry Through Scouting Programs
The objectives of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are referred to as the Aims of Scouting: Character, Citizenship, Personal Fitness, Leadership. The BSA pursues these aims through an informal education system called the Scout method, with variations that are designed to be appropriate for the age and maturity of each membership division. Their Character building program emphasizes Duty to God. They charter with many local religious groups of all faiths to deliver this program. 
* BeAScout.org - Find a Scouting unit near you.
* About.Scouting.org - Memories that last a lifetime begin today.
* California Scouts - Find scouting related program news throughout the region.
* BSA Religious Emblems Program - BSA A Scout is reverent. He is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties and respects the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion. To encourage members to grow stronger in their faith, religious groups have developed the following religious emblems programs. Many different religions covered in this program.
== Local intra-faith groups ==
=== San Diego interfaith community services ===
* Interfaith Religious Council of San Diego - Represented on the Council are Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity (traditional), Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Sikh.
* San Diego Interfaith Disaster Council - The mission of the SDIDC is to support the development of faith-based preparedness, response and recovery to disasters in San Diego County that is coordinated and integrated with the efforts of other responding agencies.
* Interfaith Shelter Network of San Diego - Interfaith Shelter Network links the hands and hearts of thousands of individuals, social service agencies and government agencies to provide a safety-net of support for San Diego’s 6,500 “situationally” or short-term homeless. 
* San Diego Regional Interfaith Collaborative - We are a community of communities who believe that sharing, learning and serving together benefits everyone.
==See also==
* Catholic Church hierarchy
* Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Saint Peter The Apostle
==References==
 
Category:Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States
Category:Christian organizations established in 1936
Category:1936 establishments in California
San Diego
San Diego
Category: San Diego
Category: List of Local Churches
Category: Churches in California