On this day in 1789, Fr. John Carroll was appointed by Pope Pius VI to be the bishop of Baltimore. In the pontical brief Ex hac apostolicae, the Holy Father created the first diocese of the United States and appointed John Carroll to be the country's first bishop. The diocese was raised to be an archdiocese in 1808. He served as the archbishop until his death on December 3, 1815.

For more information, view the article in the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia and the article on the Archdiocese of Baltimore Web site.