Welcome to one of the youngest and fastest growing dioceses in the United States. Established by the Holy See on August 13, 1974, the Diocese of Arlington has grown from 136,000 Catholics at its founding to nearly 400,000today; 19.8 percent of the population in the diocese is Catholic, up from 15.4 percent in 1998. In the past ten years alone, we have grown 42 percent. Our diocese spans 21 counties, bordered by the Potomac River on the north and east, West Virginia on the west, and the far reaches of Shenandoah, Page, Madison, Orange, and Spotsylvania counties along the Rappahannock River on the south.

Gifted with a rich diversity of ethnic cultures, a variety of military and government leaders, academic and entrepreneurial leaders and many priestly vocations, the men and women who comprise this dynamic Catholic Diocese contribute to our mission of making Christ known and loved everywhere.