KATOWICE, DIOCESE of. — Founded in 1925 as a suffragan diocese of Cracow, and constituted from the territories of Upper Silesia, the industrial center of Poland. Its first bishop was Augusto Hlond, future primate of Poland and cardinal.
Area: 4,216 sq. km. Catholics: 1,209,000. Parishes: 227. Parish churches: 248; filial churches: 30; convents: 15; chapels: 184. Priests incardinated in the diocese: 371, to whom must be added the priests of the dioceses of Lwów, Luck, Pińsk, Wilno, occupied by the Soviets, and of other dioceses. Religious priests: 111. Women religious: 1,651. Religious houses for men: 26 with 55 members; for women: 149 with 1,618 members. Seminarians: 66. Educational and instructional institutions for boys: 18 with 811 pupils; for girls: 24 with 1,721 pupils. Charitable, welfare, and care institutions: 110, with 8,910 residents. Of the diocesan priests, 43 perished during the German occupation, some massacred, others in prison or concentration camps. Pilgrimage centers: Piekary Śląskie and Pszów.