USCCB Responsibilities

All active and retired Latin-rite Catholic and Eastern Catholic bishops of the United States are members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). They gather together for two semiannual meetings, in November and June. Between these meetings, the conference is governed by an Administrative Committee.

Committees and Subcommittees

The structure of the USCCB consists of 16 standing committees (whose members are bishops) and the departments, secretariats, and offices that carry out the work of the committees. The leaders of these departments, secretariats, and offices report to the general secretariat of the conference.

All bishops of the USCCB are required to travel to Rome with other Bishops in their region to visit with the pope once every five years, formally called "ad limina apostolorum" visits, which means "to the thresholds of the apostles" Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome. These visits coicide with the production of a Quinquennial Report - a report that is sent to Rome about the diocese once every five years.

Traditionally, the visits serve as an occasion for leaders of local churches to draw inspiration as well as guidance from the center of Catholicism.

USCCB Region VII Bishops
USCCB Region VII (shown in blue on the map)— which includes the  three Ecclesial Provinces of

• Milwaukee (5 dioceses of Wisconsin)
• Chicago (6 dioceses of Illinois)
• Indianopolis (5 dioceses of Indiana)

The USCCB divides the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States into
 

• fourteen geographical regions and a
• fifteenth region that consists of the Eastern Catholic eparchies and exarchate.