Our Story
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough is located in central Ontario and is composed of the counties of Peterborough, Northumberland and Victoria, the districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound, and the southern half of the district of Haliburton. Modest in population but rich in geography, the Diocese of Peterborough stretches from the shores of Georgian Bay in the west down to the bustling north shore of Lake Ontario, an area that spans over 25,000 kilometres. The diocese is home to 40 parishes served by over 80 priests and 65 religious. Our episcopal see is the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains, a historic Gothic Revival in the heart of downtown Peterborough.
40
Parishes
80+
Priests
65
Religious
25,000 km²
Diocesan area
1882
Diocese established
100,000+
Catholics today
Where to go next
History
The Diocese of Peterborough was established in 1882 by absorbing the then Vicariate of Northern Ontario and the western portion (eleven parishes) of the Archdiocese of Kingston. The diocese had a Catholic population of about 30,000 when Bishop Jean Francois Jamot, the first Bishop of Peterborough, took residence here.
The Church’s presence in what is now the Diocese of Peterborough stretches back to 1825, when the British government sponsored the settlement of 2,000 impoverished Irish families in the present-day city of Peterborough and the surrounding counties. Though many families were still living in tents, the settlers petitioned the Bishop of Upper Canada for a priest, and in 1826, the first Catholic Mass was celebrated at the future site of the Cathedral. A stone church was completed in 1838. In 1931, parishioners rebuilt the structure, doubling the Cathedral in size.
On June 7, 2026, a Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains to honour the 200th anniversary of the region’s first Mass. Today, over 100,000 Catholics from Canada and across the world reside in the Diocese of Peterborough.
Learn more: Past Bishops ·
Diocesan Life Today
From traditional devotions to celebrations of the many cultures that make up our parishes, the life of the diocese today reflects the vitality and universality of the Catholic Church.
