The highly conservative rural Bavarian dioceses of Passau outlawed Marian prayer books and related articles in 1785.

The modern office most closely resembling that of archpriest is the role of Rural Dean (rural dioceses) or Area Dean (urban dioceses).

In his pastoral care of the clergy in his largely rural diocese, Ball averaged 30,000 miles a year.

The largely rural diocese was roughly coterminous with Suffolk, and consisted of 436 parishes.

This proved a daunting task for a poor rural diocese, yet Bishop Fitzgerald, at his Silver Jubilee in 1892, could point to 31 schools and 58 churches either built or under construction.

Beginning when he was 14 and serving as a choirboy in the rural diocese of Ferns, O'Gorman was repeatedly abused and raped by the local priest.

Ramsey described him as a character, without popular appeal, donnish, with no great interest in his big rural diocese, but full of wisdom and learning, and eager for friendship with young men.

During his time as Bishop of Port Augusta, Killian would travel over large distances to visit the scattered parishes of the rural diocese.

He began his episcopacy by re-organizing the large, rural diocese and moving the episcopal offices to the city of Oxford.