SALINA (formerly CONCORDIA), DIOCESE of. - City and diocese in the State of Kansas (United States).
It comprises a territory of approximately 26,685 sq. miles in northwestern Kansas. It has a population of 337,052 inhabitants, of whom 41,788 are Catholics; it has 99 parishes, served by 85 diocesan and 42 regular priests. There are also 2 male and 4 female religious institutes in the diocese. In 1950 there were 295 conversions.
This territory was raised to a diocese by Leo XIII on 2 Aug. 1887, through the division of the diocese of Leavenworth, whose western part gave rise to two dioceses, Concordia and Wichita, suffragans of St. Louis. Following further boundary adjustments, 31 counties were assigned to the diocese of Concordia. The diocese is suffragan to St. Louis; the see was transferred to S. on 23 Dec. 1944.