NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A yearlong celebration begins Saturday marking the 175th anniversary of the Diocese of Nashville.

Bishop David Choby will lead a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows in downtown Nashville. St. Mary was the cathedral for the diocese from 1847 to 1914.

The celebration will continue with a monthly mass in some of the oldest churches across the diocese and conclude with a larger celebration in September 2013.

The diocese, when created in 1837, included all of Tennessee. In 1971, the territory west of the Tennessee River became the Diocese of Memphis. In 1988, the eastern part of the state became the Diocese of Knoxville.

According to a news release from the Diocese of Nashville, it was among the first 20 dioceses created in the United States.