Brief History of the Diocese The Diocese of Owensboro was established in 1937 and encompasses the western third of the state of Kentucky. It includes thirty-two counties and covers approximately 12,500 square miles. According to a 1990 study by the Glenmary Research Center, the diocese is fifty-nine percent rural, and Catholics comprise about 6 percent of the population, or 50,736 people (approximately 20,469 households). Church attendance rates here in the Diocese of Owensboro are among the highest in the nation with almost 6o% of registered members attending Mass on a typical Sunday. The Most Reverend John J. McRaith, appointed October 23, 1982, is the third and present Bishop of Owensboro.  The Diocese of Owensboro has grown, from thirty-three parishes and nineteen missions of Western Kentucky in 1937, to 79 parishes and two Newman Centers.