M�nster (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]

Bishop(s)

Vacant
Christoph Hegge, Auxiliary Bishop
Rolf Lohmann, Auxiliary Bishop
Wilfried Theising, Auxiliary Bishop
Stefan Zekorn, Auxiliary Bishop
Felix Genn, Bishop Emeritus
Dieter Geerlings, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus

General Information

Type of Jurisdiction: Diocese
Erected: 800
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of K�ln {Cologne}
Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops
Rite: Latin (or Roman)
Country: Germany
Square Kilometers: 15,268 (5,897 Square Miles)
Official Web Site: https://www.bistum-muenster.de
Mailing Address: Bischofliches Generalvikariat, Domplatz 27, D-48143 Munster, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Telephone: (0251)495.16.002

Past and Present Ordinaries

St. Ludger † ( 791 Appointed - 26 Mar 809 Died)
Swidger † ( 993 Appointed - 19 Nov 1011 Died)
Dietrich † ( 1011 Appointed - 23 Jan 1022 Died)
Siegfried von Walbeck † ( 1022 Appointed - 27 Nov 1032 Died)
Hermann † ( 1032 Appointed - 22 Jul 1042 Died)
Rudbert † ( 1042 Appointed - 16 Nov 1063 Died)
Friedrich † ( 1063 Appointed - 18 Apr 1084 Died)
Erpho † ( 1084 Appointed - 9 Nov 1097 Died)
Burchard von Holte † ( 1097 Appointed - 19 Mar 1118 Died)
Dietrich von Winzenburg † ( 1118 Appointed - 28 Feb 1127 Died)
Egbert † ( 1127 Appointed - 9 Jan 1132 Died)
Werner von Steu�lingen † ( 1132 Appointed - 7 Dec 1151 Died)
Friedrich von Are † ( 1152 Appointed - 29 Dec 1168 Died)
Ludwig von Wippra † (13 Nov 1169 Appointed - 26 Dec 1173 Died)
Hermann von Katzenelnbogen † ( 1173 Appointed - 8 Jun 1203 Died)
Otto von Oldenburg † ( 1204 Appointed - 6 Mar 1218 Died)
Dietrich von Isenberg † (22 Jul 1218 Appointed - 18 Jul 1226 Died)
Ludolf von Holte † ( 1227 Appointed - 10 Jun 1248 Died)
Otto von Lippe † (1 Nov 1248 Appointed - 21 Jun 1259 Died)
Wilhelm von Holte † ( 1259 Appointed - 30 Dec 1260 Died)
Gerhard von der Mark † (27 Jan 1261 Appointed - 11 Aug 1272 Died)
Everhard von Diest † (20 Apr 1275 Appointed - 5 Apr 1301 Died)
Otto von Rietberg † (28 Apr 1301 Appointed - 16 Oct 1308 Died)
Ludwig von Hessen † (18 Mar 1310 Appointed - 18 Aug 1357 Died)
Adolf von der Mark † (6 Nov 1357 Appointed - 21 Jun 1363 Appointed, Archbishop of K�ln {Cologne})
Johann von Virneburg † (21 Jun 1363 Appointed - 24 Apr 1364 Appointed, Bishop of Utrecht)
Florenz von Wevelinghoven † (24 Apr 1364 Appointed - 7 Nov 1379 Appointed, Bishop of Utrecht)
Johann Potho von Pothenstein † (9 Apr 1379 Appointed - 6 Jun 1381 Appointed, Bishop of Schwerin)
Heidenrich Wolf von L�dinghausen † (28 Apr 1381 Appointed - 9 Apr 1392 Died)
Otto von Hoya † (10 Jun 1392 Confirmed - 4 Oct 1424 Died)
Heinrich von Moers † (14 Mar 1425 Confirmed - 2 Jun 1450 Died)
Walram von Moers † (14 Oct 1450 Confirmed - 3 Oct 1456 Died)
Johann von Bayern (Rhein) (Pfalz-Simmern) † (11 Apr 1457 Appointed - 20 May 1465 Confirmed, Archbishop of Magdeburg)
Heinrich von Schwarzburg † (20 Jun 1466 Confirmed - 24 Dec 1496 Died)
Konrad von Rietberg † (18 Apr 1497 Appointed - 9 Feb 1508 Died)
Erich von Sachsen-Lauenburg † (16 Aug 1508 Confirmed - 20 Oct 1522 Died)
Friedrich zu Wied † (30 Jan 1523 Confirmed - 12 Dec 1531 Resigned)
Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen † (27 Mar 1532 Appointed - 14 May 1532 Died)
Franz von Waldeck † (16 Aug 1532 Confirmed - 15 Jul 1553 Died)
Wilhelm von Ketteler † (29 Nov 1553 Confirmed - 18 Jun 1557 Resigned)
Bernhard von Raesfeld † (23 Dec 1558 Confirmed - 25 Oct 1566 Resigned)
Johann von Hoya zu Stolzenau † (23 Jul 1567 Confirmed - 5 Apr 1574 Died)
Johann Wilhelm von J�lich-Kleve-Berg † (20 Sep 1579 Confirmed - 18 May 1585 Resigned)
Ernst von Bayern † (27 Nov 1585 Confirmed - 17 Feb 1612 Died)
Ferdinand von Bayern † (18 Feb 1612 Confirmed - 13 Sep 1650 Died)
Christoph Bernhard von Galen † (22 May 1651 Confirmed - 19 Sep 1678 Died)
Ferdinand von F�rstenberg † (19 Sep 1678 Succeeded - 26 Jun 1683 Died)
Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg zu Lenhausen † (20 Dec 1688 Confirmed - 5 May 1706 Died)
Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht † (8 Jun 1707 Appointed - 25 Dec 1718 Died)
Clemens August Maria von Bayern † (26 Apr 1719 Confirmed - 6 Feb 1761 Died)
Max Friedrich von K�nigsegg und Rothenfels † (20 Dec 1762 Confirmed - 15 Apr 1784 Died)
Max Franz (Maximilian Franciscus) von Habsburg-Lothringen (�sterreich) † (15 Apr 1784 Succeeded - 27 Jul 1801 Died)
Ferdinand Hermann Maria von L�ninck † (28 Aug 1820 Appointed - 18 Mar 1825 Died)
Kaspar Max Droste zu Vischering † (17 Dec 1825 Confirmed - 3 Aug 1846 Died)
Bernard Georg Kellermann † (28 Mar 1847 Confirmed - 29 Mar 1847 Died)
Johann Georg M�ller † (4 Oct 1847 Confirmed - 19 Jan 1870 Died)
Johannes Bernard Brinkmann † (27 Jun 1870 Confirmed - 13 Apr 1889 Died)
Hermann Jakob Dingelstad † (30 Dec 1889 Confirmed - 6 Mar 1911 Died)
Felix von Hartmann † (27 Jul 1911 Confirmed - 2 Dec 1912 Confirmed, Archbishop of K�ln {Cologne})
Johannes Poggenburg † (4 Jul 1913 Confirmed - 6 Jan 1933 Died)
Wilhelm Heinrich Heufers † (May 1933 Appointed - Jul 1933 Resigned)
Bl. Clemens August von Galen † (5 Sep 1933 Appointed - 22 Mar 1946 Died)
Michael Keller † (19 Jul 1947 Appointed - 7 Nov 1961 Died)
Joseph H�ffner † (9 Jul 1962 Appointed - 6 Jan 1969 Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of K�ln {Cologne})
Heinrich Tenhumberg † (7 Jul 1969 Appointed - 16 Sep 1979 Died)
Reinhard Lettmann † (11 Jan 1980 Appointed - 28 Mar 2008 Retired)
Felix Genn (19 Dec 2008 Appointed - 9 Mar 2025 Retired)

Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
800	Erected		Diocese of M�nster (erected)
12 May 1559	Territory Lost	Diocese of M�nster Diocese of Utrecht	Diocese of Groningen (erected)
12 May 1559	Territory Lost	Diocese of M�nster Diocese of Utrecht	Diocese of Deventer (erected)
3 February 1921	Territory Lost	Diocese of M�nster (Wenceslaus Havelt Estates)	Diocese of Paderborn
4 July 1922	Territory Lost	Diocese of M�nster (Part of Rennekoven)	Archdiocese of K�ln {Cologne}
20 June 1923	Territory Added		Diocese of M�nster (Oldenburg along with Kniphausen and Varel)
28 November 1937	Territory Added		Archdiocese of K�ln {Cologne} (Boundaries adjusted) Diocese of M�nster (Boundaries adjusted)
23 February 1957	Territory Lost	Archdiocese of K�ln {Cologne} Diocese of M�nster Archdiocese of Paderborn	Diocese of Essen (erected) (Bochum, Bottrop, Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Gladbeck, L�denscheid, and M�lhein (in Ruhr), Oberhausen, Wattenscheid; rural districts of Altena and Ennepe-Ruhrkreis (except Her decke and Wetter))
19 April 2002	Territory Lost	Diocese of M�nster (St. Paul in the part of Hengelage in Quakenbr�ck)	Diocese of Osnabr�ck

Year Catholics Total Population Percent Catholic Diocesan Priests Religious Priests Total Priests Catholics Per Priest Permanent Deacons Male Religious Female Religious Parishes Source

1950 2,057,795 3,606,669 57.1% 1,466 84 1,550 1,327 680 8,465 622 ap1951

1970 2,158,802 3,731,680 57.9% 1,297 545 1,842 1,171 825 7,223 586 ap1971

1980 2,118,176 3,667,610 57.8% 1,197 429 1,626 1,302 64 690 5,850 686 ap1981

1990 2,086,279 3,811,147 54.7% 1,151 347 1,498 1,392 142 646 4,701 689 ap1991

1999 2,090,271 4,167,193 50.2% 1,092 285 1,377 1,517 201 452 3,674 689 ap2000

2000 2,085,526 4,212,631 49.5% 984 267 1,251 1,667 209 418 3,390 689 ap2001

2001 2,073,964 4,221,393 49.1% 942 266 1,208 1,716 190 408 3,279 688 ap2002

2002 2,072,037 4,243,619 48.8% 1,072 247 1,319 1,570 196 395 3,060 682 ap2003

2003 2,065,103 4,256,719 48.5% 1,068 243 1,311 1,575 226 385 3,066 681 ap2004

2004 2,056,427 4,317,937 47.6% 1,069 234 1,303 1,578 236 364 2,957 675 ap2005

2013 1,953,081 4,333,919 45.1% 931 198 1,129 1,729 296 347 2,193 304 ap2014

2016 1,927,000 4,228,841 45.6% 960 196 1,156 1,666 309 286 1,750 227 ap2017

2019 1,853,185 4,318,446 42.9% 1,075 243 1,318 1,406 294 317 1,664 211 ap2020

2021 1,859,860 4,336,954 42.9% 981 228 1,209 1,538 291 294 1,509 211 ap2022

2023 1,867,170 4,354,024 42.9% 765 248 1,013 1,843 292 311 1,309 202 ap2024

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
1950	2,057,795	3,606,669	57.1%	1,466	84	1,550	1,327		680	8,465	622	ap1951
1970	2,158,802	3,731,680	57.9%	1,297	545	1,842	1,171		825	7,223	586	ap1971
1980	2,118,176	3,667,610	57.8%	1,197	429	1,626	1,302	64	690	5,850	686	ap1981
1990	2,086,279	3,811,147	54.7%	1,151	347	1,498	1,392	142	646	4,701	689	ap1991
1999	2,090,271	4,167,193	50.2%	1,092	285	1,377	1,517	201	452	3,674	689	ap2000
2000	2,085,526	4,212,631	49.5%	984	267	1,251	1,667	209	418	3,390	689	ap2001
2001	2,073,964	4,221,393	49.1%	942	266	1,208	1,716	190	408	3,279	688	ap2002
2002	2,072,037	4,243,619	48.8%	1,072	247	1,319	1,570	196	395	3,060	682	ap2003
2003	2,065,103	4,256,719	48.5%	1,068	243	1,311	1,575	226	385	3,066	681	ap2004
2004	2,056,427	4,317,937	47.6%	1,069	234	1,303	1,578	236	364	2,957	675	ap2005
2013	1,953,081	4,333,919	45.1%	931	198	1,129	1,729	296	347	2,193	304	ap2014
2016	1,927,000	4,228,841	45.6%	960	196	1,156	1,666	309	286	1,750	227	ap2017
2019	1,853,185	4,318,446	42.9%	1,075	243	1,318	1,406	294	317	1,664	211	ap2020
2021	1,859,860	4,336,954	42.9%	981	228	1,209	1,538	291	294	1,509	211	ap2022
2023	1,867,170	4,354,024	42.9%	765	248	1,013	1,843	292	311	1,309	202	ap2024