About the Diocese of Salina, Kansas

The first documented Mass in what would eventually become Kansas was offered by missionary
Jesuit priests in August 1827 seeking to evangelize a primarily Indian population. As settlers
continued to move west, including an influx of Catholic settlers, the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Salina, Kansas was established by Pope Leo XIII on August 2, 1887.
Today, the Diocese encompasses 26,685 square miles of north-central and northwest Kansas and
has a Catholic population of nearly 41,000. The area is composed primarily of rural
communities and covers 31 counties with 86 parishes. The Diocese serves under the patroness of
Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

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