Archdiocese of Boston

Archdiocese of Boston

Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis
Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, 2007
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryEssex County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Suffolk County, and also Plymouth County except the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham
Ecclesiastical provinceBoston
Coordinates42°12′47″N 71°02′29″W / 42.21306°N 71.04139°W / 42.21306; -71.04139
Statistics
Area6,386 km2 (2,466 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2021)
  • 4,420,879
  • 1,989,396 (45%)
Parishes266
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 8, 1808 (1808-04-08)
CathedralCathedral of the Holy Cross
Patron saintSaint Patrick
Secular priests952 (600 diocesan; 352 religious)
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
Metropolitan ArchbishopRichard Garth Henning
Auxiliary Bishops
Bishops emeritus
Map
Website
bostoncatholic.org

The Archdiocese of Boston (Latin: Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

The Diocese of Boston was erected in 1808, branching off from the Diocese of Baltimore. It grew rapidly during the 19th century; today it is the fourth largest archdiocese in the United States. Starting in 2002, the archdiocese faced a sexual abuse scandal which touched off investigations of Catholic Church sexual abuse cases throughout the United States. Richard G. Henning is the archbishop.