MARQUETTE, DIOCESI of. — City and diocese in the State of Michigan in the United States. It comprises the northern peninsula of the State of Michigan, with an area of 16,281 square miles and 323,544 inhabitants, of whom 91,034 are Catholics. It has 93 parishes, 40 chapels, 40 missions, and 21 stations; there are 146 diocesan and 25 religious priests, 1 seminary, 5 religious communities of men and 11 of women; 6 diocesan and parochial high schools and 24 parochial schools; in 1949 there were 338 conversions.
The first priests to penetrate the Michigan peninsula were the Jesuits Raymbault and Jogues, who planted the cross on the banks of the St. Marys River in 1641; in 1660 Fr. R. Ménard arrived there, and in 1665 Fr. C. Allouez. In 1668 a mission was established there; it became increasingly flourishing. At the First National Council in May 1852, it was recommended that an apostolic vicariate be erected in northern Michigan; this was in fact erected by Pius IX, by a brief of 29 July 1853, its territory being separated from Detroit and Msgr. T. Baraja being appointed first apostolic vicar, with the title of bishop of the Amazons in partibus, and with his residence at Sault Ste Marie, which in 1857 was made a diocese. On 23 Oct. 1865 the see was transferred to M. with the title of Sault Ste Marie and M. Other bishops were Msgr. I. Mrak (1869–78), F. Eis (1890–1922), J. Nussbaum (1922–35), J. C. Plagens (1935–1940), F. J. Magner (1940–47); the current bishop is Msgr. T. L. Noa (1947). Pope Pius XI, by the apostolic constitution Ad aeternam christifidelium salutem of 22 May 1937, removed the diocese of M. from the ecclesiastical province of Milwaukee, making it a suffragan of Detroit.
The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Peter.