Diocese of Fresno
diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States
The Diocese of Fresno (Latin: Dioecesis Fresnensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church in the Central Valley of California in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The bishop is Joseph Brennan. Since 1922, the diocesan see has been in the City of Fresno with the cathedra at St. John's Cathedral.
Statistics
The Diocese of Fresno consists of 35,239 square miles (91,270 km2) of the southern San Joaquin Valley of California, a portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and some valleys in eastern California. The diocese contains Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, and Tulare counties. For administrative purposes, the diocese is subdivided into five deaneries: Fresno City, Fresno (rural), Tulare/Kings, Kern/Inyo, and Merced/Mariposa.
As of 2023, the total population of the diocese was 3,014,103 inhabitants, of whom 1,244,400 were registered Catholics. The diocese maintains 87 parishes, several charities, two high schools, numerous elementary schools, a small newspaper, a retreat center, and several cemeteries.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Diocese of Fresno” is diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Diocese, Fresno and diocese, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q868956. Authority coordinates are 36.748, -119.772. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1922 and 2023.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Diocese of Fresno”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Diocese of Fresno primary sources, Diocese of Fresno archive and Diocese research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Diocese of Fresno”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Diocese of Fresno” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.