Archdiocese of New Orleans
Novae Aureliae
Metropolitan see · Latin Church · New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
The Archdiocese of New Orleans is the Latin Church metropolitan see covering eight civil parishes in southeastern Louisiana. Erected as a diocese in 1793 and elevated to archdiocese in 1850, it is led by Archbishop James F. Checchio, who succeeded Archbishop Gregory Aymond in February 2026.
The see
- Rank
- Metropolitan see
- Tradition
- Latin Church
- Erected
- 25 April 1793
- Latin
- Novae Aureliae
- Patron
- Saint Louis and Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- Annuario code
- 001002378
The see in figures
- Catholics
- 514,847
- Population
- 1,287,117
- Catholic share
- 40.0%
- Priests
- 290
- Catholics per priest
- 1,775
- Extent
- 10,901 km²
- Catholics per km²
- 47
of the people living within its bounds
Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.
The bishop
- Archbishop
- James F. Checchio
A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.
The cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis stands in New Orleans, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
The province of New Orleans
This see is the metropolitan of its province.
The sees of this province:
- Diocese of AlexandriaAlexandria
- Diocese of Baton RougeBaton Rouge
- Diocese of Houma-ThibodauxHouma
- Diocese of LafayetteLafayette
- Diocese of Lake CharlesLake Charles
- Diocese of ShreveportShreveport
On how the Church is ordered into provinces, see the diocese.
History
Only the Archdiocese of Baltimore is older among United States dioceses than the Archdiocese of New Orleans (Latin: Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae; French: Archidiocèse de la Nouvelle-Orléans; Spanish: Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleans), which serves the Catholic Church in southeastern Louisiana. Its mother church is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, and as of 2026 James F. Checchio is its archbishop.
What is kept by invitation
The record above is published because it is public: what this see is, when it was erected, who holds its chair, and where it stands among its neighbours.
The working record is not. The chancery's address, telephone and email, the clergy of the see, and the hours of Mass, confession and adoration in the parishes within it are kept for members, and a person reads every request.
Sources
The see's own website · Wikipedia
This record is compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. On the method, see the keeping of the record. Whoever finds an error is asked, in charity, to write: [email protected].