SACRAMENTO, DIOCESI di. - Diocese and city in the State of California (U.S.A.); suffragan of S. Francisco.
It covers an area of 53,400 sq. mi., with a total population of 778,625 inhabitants, of whom 202,475 are Catholics; 158 priests, including 19 religious belonging to 7 different congregations, exercise the sacred ministry in the 70 parishes, 21 chapels, and 72 missions. There are also 13 women’s congregations with 274 nuns, 30 seminarians, 3 orphanages, and 5 hospitals. The diocese of S. was formed from the apostolic vicariate of Marysville. The apostolic vicariate of Marysville was erected in 1861 with only 4 priests. The first Catholics settled in the mining regions. The first apostolic vicar was Msgr. Eugenio O'Connell, of Irish origin, consecrated bishop of Flaviopolis in Dublin on 3 February 1861. Thanks to his work, in 1866 the apostolic vicariate had 17 priests and 35 churches.
On 20 March 1868, Pius IX raised the vicariate to a diocese under the name of Grass Valley; Leo XIII altered its boundaries on 16 May 1886, and the see was transferred to S.