Anniversary of the Raleigh Diocese (Dec. 12, 1924 - Dec. 12, 2025)
by VP
Posted on Friday December 12, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Priest's principal role is that of a teacher:
"We are teaching whether in the parlor, in the pulpit or walking down the street. We are teaching people to know the teachings of Christ and His Church. For if we want people to be good, we must show them how to be good. Our principal task in the priesthood then is to teach. We are all missionaries and we must go and teach the truth which Christ intended that all possess." Bishop Vincent S. Waters Feb. 8, 1954 at Priests' Institute of the Raleigh Diocese's Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
Prayer for the Bishop:
O Jesus, Prince of Pastors, Shepherd and
Bishop of our souls, give our bishop Luis Rafael all those
virtues, which he need for his sanctification! May he watch over
himself and the entire flock, with which the Holy Spirit has
entrusted him! Fill his heart with Thine own Spirit! Give him faith,
charity, wisdom and strength! Send him faithful co-laborers in
the great work of saving and guiding souls! Make him shepherd after
Thine own heart, living only for his holy office, fearing nobody but
Thee, and hoping for nothing but Thee, in order that when Thou shalt
come, to judge shepherds and flocks, he may obtain the unfading reward
of eternal life! Amen
Patron of the Raleigh Diocese: The Immaculate Conception
North Carolina Catholic, 1964, used with permission
"The Raleigh Diocese (...) was formally established on December 12, 1924 by Pope Pius XI. In the Bull, Omnium Ecclesiarum Sollicitudo, which erected the Diocese, the parish church of the Sacred Heart was elevated to the rank of Cathedral. Although the Diocese was thus established in 1924, the designation of the first Ordinary was not made until April 6, 1925. Prior to that date all the faithful residing in North Carolina were under the jurisdiciton of the Vicar Apostolic, Rt. Rev. Leo Haid, O.S.B.
Bishop William J. Hafey took possession of the See of Raleigh on July 1, 1925. Having previously served as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Bishop Hafey was the youngest member of the U.S. Hierarchy at the time of his consecration.
He found less than six thousand Catholics in his new diocese. There were only twenty-six priests laboring in the territory; twenty parishes had a resident pastor, and six of the parishes had schools in which eighty-eight sisters taught no more than eight hundred pupils." (North Carolina Catholic, Dec. 13 1964)
Raleigh Diocese Bishops:
1. William J. Hafey (1925–1937)
2. Eugene J. McGuinness (1938–1944)
3. Vincent S. Waters (1945–1974)
4. Francis J. Gossman (1975–2006)
5. Michael Francis Burbidge (2006–2016)
6. Luis Rafael Zarama (2017–present)
50th Anniversary:
Centennial:
- Centennial Prayer for the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh: Lord God, you alone are the source of
every good gift, of the vast array of our universe, and the mystery of
each human life. We praise you and we thank you for your tender,
faithful love. As the Diocese of Raleigh celebrates the 100th
Anniversary of its founding, we stand before you with gratitude and joy
for the many gifts and blessings you have bestowed upon the faithful of
this Diocese.
In imitation of Christ, your Son, you raised up courageous individuals, such as Servant of God, Father Thomas Frederick Price, and Saint Katharine Drexel, and through the countless efforts of its bishops, clergy, and the women and men who tirelessly gave of their wisdom and generosity, you have shaped a Diocese capable of bearing the fruit of compassion and charity in service to the needs of others.
Send forth now, we pray, your Spirit upon the faithful of the Diocese of Raleigh who look forward to another hundred years of the presence of Christ burning in our hearts. As we recall the great events, which enabled the flourishing of our Diocese, fill our minds with Christʼs truth and our hearts with His love.
As we look forward to the future may we be bonded together by the Holy Spirit and commit ourselves once again to grow as credible witnesses of the Gospel of Christ so that, as we walk your ways with faith and hope, we may never tire of bringing Christʼs joy into this world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina
