About Diocese of Raleigh
The Diocese of Raleigh (Latin: Dioecesis Raleighiensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church covering the eastern 54 counties of North Carolina in the United States. A suffragan of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, it is led by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, the first Hispanic and first foreign-born bishop of the diocese, installed in 2017. The see's mother church is Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, a 2,000-seat Romanesque Revival church dedicated in 2017 that ranks among the five largest Catholic cathedrals in the United States. With 81 parishes, 13 missions, 4 campus-ministry centers and roughly 510,000 Catholics, it traces its origins to the 1868 Apostolic Vicariate of North Carolina and became the first diocese in the state in 1924.
- Bishop
- Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto
- Established
- 1924
- Cathedral
- Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Territory
- The eastern 54 counties of North Carolina, covering 33,088 square miles, organized into eight deaneries (Albemarle, Cape Fear, Fayetteville, New Bern, Newton Grove, Piedmont, Raleigh, Tar River).
- Parishes
- 81 parishes, 13 missions, 1 station, 4 college-campus ministry centers (statistics as of December 2025)
- Province
- Archdiocese of Atlanta (Ecclesiastical Province of Atlanta); previously suffragan of the Archdiocese of Baltimore until 1962.
Overview & Quick Facts
The Diocese of Raleigh covers the eastern half of North Carolina — 54 counties, 33,088 square miles — with a total population of about 5.66 million, of whom roughly 510,000 (≈9.6%) are Catholic. As of December 2025 the diocese counts 81 parishes, 13 missions, one station and four college-campus ministry centers, organized into eight deaneries (Albemarle, Cape Fear, Fayetteville, New Bern, Newton Grove, Piedmont, Raleigh, Tar River) and served by 171 diocesan, religious-order and extern priests. The see's mother church is Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, and the diocesan offices (the Catholic Center) are at 7200 Stonehenge Drive, Raleigh, NC 27613.
- Territory: 54 counties, eastern North Carolina
- Population: 5,657,382 total / 510,000 Catholic (Dec 2025)
- 81 parishes, 13 missions, 1 station, 4 campus-ministry centers
- 8 deaneries; 171 priests serving
- Suffragan of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
History
Catholic missionary work in North Carolina traces back to John Carroll's 1789 Diocese of Baltimore (the entire U.S.) and the 1820 Diocese of Charleston, whose bishop John England first visited the state in 1821. Pope Pius IX erected the Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina on March 3, 1868, naming James Gibbons as its first vicar apostolic. After tenures by Stanislaus Mark Gross, Henry Pinckney Northrop, and the Benedictine Leo Michael Haid (who simultaneously led Belmont Abbey), Pope Pius XI elevated the vicariate to the Diocese of Raleigh on December 12, 1924 — the first Catholic diocese in North Carolina and the last state to receive one. Since then the diocese has been led by six bishops.
- 1868 – Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina erected
- 1886 – First native NC priest ordained: Fr. Thomas F. Price
- 1910 – Abbacy Nullius of Belmont–Mary Help of Christians created
- 1911 – Father Price co-founds Maryknoll
- 1924 – Diocese of Raleigh established (Dec 12, Pope Pius XI)
- 1944 – Seven counties transferred from Belmont Abbey to Raleigh
- 1960 – Gaston County transferred to Raleigh
- 1962 – Raleigh transferred from Baltimore province to new Atlanta province
- 1971 – Diocese of Charlotte carved from western half
- 2012 – Father Price Cause for Beatification opened
- 2017 – Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral dedicated; Bishop Zarama installed
- 2024 – Centennial of the diocese
Bishops in Succession
Six bishops have shepherded the diocese since its erection, each shaping its growth and pastoral character. Bishop William J. Hafey laid the institutional foundations; Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness recruited orders and vocations; Bishop Vincent S. Waters fought racism and oversaw the Charlotte split; Bishop F. Joseph Gossman gave the diocese its modern shape across a 31-year tenure; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge launched the cathedral campaign and Father Price's Cause; and Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, the first Hispanic and first foreign-born bishop, currently leads the diocese.
- 1. William J. Hafey (1925–1937)
- 2. Eugene J. McGuinness (1937–1944)
- 3. Vincent S. Waters (1945–1974)
- 4. F. Joseph Gossman (1975–2006)
- 5. Michael F. Burbidge (2006–2016)
- 6. Luis Rafael Zarama (2017–present)
Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama — Current Ordinary
Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto was born on November 28, 1958, in Pasto, Nariño, Colombia, the oldest of six children. He studied philosophy and theology at the Universidad Mariana in Pasto and earned a licentiate in canon law from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá before emigrating to the United States in 1989. Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Atlanta on November 27, 1993, he served as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Atlanta and was the first Hispanic priest named pastor in the archdiocese (St. Mark, Clarksville, GA, and St. Helena Mission, Clayton, GA). Pope Benedict XVI named him Titular Bishop of Bararus and Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta on July 27, 2009, and he was ordained a bishop on September 29, 2009. On July 5, 2017, Pope Francis appointed him sixth Bishop of Raleigh, and he was installed August 29, 2017, at the newly dedicated Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. His episcopal motto is 'Deus caritas est' (God is love).
- Born: Pasto, Colombia, November 28, 1958
- Education: Universidad Mariana (Pasto); Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá)
- Priestly ordination: November 27, 1993, Archdiocese of Atlanta
- Episcopal ordination: September 29, 2009
- Bishop of Raleigh since August 29, 2017
- First Hispanic and first foreign-born bishop of Raleigh
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, at 715 Nazareth Street in Raleigh, replaced Sacred Heart Cathedral in 2017 as the mother church of the diocese. Designed by O'Brien & Keane of Arlington, Virginia, in Romanesque Revival style, it has a cruciform plan with the sanctuary beneath a 162-ton copper-clad dome rising 172 feet. The 44,000-square-foot building seats 2,000 worshippers, making it the fifth-largest Catholic cathedral in the United States. Forty-two stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross came from closed Philadelphia churches and were restored by the Beyer Studio. The Santafiora-stone cornerstone, blessed by Pope Francis in December 2015, was installed five days before the cathedral's dedication on July 26, 2017.
- Address: 715 Nazareth St., Raleigh, NC
- Architect: O'Brien & Keane, Arlington, VA
- Style: Romanesque Revival, cruciform plan
- Capacity: 2,000 seats; 44,000 sq ft
- Dome: 162 tons, 172 ft high
- Cost: ~$46 million
- Dedicated July 26, 2017
The Vicariate Apostolic Era (1868–1924)
Before the diocese, North Carolina was a vicariate apostolic for 56 years. James Gibbons (later Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore) led the vicariate from 1868 to 1877 and reportedly traveled nearly a thousand miles in his first four weeks, befriending Protestants and making converts in a state with fewer than 700 Catholics. After brief or contested tenures by Stanislaus Mark Gross and Henry Pinckney Northrop, the Benedictine abbot Leo Michael Haid governed both the vicariate and Belmont Abbey for 36 years — the longest pre-diocesan tenure.
- 1868: Vicariate erected by Pius IX; James Gibbons named first vicar apostolic
- 1872: Gibbons named Bishop of Richmond (later Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore)
- 1880: Stanislaus Mark Gross briefly appointed
- 1882–1888: Henry Pinckney Northrop
- 1888–1924: Leo Michael Haid, O.S.B., simultaneously abbot of Belmont Abbey
Father Thomas Frederick Price — 'Tar Heel Apostle'
Ordained in 1886 as the first native-born North Carolinian Catholic priest, Father Thomas Frederick Price (1860–1919) became the driving force of Catholic missionary life in his home state, founding the Nazareth Orphanage in 1899, publishing the magazine Truth, and preaching tirelessly across eastern North Carolina. In 1911 he co-founded the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America — Maryknoll — and died in Hong Kong in 1919. His Cause for Beatification and Canonization was opened in the Diocese of Raleigh on March 9, 2012; the diocesan phase was formally closed on July 11, 2018, and the case is now before the Holy See. Price's 1896 land purchase is the very site on which Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral now stands.
- Ordained 1886 — first native NC Catholic priest
- Founded Nazareth Orphanage in 1899
- Co-founded Maryknoll in 1911
- Died in Hong Kong in 1919
- Cause opened March 9, 2012; diocesan phase closed July 11, 2018
- Bought the cathedral-site land in 1896
Catholic Schools & Faith Formation
The diocesan Office of Catholic Schools, under the Superintendent (currently Marcelo Eureste), provides professional licensing, curriculum and standards development, testing and assessment, legal assistance, accreditation, professional development, mentoring and leadership programs to schools and early childhood centers across the diocese. The diocese also operates a Catholic Virtual School that extends Catholic education beyond brick-and-mortar classrooms. Two diocesan high schools serve the territory, including Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh.
- Office of Catholic Schools — Superintendent-led
- Diocesan Virtual School
- Cardinal Gibbons High School (Raleigh)
- Second diocesan high school opened under Bishop Burbidge
- Early-childhood centers and parish schools across the diocese
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh
Catholic Charities serves the same 54-county eastern North Carolina footprint through eight regional offices, fulfilling the mission of 'providing help to our brothers and sisters in need by alleviating the effects of poverty and creating hope by developing solutions to transform lives.' Service lines include Disaster Services, Emergency Assistance, Immigration Legal Assistance, Services in Support of the Family, and Parish and Community Engagement.
- Eight regional offices across eastern NC
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Assistance
- Immigration Assistance
- Family Support Services
- Parish and Community Engagement
Parishes, Missions & Languages
The diocese's 81 parishes, 13 missions, 1 station, and 4 college-campus ministry centers welcome worshippers in numerous languages. The Find-a-Parish directory lists liturgies celebrated in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, African languages, Malay, Aramaic, and other tongues — reflecting a Catholic population that is increasingly Hispanic, African, and Asian. Parishes stretch from the Outer Banks (Buxton, Ocracoke, Kitty Hawk) across the Piedmont to the Sandhills and the military communities around Fayetteville and Camp Lejeune.
- Cities served include Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Greenville, Chapel Hill, Cary, New Bern, Rocky Mount and dozens more
- Liturgies in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, African languages, Malay, Aramaic
- Campus ministries at NC college and university centers
- Military presence: parishes near Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune
Diocesan Offices & Administration
Pastoral and administrative life at the Catholic Center (7200 Stonehenge Drive, Raleigh) is organized into several offices: Administration (Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia, Tribunal, Stewardship, Safety and Security, Property and Construction, IT, Human Resources, General Counsel, Evangelization and Discipleship, Divine Worship, Development, CFO/CAO, Chancery, Business & Fiscal Services, Archives and Records); Communications (news, NC Catholics magazine, radio, social media); Education (Catholic Schools, Virtual School); Vocations (Priesthood, Diaconate, Religious Orders); and Safe Environment (training, Child and Youth Protection, reporting of suspected abuse).
- Vicar General: Very Rev. Michael J. Burbeck
- Chancery (canonical affairs, marriage tribunals, official acts)
- Vocations Office — Priesthood, Diaconate, Religious Orders
- Communications Office and NC Catholics
- Safe Environment / Child and Youth Protection
Vocations & Diaconate
The diocese actively promotes vocations to the priesthood, the permanent diaconate, and religious life. Under Bishop Burbidge, 19 men were ordained to the priesthood and 34 men to the permanent diaconate; under Bishop Zarama the work continues through the diocesan Vocations Office and partnerships with religious orders. The Diocese of Raleigh is served by 171 diocesan, religious-order and extern priests.
- 171 priests serving the diocese (diocesan, religious-order, extern)
- Permanent diaconate ordination track
- Religious orders present in the diocese
Safe Environment & Child Protection
The Safe Environment Office coordinates training, background checks, and reporting protocols for all who minister to minors and vulnerable adults across the diocese, including the diocesan reporting line for suspected abuse. The diocese publishes policy and contact information at dioceseofraleigh.org.
- Safe Environment Training (required for all clergy, employees, volunteers)
- Report Suspected Abuse — diocesan reporting channel
- Child and Youth Protection office
Sacred Heart Church — The Former Cathedral
Sacred Heart Church on Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh served as the cathedral of the diocese from 1924 until 2017. Ground was broken in 1922 and the church was completed in 1924, the same year the diocese was erected; at 320 seats it was eventually the smallest Catholic cathedral in the continental United States. By the 2000s eleven weekend Masses were needed to fit the congregation, prompting the capital campaign that produced Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. Sacred Heart continues to host daily Mass, weddings, and funerals, and is a contributing property of the Capitol Area Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Built 1922–1924; cathedral 1924–2017
- 320 seats; eventually smallest Catholic cathedral in continental U.S.
- Now used for daily Mass, weddings, funerals
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Capitol Area Historic District)
Communications & Media
The diocesan Communications Office publishes the news feed, NC Catholics magazine, and the diocesan radio ministry, and maintains the official website and active social-media presence on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube.
- Diocesan website: dioceseofraleigh.org
- NC Catholics magazine
- Diocesan radio programming
- Active on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube
