History
In 1808, the area that is now known as Joliet was governed by the Diocese of Bardstown, present-day Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky. In 1824, administration of the area was transferred to the Archdiocese of Saint Louis in Missouri. Another period of reorganization for the expanding American Catholic community led to the transfer of administration over Joliet to the now-defunct Diocese of Vincennes, present-day Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In 1836, with the construction of the I&M canal, Irish immigrants swarmed into the area. Fr. John Plunkett was assigned to provide to the spiritual needs of the workers. He established St. Patrick Church, which is still operating, as the first church in the Joliet area.
With the industrialization of Illinois and the emergence of Chicago as an important center of commerce for the nation, the new churches and missions in the Joliet area flourished. Its congregants were mostly newly arrived immigrant laborers from Europe and several generations of local farmers.
In 1948, the Diocese of Joliet was formally established to meet the demands of the exponential growth of Catholicism in the region, resulting from local post-World War II housing developments and commercial modernization.
Read more about this topic: Roman Catholic Diocese Of Joliet In Illinois
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