For the Diocese in Argentina, please see Roman Catholic Diocese of San Francisco

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo. The Archdiocese of San Francisco was canonically erected on July 29, 1853 by Pope Pius IX and its cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

The first church in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is older than the Archdiocese itself, Mission San Francisco de Asís was founded on June 29, 1776 by Franciscan Friars. The mission church that stands today was completed in 1791 and attached next door is Mission Dolores Basilica. The Franciscans that founded Mission San Francisco de Asís also are credited with naming the City and County of San Francisco, and the entire region, after its patron, Saint Francis of Assisi.

The archdiocese is led by Archbishop George Hugh Niederauer, who was formerly the bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City and installed on February 15, 2006. The current auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese is Ignatius C. Wang, the first Asian-American and Chinese-American appointed to the office of bishop. On 10 April 2008 it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI appointed William J. Justice as the Auxiliary Bishop to serve the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Pope Benedict XVI did this announcement, along with the appointment of five other bishops, five days before he began his Apostolic Journey to the United States. He was installed as Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco by Metropolitan Archbishop of San Francisco George Hugh Niederauer on 28 May 2008 at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

The See of San Francisco is administered by the Archbishop of San Francisco, which as metropolitan oversees the entire Province of San Francisco. Its suffragans include the Dioceses of Honolulu, Las Vegas, Oakland, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Stockton.

San Francisco once included among its suffragans the former dioceses of Grass Valley, Los Angeles-San Diego, Monterey, Monterey-Fresno, and Monterey-Los Angeles.

Archbishops of San Francisco

• Most Rev. Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O.P., first Archbishop of San Francisco (1853–1884)
• Most Rev. Patrick William Riordan, second Archbishop of San Francisco (1884–1914)
• Most Rev. Edward Joseph Hanna, third Archbishop of San Francisco (1915–1935)
• Most Rev. John Joseph Mitty, fourth Archbishop of San Francisco (1935–1961)
• Most Rev. Joseph Thomas McGucken, fifth Archbishop of San Francisco (1962–1977)
• Most Rev. John Raphael Quinn, sixth Archbishop of San Francisco (1977–1995)
• His Eminence William Joseph Cardinal Levada, seventh Archbishop of San Francisco (1995–2005)
• Most Rev. George Hugh Niederauer, eighth Archbishop of San Francisco (2006–present)

Cathedrals

• Old Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception — California Street and Grant Avenue, in Chinatown (1854–1891)
• Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption — 1001 Van Ness Avenue at O'Farrell Street (1891–1962); destroyed by fire in 1962, the site is now studios of KRON-TV
• Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption — 1111 Gough at Geary Boulevard on Cathedral Hill; modern structure conforms to Vatican II style (1971–present)

Parishes of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Each county of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is divided into several deaneries, or parish groups.

• San Francisco County Parishes,
• San Mateo County Parishes,
• Marin County Parishes

Secondary schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

• Archbishop Riordan High School (San Francisco)
• Convent of the Sacred Heart High School (San Francisco)
• Immaculate Conception Academy (San Francisco)
• Junípero Serra High School (San Mateo)
• Marin Catholic High School (Kentfield in unincorporated Marin County)
• Mercy High School (Burlingame)
• Mercy High School (San Francisco)
• Notre Dame High School (Belmont)
• Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco)
• Sacred Heart Preparatory (Atherton)
• St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco)
• San Domenico School (San Rafael)
• Stuart Hall High School (San Francisco)
• Woodside Priory School, Portola Valley

Lay Ecclesial Movements Recognized by the Archdiocese of San Francisco

• Fraternity of Communion and Liberation(CL). CL is an ecclesial association of Pontifical Right. Meetings are held weekly at St. Thomas More Church and the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Province of San Francisco

See List of the Catholic bishops of the United States

References

Resources

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
• Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption