Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco

Basic information
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
Archidioecesis Sancti Francisci
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption from the DePaul Campus of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
Location	San Francisco, California, United States
Territory	Counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin
Population	1,700,000
Rite	Roman Rite
Patron	St. Francis of Assisi
Ecclesiastical province	Province of San Francisco
Established	July 29, 1853
Cathedral	Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
Bishop	Archbishop of San Francisco
Website	Archdiocese of San Francisco
Current leadership
Pope	Benedict XVI
Metropolitan	George Hugh Niederauer Archbishop of San Francisco
Diocesan Bishop	George Hugh Niederauer Archbishop of San Francisco
Auxiliary bishops	Ignatius C. Wang Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo.^[1] The Archdiocese of San Francisco was canonically erected on July 29, 1853 and its cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.

The first church in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is older than the Archdiocese itself, Mission San Francisco de Asís was founded on June 29, 1776 by Francisan Friars. The mission church that stands today was completed in 1791 and attached next door is Mission Dolores Basilica. The Franciscans that founded Mission San Francisco de Asís also are credited with naming the City and County of San Francisco, after its patron, Saint Francis of Assisi. ^[2]^[3]

The archdiocese is currently led by Archbishop George Hugh Niederauer, who was formerly the bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City and installed on February 15, 2006. The current auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese is Ignatius C. Wang, the first Asian-American and Chinese-American appointed to the office of bishop.^[4]

The See of San Francisco is administered by the Archbishop of San Francisco, which as metropolitan oversees the entire Province of San Francisco. Its suffragans include the Dioceses of Honolulu, Las Vegas, Oakland, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Stockton.

Most Rev. Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O.P., first Archbishop of San Francisco (1853-1884)
Most Rev. Patrick William Riordan, second Archbishop of San Francisco (1884-1914)
Most Rev. Edward Joseph Hanna, third Archbishop of San Francisco (1915-1935)
Most Rev. John Joseph Mitty, fourth Archbishop of San Francisco (1935-1961)
Most Rev. Joseph Thomas McGucken, fifth Archbishop of San Francisco (1962-1977)
Most Rev. John Raphael Quinn, sixth Archbishop of San Francisco (1977-1995)
His Eminence Cardinal William Joseph Levada, seventh Archbishop of San Francisco (1995-2005)
Most Rev. George Hugh Niederauer, eighth Archbishop of San Francisco (2006-Present)

Old Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception — California Street and Grant Avenue, in Chinatown (1854-1891)
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption — 1001 Van Ness Avenue at O'Farrell Street; destroyed by fire 1962 - Site is studios of KRON-TV (1891-1962)
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption — 1111 Gough at Geary Boulevard on Cathedral Hill; modern structure conforms to Vatican II style (1971-)

Each county of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is divided into several deaneries, or parish groups.