Apostolic Prefecture of the United States

The Apostolic Prefecture of the United States (Latin: Praefectura Apostolica Civitatum Foederatarum Americae Septentrionalis) was the earliest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction to be officially recognized within the United States after its declaration of independence in 1776. == Previous British jurisdiction and American independence == Before and during the American Revolutionary War, the Catholics in the Thirteen Colonies (not including French Canada) were under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of the London District in England.

Source: Wikipedia — Apostolic Prefecture of the United States (CC BY-SA 4.0)