About Diocese of Davenport
The Diocese of Davenport (Latin: Diœcesis Davenportensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church covering the 22 southeastern counties of Iowa, with its see city in Davenport. Established on June 14, 1881 by Pope Leo XIII and carved from the southern portion of the Diocese of Dubuque, the diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Its Mother Church is Sacred Heart Cathedral, a Gothic Revival landmark built in 1891 on Cork Hill in East Davenport. The current ordinary is Bishop Dennis G. Walsh, the tenth bishop of Davenport, installed September 27, 2024. With roughly 78 parishes, 13 elementary schools, and 5 high schools, the diocese today serves about 104,300 Catholics in southeastern Iowa.
- Bishop
- Dennis Gerard Walsh
- Established
- 1881
- Cathedral
- Sacred Heart Cathedral, 422 E. 10th Street, Davenport, Iowa
- Territory
- 22 counties in the southeastern quadrant of Iowa (Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Muscatine, Scott, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington, Wayne — roughly the southeast Iowa region along and west of the Mississippi).
- Parishes
- 78
- Province
- Archdiocese of Dubuque (Ecclesiastical Province of Dubuque)
History of the Diocese of Davenport
The Diocese of Davenport was erected on May 8, 1881 (canonical erection June 14, 1881) by Pope Leo XIII from the southern portion of the Diocese of Dubuque. The diocese was the second created in Iowa, fulfilling a long-standing Vatican plan to divide the state's vast Catholic territory. The first bishop was John McMullen, formerly vicar general of Chicago, who died in 1883 after a whirlwind 18-month tour of his far-flung parishes. His successors — Henry Cosgrove, James J. Davis, Henry Rohlman, Ralph Hayes, Gerald O'Keefe, William Franklin, Martin Amos, Thomas Zinkula, and the current bishop Dennis Walsh — built up parishes, schools, charitable institutions, and the chancery structures that today serve the diocese's 22 southeastern Iowa counties.
- Established June 14, 1881 by Pope Leo XIII; carved from the Diocese of Dubuque.
- First bishop John McMullen arrived 1881; died in office 1883.
- Second bishop Henry Cosgrove built Sacred Heart Cathedral (1891) and Sacred Heart Asylum.
- 1911: Diocese of Des Moines erected from Davenport territory; Clinton County added from Dubuque.
- 1929: Catholic Charities founded under Bishop Rohlman; relaunched 2010 under Bishop Amos.
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Mother Church of the Diocese of Davenport, sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River at 422 E. 10th Street in the Cork Hill neighborhood of East Davenport. The parish was founded in 1856, and the present Gothic Revival cathedral — designed by James J. Egan and built of Bedford stone — was begun in June 1889 and dedicated November 15, 1891 by Bishop Henry Cosgrove. The complex, including the Hanssen-designed rectory and the former Stauduhar convent (demolished 2012), was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 5, 1984. The rector is Rev. Jason Crossen, who also serves as Vicar General of the diocese. The cathedral is the site of episcopal ordinations, installations, and the major liturgies of the diocese, including the September 27, 2024 ordination and installation of Bishop Dennis G. Walsh.
- Dedication: Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- Architect: James J. Egan (Gothic Revival).
- Built 1889–1891 of Bedford stone, 180 ft × 80 ft, 75 ft tall.
- NRHP reference No. 84001537, listed April 5, 1984.
- Parish website: shcdavenport.org.
Bishop Dennis G. Walsh — Tenth Bishop of Davenport
Bishop Dennis Gerard Walsh was appointed the tenth Bishop of Davenport by Pope Francis on June 25, 2024 and ordained and installed at Sacred Heart Cathedral on September 27, 2024. A native of St. Gerard Parish in Lima, Ohio, he was ordained a Redemptorist priest on May 9, 1992 and incardinated into the Diocese of Toledo on July 19, 2000. He served as pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Delphos, St. John the Baptist in Landeck, and St. Patrick in Spencerville, and previously pastored St. Patrick of Heatherdowns (Toledo) and St. John in Defiance. He is the first priest of the Diocese of Toledo to be named ordinary of another diocese. Archbishop Thomas R. Zinkula of Dubuque served as consecrator at the installation Mass.
- Appointed: June 25, 2024.
- Ordained and installed: September 27, 2024, at Sacred Heart Cathedral.
- Former Redemptorist (Baltimore Province), incardinated in Toledo 2000.
- Consecrated by Archbishop Thomas R. Zinkula of Dubuque.
Catholic Schools
The Office of Catholic Schools oversees 13 elementary schools, 17 preschools, and 5 high schools across eleven communities in the diocese's 22-county territory. Catholic schools in the diocese welcome students of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds and follow a strategic plan that frames Catholic education as the Church's evangelizing mission, blending rigorous academics with Gospel values, lifelong faith, social justice, religious vocations, and stewardship. Mission language on the diocesan website describes the schools as 'big enough to provide awesome opportunities to learn, small enough to get to know the needs of your students.'
- 13 elementary schools, 17 preschools, 5 high schools.
- Schools located in 11 communities across southeast Iowa.
- Scott County Catholic Schools cluster in the Quad Cities, including Holy Family, Our Lady of Victory, St. Alphonsus, St. Anthony's, St. John Vianney, St. Paul the Apostle, and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes.
Catholic Charities and Social Action
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Davenport was re-established on July 1, 2010 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reviving an agency first created in 1929 by Bishop Rohlman and discontinued in 1968. Today it is led by Deacon Kent Ferris, OFS, the diocese's Director of Social Action and Catholic Charities, with Esmeralda Guerrero as administrative assistant. Services include immigration assistance, Project Rachel post-abortion healing, parish health ministry, disaster preparation and response, and jail/prison ministry (including Restorative Justice and Circles of Support that 'walk with' returning citizens in drug court). The Office of Social Action also coordinates advocacy through the Iowa Catholic Conference and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Immigration Services, Project Rachel, Parish Health Ministry.
- Disaster Preparation and Response across the 22-county region.
- Jail/Prison Ministry, Restorative Justice, Circles of Support.
- Public Policy & Advocacy via the Iowa Catholic Conference and USCCB.
- Office organized by six deaneries: Davenport, Clinton, Iowa City, Grinnell, Ottumwa, Keokuk (consolidated to five in May 2023).
Deaneries, Parishes, and Pastoral Structure
The diocese organizes its parishes into deaneries — geographic clusters of parishes that meet regularly with the bishop's office to coordinate pastoral life. Originally six deaneries (Davenport, Clinton, Iowa City, Grinnell, Ottumwa, Keokuk), Bishop Thomas Zinkula reduced the number to five in May 2023 to reflect shifting populations and travel patterns. The 2013 reporting counted 78 parishes serving about 104,300 Catholics in a total population of 784,000 (13.3%). Major urban parishes include the seven parishes of the Scott County Catholic Schools system in the Quad Cities, anchored by Sacred Heart Cathedral.
- 78 parishes (as of 2013 reporting).
- Deaneries consolidated from six to five in May 2023.
- Scott County parishes: Holy Family, Our Lady of Victory, St. Alphonsus, St. Anthony's, St. John Vianney, St. Paul the Apostle, Our Lady of Lourdes, plus Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Clergy, Religious, and Diaconate
The diocese is served by diocesan and religious-order priests, deacons, and women religious. The permanent diaconate was established in the diocese by Bishop Gerald O'Keefe in 1978, with the first class ordained in 1980; a deacons council was organized to support their ministry. Women religious congregations with deep historical ties to the diocese include the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (who opened Immaculata Academy, the first Catholic girls' school in Davenport, in 1859), the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart, and the Congregation of the Humility of Mary (which took over Sacred Heart Asylum in 1896). Bishop O'Keefe also organized a sisters' council (1967) and a lay council (1970) to give religious and laity formal roles in diocesan governance.
- Permanent diaconate established 1978; first ordinations 1980.
- Sisters' council (1967) and lay council (1970) under Bishop O'Keefe.
- First diocesan pastoral council and board of education also created under O'Keefe.
Historic Challenges: Bankruptcy and Renewal
On October 12, 2006 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Martin J. Amos of Cleveland as the eighth bishop of Davenport. Two days before his installation on November 20, 2006 the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to address clergy sexual-abuse claims. The reorganization forced the sale of the chancery building, the bishop's residence, and St. Vincent Center. Emerging from bankruptcy, Bishop Amos re-established Catholic Charities on July 1, 2010, restoring a social-services arm that had been dormant for 42 years. He retired in 2017 and was succeeded by Bishop Thomas Zinkula, who reorganized the deaneries in 2023 before being elevated Archbishop of Dubuque.
- Chapter 11 filing: November 2006.
- Diocesan assets sold: chancery, bishop's residence, St. Vincent Center.
- Catholic Charities relaunched July 1, 2010.
Contact and Location
The diocesan chancery is located at 780 West Central Park Avenue, Davenport, IA 52804-1901. The main office telephone is (563) 324-1911 and the fax is (563) 324-5842. The official website is davenportdiocese.org; the Office of Catholic Schools and the Office of Social Action / Catholic Charities maintain their own pages and contact lines, including 563-888-4211 for Deacon Kent Ferris and 563-888-4210 for Esmeralda Guerrero.
- Address: 780 West Central Park Avenue, Davenport, IA 52804-1901.
- Phone: (563) 324-1911.
- Website: https://davenportdiocese.org.
