Diocesan Profile
Who We Are
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon is a dynamic and vibrant diocese located
in Saskatchewan, the heartland of Canada's prairie provinces.
The Diocese of Saskatoon is currently undergoing several changes, with one of
the most significant being the recent expansion of its area.
The newly amalgamated Diocese of Saskatoon came into existence on Sept. 14, 1998
as the result of a papal order that re-defined the territories for Saskatchewan's
dioceses. The order came on the recommendation of Saskatchewan's bishops and
was then approved by the Canadian conference of Catholic bishops. The last time
Saskatchewan dioceses were redefined prior to this order was in 1933 when Saskatoon
was created and prior to that, Gravelbourg in 1930.
The papal order reduced the number of dioceses in Saskatchewan from five to three:
Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina. The former diocese of Gravelbourg was largely
included in the Diocese of Regina. The Diocese of Saskatoon inherited the west
part of Gravelbourg, the area formerly covered by the territorial Abbacy of Muenster,
as well as part of the former Diocese of Regina. In essence, that means the Saskatoon
diocese will have a western border south of the river to Fox Valley and Prelate,
SK and stretch east as far as Foam Lake and Lintlaw.
The addition of the new areas has added some 20,000 people to the Diocese which
now includes some 112 parishes and a Catholic population of 93,859. To handle
communication with people from such a vast area, seven regional deaneries have
been developed within the diocese. These are designed to keep parishes in touch
with one another, foster collaboration, resource sharing and problem solving
among parishes in a region, and provide a forum to address regional concerns.
Representatives from each of the deaneries also serve on the Diocesan Pastoral
Council, which is set up as an advisory body which can help facilitate a two-way
communication between the parishes and the bishop. The Diocesan Pastoral Council
held its first meeting on Oct. 9, 1999.
The Diocese of Saskatoon currently operates with 42 diocesan priests, 15 Benedictine
brothers from St. Peter's Abbey, 57 religious priests 233 sisters and four pastoral
agents.
Demographics
The Diocese of Saskatoon includes approximately 87 rural municipalities as
well as the city of Saskatoon. In total, this includes some 44,800 square
kilometres with a total population of approximately 318,000. The Catholic
population of this area is 93,859 as of Dec. 31, 1998.
The climate of our Diocese is generally temperate but can turn bitterly cold
in the winter, sometimes lower than 40 below Celcius. The cold is moderated
somewhat by the dry air. The summer months are relatively short, with temperatures
often rising to 27-33 degrees Celcius.
Saskatchewan, in the area of the Diocese of Saskatoon is a vast plain, with
few trees in the South. The northern areas, however, can be heavily wooded
and feature many fresh water lakes. The major industry in the diocese is agriculture,
with wheat the most common crop on the prairies. Other grains which are also
popular include oats, barley, flax and canola. Lumber is also an important
industry in the north, and the province is also famous for its rich natural
resources such as oil, potash and uranium. The potash mines are largely within
the boundaries of this diocese and there are oil resources in the west region,
near the Alberta border. The uranium deposits are all far north but the industry
is served by businesses here.
Demographically, Saskatchewan includes a diverse mix of peoples with European
countries well represented in large groups of Ukrainian, German and Polish
communities. Saskatchewan's Native community is comprised of both First Nations
and Metis and account for somewhere between six-eight per cent of the provincial
population.
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