Pennsylvania: Difference between revisions

Pennsylvania is located in the northeastern [[United States]], bordered by [[New York]] to the north, [[New Jersey]] to the east, [[Delaware]] and [[Maryland]] to the southeast, [[West Virginia]] to the southwest, and [[Ohio]] to the west, with [[Lake Erie]] providing a short northern shoreline. Covering 119,283 km², its terrain includes the Pocono and Allegheny Mountains, fertile valleys, and urban-industrial areas like [[Philadelphia]] and [[Pittsburgh]]. This geography has facilitated Catholic settlement patterns, with early missions in rural south-central areas and later urban parishes serving immigrant communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pennsylvania - Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref>

Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 by [[William Penn]] as a Quaker colony promoting religious tolerance, which allowed early Catholic presence despite colonial-era restrictions elsewhere. Catholicism grew through German, Irish, Polish, and Italian immigration in the 18th-19th centuries, leading to the establishment of dioceses starting with the [[Diocese of Philadelphia]] in 1808.

Pennsylvania has a population of approximately 13 million, with Catholics estimated at around 22% (roughly 2.86 million adults, per Pew 2023-24 data; total including children may vary slightly by source). Catholicism is a minority amid Protestant traditions, "nones," and others, with trends of secularization affecting attendance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=People in Pennsylvania |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/pennsylvania/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref>

The [[Catholic Church]] in Pennsylvania consists of eight Latin Rite dioceses (one archdiocese and seven suffragan sees) under the Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia, with leadership through the [[Pennsylvania Catholic Conference]]. It includes hundreds of parishes, schools, hospitals, and charitable institutions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pennsylvania Catholic Conference » About The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference |url=https://www.pacatholic.org/about-the-pcc |publisher=Pennsylvania Catholic Conference |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref>

Figures like  

 

* [[Saint John Neumann]] (Bishop of [[Philadelphia]], canonized 1977)

* [[Saint Katharine Drexel]] (Philadelphia native, canonized 2000)  

* [[Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos]] (worked in Pittsburgh area)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pennsylvania, Catholic Church in |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/pennsylvania-catholic-church |publisher=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref>