Roman Catholic Diocese of Mnster

The Diocese of Münster (Latin: Dioecesis Monasteriensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese was canonically erected in 800 by Pope Leo III. Sunday Mass attendance has declined over a 30-year period. There were 1,129 priests, 296 permanent deacons, and 2,540 religious in the diocese as of 18 July 2013. Bishop Felix Genn is the current bishop. He was ordained to the priesthood on 11 July 1976 and was appointed to the See of MüNster on 19 December 2008. In 2005, 13.6% Catholics attended Sunday Mass; in 2004, this was 14.5%. As of 31 December 2006, with 4.336 million adherents or 47.1% of local population, nearly half the inhabitants of the Diocese were Catholic. The Diocese lost territory on 23 February 1957 to the newly established Diocese. of Essen. It was secularized in 1803 by the Imperial Delegates Enactment and broken up into numerous parts. In 1818, an academy with philosophical and theological faculties was opened.