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.
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 BullVixdum Poloniae Unitas.
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 per 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)
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 – ...)