The Diocese of Rotterdam is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in South Holland province of the Netherlands. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht. Since 2011, the bishop has been Hans van den Hende. The cathedral ecclesiastical see is the Kathedrale Kerk van de HH Laurentius en Elisabeth, dedicated to Saints Lawrence and Elisabeth, in Rotterdam. The only minor basilica is Basiliek van de H. Liduina en Onze Lieve Vrouw van de Rozenkrans, dedicated to St. Liduina and Our Lady of the Rosary, in Schiedam.

History

It was erected on July 16, 1955, on territory from the split off from the Diocese of Haarlem, from which at the same time the Diocese of Groningen was also split off. It enjoyed a papal visit from Pope John Paul II in May 1985.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 531,600 Catholics (14.5% of 3,655,000 total, mainly protestants and atheists) on 3,403 km2 in 75 parishes, with 358 priests (110 diocesan, 248 religious), 34 deacons, 452 lay religious (289 brothers, 163 sisters) and 6 seminarians.

Ordinaries

(all Roman Rite)

List of churches

Partial list of historical church buildings

Deanery of The Hague

The official website of the diocese shows the Catholic communities organized in two vicariates (also known as deaneries). The two deaneries are further organized into subgroups of parishes, federations and clusters. The Hague Vicariate has the following parishes, federations or clusters:

Federation of Saints Clare and Francis (Federatie HH. Clara en Francisucus)

Cluster of The Hague North (Cluster Den Haag Noord)

Cluster Vlietstreek

Deanery of Rotterdam

The deanery has the following parishes, federation and clusters:

Federation Driestromenland (Federatie Driestromenland)

Federatie IPV-5

Federatie H. Maria Magdalena

Federation of Oostland (Federatie Oostland)

Federatie St. Franciscus, tussen duin en tuin (Westland (municipality), Netherlands)

Federatie Rotterdam Rechter Maasoever