Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland (Latin: Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in territory taken from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The diocese lost territory in 1910 when Pope Pius X erected the Diocese of Toledo, and in 1943 when Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Youngstown. It is currently the 17th-largest diocese in the United States by population, encompassing the counties of Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, and Wayne. As of February 2020, the office of bishop is sede vacante, and the diocesan administrator is Donald P. Oleksiak.[2] The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist located in downtown Cleveland is the mother church of the diocese. The bishop-designee is Edward C. Malesic.

Diocese of Cleveland

Dioecesis Clevelandensis
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
Location
Country United States
TerritoryThe counties of Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne in northeastern Ohio.
Ecclesiastical provinceCincinnati
Statistics
Area3,414 sq mi (8,840 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2019)
2,774,113
682,948 (24%)
Parishes185
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 23, 1847 (173 years ago)
CathedralCathedral of St. John the Evangelist
Patron saintSt. John the Evangelist
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopSede vacante
Bishops emeritusAnthony Michael Pilla
Roger William Gries O.S.B.[1]
Map
Website
dioceseofcleveland.org

As of 2017, the Diocese had a population of approximately 677,219 Catholics and contained 185 parishes, 22 Catholic high schools, three Catholic hospitals, three universities, two shrines (St. Paul Shrine Church and St. Stanislaus Church), and two seminaries (Centers for Pastoral Leadership). The diocese has 258 active priests and 1,035 sisters.[3]

Parish closings

On, March 14, 2009, the diocese announced that 52 parishes in the diocese would close or merge (29 parishes closing, 42 parishes merging to form 18 new parishes) due to the shortage of priests, declining numbers of parishioners in some parishes, the migration of Catholic populations to the suburbs and out of the city cores, and financial difficulties in some parishes.[4] A number of parish schools in the diocese also closed or merged due to declining enrollment, and financial difficulties.[5]

Letters to all of the parishes from Bishop Richard Lennon giving his decision on what parishes and schools were closing or merging, and which parishes and schools would remain open, were read to the parishioners by the church pastors at Masses the weekend of March 14–15, 2009. Hardest hit by the closings were downtown Cleveland, downtown Akron, downtown Lorain, and downtown Elyria. Parishioners of thirteen of the parishes then requested appeals from the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome.

On March 8, 2012, the Vatican overturned all thirteen of the church closings (nine in the Greater Cleveland area, one in Lorain and three in Akron) because the Vatican says that Bishop Lennon did not follow procedure or canon law in that he did not consult with the priest advisors, and he did not issue a formal mandate for the closing of the churches. In the meantime, according to canon law, the thirteen closed churches were ordered to be reopened, and be available to parishioners. On April 10, 2012, Bishop Lennon announced that he would not appeal the decision of the Vatican to the Apostolic Signatura in Rome, thus paving the way for the thirteen churches to be reopened. This mandate was implemented starting on June 10, 2012, raising the number of parishes in the diocese from 172 parishes to 185 parishes.[6]

Reports of sex abuse

In July 2019, the Diocese of Cleveland added 22 more names to its list of "credibly accused" clergy.[7] In December 2019, Diocese of Cleveland priest Fr. Robert McWilliams was arrested at St. Joseph Parish in Strongsville on four counts of possessing child pornography and held on a $100,000 bond in Cuyahoga County Jail.[8] Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez, who agreed to cooperate with law enforcement, had called for the arrest of McWilliams and also described him as a "painful situation."[9] In addition to being charged with possessing child pornography, McWilliams was also charged with one count of possessing criminal tools.[9] By January 2020, McWilliams now had a total 21 counts of possessing child pornography[10] Federal child pornography exploitation charges were also filed against McWilliams in July 2020.[11]

Bishops

Bishops of Cleveland
  1. Louis Amadeus Rappe (1847-1870)
  2. Richard Gilmour (1872-1891)
  3. Ignatius Frederick Horstmann (1891-1908)
  4. John Patrick Farrelly (1909-1921)
  5. Joseph Schrembs (1921-1945), appointed Archbishop (ad personam) by Pope Pius XII in 1939
  6. Edward Francis Hoban (1945-1966), appointed Archbishop (ad personam) by Pope Pius XII in 1951
  7. Clarence George Issenmann (1966-1974)
  8. James Aloysius Hickey (1974–1980), appointed Archbishop of Washington (Cardinal in 1988)
  9. Anthony Michael Pilla (1980-2006)
  10. Richard Gerard Lennon (2006-2016)
  11. Nelson Jesus Perez (2017–2020), appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia

Coadjutor bishops
  1. Edward Francis Hoban (1942-1945)
  2. Clarence George Issenmann (1964-1966)

Auxiliary bishops
  1. Joseph Maria Koudelka (1907-1911), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee and later Bishop of Superior
  2. James A. McFadden (1922-1943), appointed Bishop of Youngstown
  3. William Michael Cosgrove (1943-1968), appointed Bishop of Belleville
  4. John Raphael Hagan (1946)
  5. Floyd Lawrence Begin (1947-1962), appointed Bishop of Oakland
  6. John Joseph Krol (1953-1961), appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia (Cardinal in 1967)
  7. Clarence Edward Elwell (1962-1968), appointed Bishop of Columbus
  8. John Francis Whealon (1961-1966), appointed Bishop of Erie and later Archbishop of Hartford
  9. Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon (1976-1992), appointed Bishop of Steubenville
  10. Michael Joseph Murphy (1976-1978), appointed Bishop of Erie
  11. James Anthony Griffin (1979-1983), appointed Bishop of Columbus
  12. James Patterson Lyke O.F.M. (1979-1990), appointed Archbishop of Atlanta
  13. Anthony Michael Pilla (1979-1980), appointed Bishop of Cleveland
  14. Anthony Edward Pevec (1982-2001)
  15. Alexander James Quinn (1983-2008)
  16. Martin John Amos (2001-2006), appointed Bishop of Davenport
  17. Roger William Gries, O.S.B. (2001-2013)

Other affiliated bishops

Additionally, the following bishops began their priestly ministry as priests of the Diocese of Cleveland (the years in parentheses refer to their years in Cleveland):

Churches
Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

High schools

A listing of all Catholic high schools within the Diocese. Note: Some schools are private, i.e., not operated by the Diocese.

Closed schools
  • Nazareth Academy, Parma Heights/ Cuyahoga County (Girls),(Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph 1957-1980). Closed in 1980, Holy Name High School moved in to its building that year.[12]
  • Regina High School, South Euclid/Cuyahoga County (Girls), (Sisters of Notre Dame), 1953-2010
  • St. Peter Chanel High School, Bedford/Cuyahoga County (Co-ed)(Marist Fathers 1957-1973); (Diocese of Cleveland 1973-2013). Closed 2013
  • St. Augustine Academy, Lakewood/Cuyahoga County (Girls) Closed 2005. Now Lakewood Catholic Academy elementary school.
  • Lorain Catholic High School, Lorain/Lorain County (Co-ed) Closed 2004.
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See also

References
  1. "Rinunce e Nomine: Rinuncia dell'Ausiliare di Cleveland (U.S.A.)" [Waivers and Nominations: Auxiliary Waiver of Cleveland (U.S.A.)] (PDF) (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. November 1, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  2. "Administrator elected to oversee Diocese of Cleveland". Crux. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  3. "The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Fact Sheet" (PDF). Diocese of Cleveland. November 20, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. "Reconfiguration Plan — Q & A". Diocese of Cleveland. March 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  5. Diocese of Cleveland Reconfiguration Office - List of Closing/Merging Parishes. Retrieved on March 25, 2009. Archived copy at WebCite (February 15, 2013).
  6. O'Malley, Michael (March 13, 2012). "Vatican reverses Cleveland Catholic Diocese's closing of 13 parishes". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2019/06/catholic-diocese-of-cleveland-identifies-22-more-priests-previously-accused-of-sexual-abuse.html
  8. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2019/12/cleveland-priest-charged-with-possessing-child-pornography/
  9. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2019/12/cleveland-bishop-calls-arrest-of-strongsville-priest-on-child-porn-charges-heart-wrenching-in-statement-from-rome.html
  10. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/new-charges-strongsville-catholic-priest-charged-21-count-child-pornography-indictment#:~:text=Robert%20McWilliams%20was%20arrested%20on,will%20aid%20in%20the%20investigation.
  11. https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2020/07/catholic-priest-from-strongsville-indicted-on-federal-charges-of-child-pornography-exploitation.html
  12. https://www.sja1890.org/page/alumnae/the-academies

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