Facts and Figures

Diocesan Overview

(Statistics accurate for 2025, the most recent year available via the Official Catholic Directory.)

The Diocese of Joliet was established by a decree issued by Pope Pius XII on December 11, 1948. It was created from seven counties in Illinois: DuPage, Kendall, Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Iroquois and Ford. Previously, DuPage, Will, Kankakee and Grundy counties were under the Archdiocese of Chicago; Ford and Iroquois were under the jurisdiction of the Peoria diocese, and Kendall County was in the Rockford diocese.

The Joliet diocese serves just under a half-million Catholics in a geographic area of 4,218 miles. The diocese is divided into eight deaneries.

Catholic Population

• 497,380
• Catholic population as a percentage of total population of DuPage, Kankakee, Will, Grundy, Ford, Iroquois and Kendall counties: 25.35 percent

Parishes and Vital Statistics

• Number of Parishes: 102
• Number of Missions: 9
• Baptisms: 4,851
• First Communions: 5,527
• Confirmations: 5,384
• Received into Full Communion: 277
• Marriages: 789
• Funerals: 2,948