Davenport, Diocese of (DAVENPORT, DIOCESI DI) - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, p. 730

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

DAVENPORT, DIOCESE of. - In the state of Iowa in the United States of America, erected as a diocese by Leo XIII on 8 May 1881, suffragan to Dubuque, with an area of approximately 29,700 sq. km.

In 1948, out of a population of approximately 599,361 inhabitants, it had 70,259 Catholics, with 126 parishes, 22 chapels, 196 diocesan and 23 regular priests, 1 diocesan seminary, 3 colleges, 5 academies, and 51 parochial schools. In the same year there were 391 conversions. This territory successively formed part of the diocese of New Orleans (1793), of St. Louis (1827), and finally of Dubuque (1837), from which it was separated on 8 May 1881 to form a diocese with its seat at D., following the numerous immigration of Irish and German Catholics into the region. On 15 June 1893 it passed to the new province of

Dubuque. In 1911 it was divided to form the diocese of Des Moines.

BIBL.: AAS, 2 (1911), p. 479; W. P. Shannahan, s. V. in Cath. Enc., IV, p. 640; Leouit XIII PP. MM. Acta, XIII, Roma 1893, pp. 177-79; J. H. O'Donnell, The catholic hierarchy of the United States 1790-1922, Washington 1922 (v. indice); D. C. Shearer, Pontificia americana... 1784-1884, ibid. 1933 (v. indice); The official catholic directory 1947, Nuova York 1947 part 2, pp. 418-22. Corrado Morin