We in the Diocese of Rockville Centre make up the Roman Catholic Church of Long Island.  As a sacramental community, we are one with the Catholic Church throughout the world, while here at home we are united under our Diocesan Bishop, Bishop John O. Barres to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ as one family of faith and to celebrate this life in our liturgy, sacraments, prayer and service.

Facts and Figures

• The Diocese of Rockville Centre was formed from the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1957, and covers 1,198 square miles in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
• The Diocese of Rockville Centre by reason of population is the eighth largest diocese (inclusive of archdioceses) in the United States.  The diocese serves approximately 1,428,296 baptized Catholics (total population in Nassau and Suffolk counties is approximately 3,004,336).*
• The Roman Catholic Church on Long Island is comprised of 133 parishes (plus one campus parish) in 115 towns as well as the Diocesan corporation, headquartered in the Pastoral Center – 50 Park Avenue, Rockville Centre, New York.
• The Diocese is blessed with 392 priests in active ministry: 223 diocesan, 107 externs, 62 religious; 801 religious women, 34 Brothers and 285 permanent deacons also minister to the Church on Long Island.

Liturgical and Sacramental (2018):  

• Receptions into the Church:
  • 13,219 infant baptisms (up to age 7)
  • 1,085 minor baptisms (between ages 7 and 17)
  • 938 adult baptisms (18 and over)
  • 204 received into Full Communion  
• 13,638 First Holy Communions 
• 14,714 Confirmations
• Marriages:
  • 2,569 Catholic
  • 487 Interfaith
• Catholic clergy and community provided consolation to families and loved ones of 9,955 deceased Catholics.

Catholic Cemeteries: 

• Catholic Cemeteries exists to meet the needs of individuals and parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre in preparation for, at the time of, and following the death of a loved one.  The ministry we provide extends into the area of liturgy, prayer, comfort, support, grief and evangelization. Our ministry is rooted in the reality of the human person as an embodied spirit.  That embodiment is sacred, for it locates the human spirit in history and in place.

Communications:

• The single largest outreach to the People of God on Long Island is through its media outlets.  Catholic Faith Network, the diocesan television station broadcasts 24/7/365 to over 1.5 million homes; The Long Island Catholic Magazine, the official print publication of the diocese, is mailed 10 times per year to over 14,000 subscribers; the weekly LICatholic E-newsletter is emailed to 8,000 recipients; Fe Fuerza Vida, the official Diocesan Spanish-language newspaper, has a circulation of 11,000 and is printed ten times each year.  The diocesan website, drvc.org, averages approximately 18,000 unique visitors each month. 

Social Media (as of 5/2019):

The Diocese maintains a sector leading social media platforms:

Facebook: www.fb.com/Diocese-of-Rockville-Centre

• • Followers: 6,512 
• Twitter: @RVCDiocese – twitter.com/RVCdiocese
  • Followers: 7,398
• Instagram: @rvcdiocese
  • Followers: 1,222

Education: 

• In the 2018 – ‘19 school year there were 13,722 students enrolled in 45 Catholic elementary schools (41 diocesan & parish and 4 private)
•  In the 2018 – ‘19 school year there were 10,512 students enrolled in 9 Catholic high schools (2 diocesan, 2 parish and 5 private high schools)
• 99% of the graduates from the Catholic high schools go on to college
• 4,980 undergraduate and graduate students studying at Molloy College, in Rockville Centre. 
• 29 diocesan seminarians in formation.

Faith Formation: 

• We are a Diocese with over 10,000 parish catechists educating approximately 75,727 elementary and high school students in parish faith formation programs. 
• Through the ongoing efforts of pastoral staff and volunteers, we prepare engaged couples for marriage and parents for the Baptism of their children.
• We work for the inclusion of persons with special needs in faith formation and parish life.  
• Parish and diocesan programs provide ongoing formation in the faith for our adult members.

Health Care: 

• Catholic Health Services of Long Island (CHS) is an integrated health care delivery system with some of the region’s finest health and human services agencies. CHS includes six hospitals, three skilled nursing facilities, a regional home nursing service, hospice and a multiservice, community-based agency for persons with special needs. About 18,400 employees work within the CHS system assisting over one million in-patients and out-patients annually. 

New Evangelization:

• Hundreds of thousands are brought to a closer relationship with God through the work of the ministries of the Office of New Evangelization, including: Ministry to Catholics of African Ancestry, Haitian-American Apostolate, Hispanic Ministry, the Diocesan Mission in the Dominican Republic, Renewal, Youth, Young Adult and Campus ministries, the Pontifical Mission Society and Catholic Scouting.

Social Services: 

• Catholic Charities provides Care with Dignity — Life with Hope to the poor.  In 2018, more than 600 staff members and 400 volunteers provided over 1.4 million face-to-face services to 45,460 people of all faiths and backgrounds from 60 service sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties.  

For more please information visit: www.drvc.org

*Source: Official Catholic Directory 2018