In 1855, Rev. David W.Bacon became the first bishop of the Diocese of Portland, which included Maine and New Hampshire. Between the two states, six priests and eight churches ministered to a few hundred Catholics. In the following years, Bacon founded 63 churches, ordained 52 priests, built 23 schools, and attended to a Catholic population of about 80,000. In 1884, New Hampshire became an independent diocese. By 1903, founding bishop...