Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore

Archdiocese of Baltimore

Archidioecesis Baltimorensis
Catholic
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryThe city of Baltimore and nine counties in central and western Maryland
Ecclesiastical provinceBaltimore
Statistics
Area12,340 km2 (4,760 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2020)
  • 3,304,588
  • 525,500 ( 15.9%)
Parishes144
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedNovember 6, 1789 (1789-11-06)
CathedralCathedral of Mary Our Queen
Patron saintImmaculate Conception
St. Ignatius of Loyola
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
ArchbishopWilliam E. Lori
Auxiliary BishopsAdam J. Parker
Bishops emeritusEdwin Frederick O'Brien
Denis J. Madden
Map
Website
www.archbalt.org

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore (Latin: Archidioecesis Baltimorensis) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland in the United States. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the oldest diocese and oldest archdiocese in the United States. Soon after the American Revolution, the diocese was erected to cover the United States, before the establishment of additional dioceses. The Vatican granted the archbishop of Baltimore the right of precedence in the nation at liturgies, meetings, and Plenary Councils in 1859. It is the premier episcopal see of the Catholic Church in the United States of America, as "prerogative of place".

As of 2020, the archdiocese had an estimated Catholic population of 525,000 with 198 diocesan priests, 193 religious priests and 169 permanent deacons in 139 parishes.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has two major seminaries: St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore and Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg.

It was revealed in late 2016 that the Archdiocese of Baltimore had paid off numerous settlements since 2011 for abuse victims.