Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus (Latin: Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The diocese was erected on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX out of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. On October 21, 1944 the diocese lost territory when Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Steubenville.

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Diocese of Columbus Dioecesis Columbensis
St. Joseph Cathedral
Location
Country	United States
Territory	23 counties in Central and Southern Ohio.
Ecclesiastical province	Cincinnati
Statistics
Area	29,282 sq mi (75,840 km^2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2006) 2,447,972 252,103 (10.3%)
Parishes	106
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	March 3, 1868 (152 years ago)
Cathedral	St. Joseph Cathedral
Patron saint	St. Francis de Sales
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Robert J. Brennan
Bishops emeritus	James Anthony Griffin, Frederick Francis Campbell
Map
Website
columbuscatholic.org

Early history

The Catholic faith was brought in the area by the Dominican Order in Somerset. They established St. Joseph's Parish in Somerset, the state's oldest parish, while under the direction of Edward Fenwick. These Dominican friars spread the faith in various areas of Central and Southern Ohio. Pennsylvania Germans and Irish immigrants settled in this part of the state, which led to the establishment of the older parishes. While the Germans and Irish settled in the southeastern part of Ohio, French immigrants came to the northern part of the diocese. In addition, small groups of Italians, Hungarians, and Slovaks moved into farming communities or in the city of Columbus.

Bishops

Bishops of Columbus

1. Sylvester Horton Rosecrans (1868-1878)
2. John Ambrose Watterson (1880-1899)
3. Henry K. Moeller (1900-1903), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later Archbishop of Cincinnati
4. James Joseph Hartley (1903-1944)
5. Michael Joseph Ready (1944-1957)
6. Clarence George Issenmann (1957-1964), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Cleveland
7. John Joseph Carberry (1965-1968), appointed Archbishop of Saint Louis (elevated to Cardinal in 1969)
8. Clarence Edward Elwell (1968-1973)
9. Edward John Herrmann (1973-1982)
10. James Anthony Griffin (1983-2004)
11. Frederick Francis Campbell (2005-2019)
12. Robert J. Brennan (2019–present)

Auxiliary Bishops

• Edward Gerard Hettinger (1941-1977)
• George Avis Fulcher (1976-1983), appointed Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana

Other priests of this diocese who became Bishops

These bishops were priests in the diocese before consecration:

• Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, appointed Apostolic Administrator of Galveston in 1882
• Francis William Howard, appointed Bishop of Covington in 1923

Parishes

As of 2011, the Diocese of Columbus comprises 106 parishes and three missions. The parishes are divided into the following deaneries:

Saint Mary of the Assumption Church of the South Columbus Deanery

Center - South Columbus Deanery

• Community of Holy Rosary/St. John the Evangelist, Columbus (African American; 1979)
• Corpus Christi, Columbus (1923)
• Holy Cross, Columbus (German; 1846)
• Sts. Augustine & Gabriel, Columbus (Vietnamese; 1925)
• St. Dominic, Columbus (African American; 1889)
• St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus (1866)
• St. Ladislas, Columbus (Hungarian/Croatian 1908)
• St. Mary of the Assumption, Columbus (German; 1865)
• St. Patrick, Columbus (Irish; 1852)
• St. Thomas the Apostle, Columbus (1900)

Northwest Columbus Deanery

Saint Brigid of Kildare Church of the Northwest Columbus Deanery

• Our Lady of Victory, Columbus (1922)
• St. Agatha, Columbus (1940)
• St. Andrew, Columbus (1955)
• Saint Brendan the Navigator Church, Hilliard (1956)
• St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin (1987)
• St. Christopher, Columbus (1947)
• St. Joan of Arc, Powell (1987)
• St. Margaret of Cortona, Columbus (Italian; 1921)
• St. Peter, Columbus (1970)
• St. Timothy, Columbus (1961)

North High Deanery

Saint John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church of the North High Deanery

• Holy Name, Columbus (1905)
• Immaculate Conception, Columbus (1916)
• Our Lady of Peace, Columbus (1946)
• Parroquia Santa Cruz, Columbus (Hispanic; 1993)
• Sacred Heart, Columbus (1875)
• St. Francis of Assisi, Columbus (1892)
• St. John the Baptist, Columbus (Italian; 1895)
• St. Michael the Archangel, Worthington (1946)
• St. Thomas More Newman Center, Columbus (1906)

Northland Columbus Deanery

Church of the Resurrection of the Northland Columbus Deanery

• Church of the Resurrection, New Albany (1983)
• St. Anthony, Columbus (1963)
• St. Elizabeth, Columbus (1967)
• St. James the Less, Columbus (1947)
• St. John Neumann, Sunbury (1977)
• St. Matthias, Columbus (1956)
• St. Paul, Westerville (1913)

West Columbus Deanery

Saint Joseph Church in the West Columbus Deanery

• Holy Family, Columbus (Irish; 1877)
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City (1954)
• Sts. Simon & Jude, West Jefferson (German/Irish; 1867)
• St. Agnes, Columbus (1954)
• St. Aloysius, Columbus (1906)
• St. Cecilia, Columbus (1882)
• St. Joseph, Plain City (1864)
• St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus (1928)
• St. Patrick, London (German/Irish; 1866)
• St. Stephen the Martyr, Columbus (Hispanic; 1963)

East Columbus Deanery

Saint Catharine of Siena Church in the East Columbus Deanery

• St. John XXIII, Canal Winchester (2000)
• Christ the King, Columbus (1946)
• Holy Spirit, Columbus (1947)
• Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Columbus (1967)
• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Pickerington (1978)
• St. Catharine of Siena, Columbus (1931)
• St. Mary, Groveport (1871)
• St. Matthew, Gahanna (1959)
• St. Philip the Apostle, Columbus (1956)
• St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg (1958)

Marion Deanery

Immaculate Conception Church in the Marion Deanery

• Immaculate Conception, Kenton (1866)
• Our Lady of Lourdes, Ada (1874)
• Our Lady of Lourdes, Marysville (1866)
• Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary, Cardington (1971)
• St. Mary, Delaware (1854)
• St. Mary, Marion (1864)

Perry County-Zanesville Deanery

Saint Nicholas Church of the Perry County-Zanesville Deanery

• Church of the Atonement, Crooksville (1902)
• Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mattingly Settlement (1856)
• Holy Trinity, Somerset (1826)
• St. Ann, Dresden (1877)
• St. Bernard, Corning (1885)
• St. Joseph, Somerset (1818)
• St. Nicholas, Zanesville (German; 1842)
• St. Patrick, Junction City (1827)
• St. Rose of Lima, New Lexington (1867)
• St. Thomas Aquinas, Zanesville (Irish/Italian; 1842)

Knox-Licking Deanery

Saint Vincent de Paul Church of the Knox-Licking Deanery

• Church of the Ascension, Johnstown (1912)
• Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Newark (1904)
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Buckeye Lake (1928)
• St. Edward the Confessor, Granville (1947)
• St. Francis de Sales, Newark (1844)
• St. Leonard, Heath (1962)
• St. Luke, Danville (1823)
• St. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon (1839)

Tuscawaras-Holmes-Coshocton Deanery

Sacred Heart Church (Coshocton) of the Tuscawarus-Holmes-Coshocton Deanery

• Holy Trinity, Zoar (1995)
• Immacualte Conception, Dennison (Irish; 1870)
• Sacred Heart, Coshocton (1897)
• Sacred Heart, New Philadelphia (1895)
• Sts. Peter & Paul, Glenmont (1855)
• St. Francis de Sales, Newcomerstown (1918)
• St. Joseph, Dover (German/Italian; 1848)
• St. Peter, Millersburg (1877)

Lancaster Deanery

Saint John the Evangelist Church in the Lancaster Deanery

• St. Bernadette, Lancaster (1963)
• St. Mary, Bremen (1917)
• St. Mark, Lancaster (1959)
• St. Mary of the Assumption, Lancaster (1819)
• St. John the Evangelist, Logan (1838)
• St. Joseph, Sugar Grove (1892)

Chillicothe Deanery

Saint Sylvester Church in the Chillicothe Deanery

• Holy Trinity, Jackson (1880)
• Sts. Peter & Paul, Wellston (1881)
• St. Colman of Cloyne, Washington Courthouse (1881)
• St. Joseph, Circleville (1845)
• St. Mary, Chillicothe (1837)
• St. Mary Queen of the Missions, Waverly (1878)
• St. Peter, Chillicothe (German; 1846)
• St. Sylvester, Zaleski (Irish; 1864)

Scioto County Deanery

Saint Mary of the Annunciation Church in the Scioto County Deanery

• Holy Redeemer, Portsmouth (Irish; 1853)
• Holy Trinity, Pond Creek (French; 1854)
• Our Lady of Lourdes, Otway (1916)
• Our Lady of Sorrows, West Portsmouth (1945)
• St. Mary of the Annunciation, Portsmouth (German; 1880)
• St. Monica, New Boston (1916)
• St. Peter in Chains, Wheelersburg (1849)

Education

Colleges

• Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Columbus
• Ohio Dominican University, Columbus
• Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus (Jurisdiction of the Apostolic Nuncio)

The Pontifical College Josephinum north of Columbus

High schools

• Bishop Hartley High School, Columbus
• Bishop Ready High School, Columbus
• Bishop Rosecrans High School, Zanesville
• Bishop Watterson High School, Columbus
• Cristo Rey Columbus High School, Columbus
• Newark Catholic High School, Newark
• Notre Dame High School, Portsmouth
• Saint Charles Preparatory School, Columbus
• St. Francis DeSales High School, Columbus
• Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, New Philadelphia
• William V. Fisher Catholic High School, Lancaster

Closed schools

• Marion Catholic High School, Marion
• St. Ladislas School, Columbus
• Corpus Christi School, Columbus
• St. Mary High School, Columbus
• Holy Family School, Columbus
• Holy Name School, Columbus
• Bishop Flaget High School, Chillicothe (Currently a grade school)
• Father Wehrle High School, Columbus
• St. Leo School, Columbus
• St. Peter, Chillicothe
• St. Mary, Chillicothe
• St. Aloysius Academy, New Lexington
• St. Thomas the Apostle Grade School, Columbus
• Holy Rosary (Grade School & High School)

Elementary schools

• All Saints Academy, Columbus
• Bishop Fenwick, Zanesville
• Bishop Flaget, Chillicothe
• Blessed Sacrament, Newark
• Holy Spirit, Whitehall
• Holy Trinity, Somerset
• Immaculate Conception, Columbus
• Immaculate Conception, Dennison
• Notre Dame Elementary, Portsmouth
• Our Lady of Bethlehem, Columbus
• Our Lady of Peace, Columbus
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City
• Sacred Heart, Coshocton
• St. Agatha, Columbus
• St. Andrew, Columbus
• St. Anthony, Columbus
• St. Bernadette, Lancaster
• St. Brendan, Hilliard
• St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin
• St. Catharine, Columbus
• St. Cecilia, Columbus
• St. Francis de Sales, Newark
• St. James the Less, Columbus
• St. John, Logan
• St. Joseph Montessori, Columbus
• St. Mary Elementary, Lancaster
• St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus
• St. Mary, Columbus
• St. Mary, Delaware
• St. Mary, Marion
• St. Matthew, Gahanna
• St. Matthias, Columbus
• St. Michael, Worthington
• St. Patrick, London
• St. Paul, Westerville
• St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg
• St. Rose of Lima, New Lexington
• St. Timothy, Columbus
• St. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon
• Sts. Peter and Paul, Wellston
• Trinity Elementary, Columbus
• Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary School, Dover

Hospitals

• Genesis HealthCare System, Zanesville (combination of Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda Hospital). Good Samaritan Hospital began in 1900 and is co-sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
• Mt. Carmel Hospitals, Columbus (Mt. Carmel, East; Mt. Carmel, West; St. Ann, Westerville). Mt. Carmel opened in 1886, by the Sisters of the Holy Cross from St. Mary's, Indiana. In 1972, Mt. Carmel East opened to serve the suburbs. Also, St. Ann's Hospital was bought by Mt. Carmel in 1995. At one time, St. Ann's was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity.
• Trinity Hospital Twin City, Dennison. Bought by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania in May 2011.

Former Hospitals

The following list are the closed hospitals of the Diocese, which stopped operations due to high costs and other factors:

• St. Francis Hospital, Columbus (1862–1955). Operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The building was razed in 1957 and today it is the site of Grant Hospital.
• St. Anthony's Hospital, Columbus (1891–1991). Also operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The original building was razed in 1971 and was finally sold in 1991. It is now part of the Ohio State University hospital system.
• San Antonio Hospital, Kenton (1897–1963). The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati owned the facilities.
• Mercy Hospital, Mt. Vernon (1919–1975). Owned by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. This hospital closed and merged with the local public hospital of Mt. Vernon.
• Mercy Hospital, Portsmouth (1917–1981). This hospital was owned by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes from Rochester, Minnesota. It was sold to the community hospital in the city.

Religious institutes

The door to the Dominican Province of St. Joseph at St. Patrick Church in Columbus

Saint James the Less Church in Columbus

The Diocese of Columbus has many religious institutes of men and women serving in parishes, schools, colleges, and hospitals.

Religious priests and brothers

Dominicans (Province of St. Joseph)

• Holy Trinity Parish, Somerset
• Pontifical College Josephinum
• Ohio Dominican University
• St. Joseph Parish, Somerset
• St. Patrick Parish, Columbus

Paulist Fathers

• St. Thomas More Newman Center

Precious Blood Fathers

• St. James the Less Parish, Columbus

Sons of the Immaculate Conception Congregation

• Mt. Carmel Hospitals
• St. Elizabeth Parish, Columbus

Religious Sisters

• Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (from Kerala), Chillicothe
• The Bridgettine Sisters (Order of the Most Holy Savior), Columbus
• Third Order of St. Francis (Joliet), Columbus
• Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Columbus
• Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Columbus and Mount Vernon
• Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Columbus
• Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Columbus
• Sisters of the Holy Cross, Columbus
• Dominican Sisters of Peace, Columbus
• Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Columbus
• Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, Columbus
• Missionary Servants of the Word, Columbus
• Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, Columbus
• Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Worthington
• Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, Zanesville

Catholic radio within the Diocese

St. Gabriel Radio office and studio

• WVSG 820 AM Saint Gabriel Radio (the former WOSU (AM))
• WFOT at 89.5 FM licensed to Lexington and serving the Mansfield area. Annunciation Radio airs programming from EWTN Global Catholic Radio. WFOT broadcasts as a simulcast of WNOC.

Other stations reaching into portions of the Diocese

• WULM "Radio Maria" 1600 AM in Springfield which reaches towards Columbus in some areas during daylight hours and can also be heard 24/7 on the internet, Android, iPhone and BlackBerry via their respective phone applications which can be downloaded at radiomaria.us Radio Maria USA is based at originating station KJMJ 580 AM in Alexandria, Louisiana.
• WNOP "Sacred Heart Radio" 720 AM licensed to Newport, Kentucky and based in Cincinnati which also airs local and EWTN programming...plus an FM sister, WHSS 89.5 in Hamilton.

Clergy Abuse Scandal

On March 1, 2019, the Diocese released a list of 36 of its clergy that had sexually abused children. Groups that support survivors of clergy child rape and sexual molestation expressed skepticism that the list was complete.

I.  Clergy incardinated in the Diocese of Columbus against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor within the Diocese was made and investigated while the clergy was living.

Name	Ordained	Status
Fr. Ronald Atwood	1969	Deceased
Fr. Thomas Brosmer	1969	Removed from ministry
Fr. R. Michael Ellifritz	1967	Laicized
Fr. Roger Emmert	1962	Deceased
Msgr. Joseph Fete	1974	Laicized
Fr. Michael Hanrahan	1971	Laicized, deceased
Dcn. James Hutson	1982	Deceased
Fr. Philip Jacobs	1974	Laicized
Fr. Raymond Lavelle	1957	Deceased
Fr. Frederick Loyd	1970	Laicized
Fr. Robert Luchi	1957	Left ministry
Fr. Bernard McClory	1953	Deceased
Fr. Thomas McLaughlin	1956	Laicized, deceased
Fr. Samuel Ritchey	1973	Laicized, deceased
Fr. Francis Schaefer	1955	Deceased
Fr. George Tumeo	1965	Laicized
Fr. Martin Weithman	1980	Laicized

II.  Clergy incardinated in the Diocese of Columbus against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor within the Diocese was made after the clergy's death.[1]

Name	Ordained	Status
Msgr. Harry Estadt	1932	Deceased
Fr. John Geiger	1957	Deceased
Fr. Louis Hoffman	1943	Deceased
Fr. Robert Schmidt	1943	Deceased
Fr. Ted Spires	1961	Laicized, deceased
Fr. Alan Sprenger	1960	Deceased
Fr. John Tague	1951	Deceased

III.  Clergy incardinated in the Diocese of Columbus against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor at a location outside the Diocese was made and investigated while the cleric was living.

Name	Ordained	Status
Fr. Carl Drake	1964	Removed from ministry

IV.  Extern or religious clergy (clergy from other dioceses or religious orders) who served in the Diocese of Columbus who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors (alleged conduct occurred in the Diocese of Columbus).

Name	Ordained	Status
Fr. Hector Bellinato, PIME	1935	No longer in Diocese
Fr. David Heimann	1958	Deceased
Dcn. Gabriel Hernandez	2008	Dismissed from the Josephinum, laicized
Fr. Robert Hunt, C.PP.S.	1954	Deceased
Fr. Timothy Keane, SS.CC.	1950	No longer in ministry

V.  Extern or religious clergy who served in the Diocese of Columbus that were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors elsewhere (alleged conduct occurred outside the Diocese of Columbus).  

Name	Ordained	Status
Fr. Pierre Albalaa, MSM	1995	Removed from ministry
Fr. Frank Benham	1963	Left ministry
Fr. Aaron J. Cote, OP	1986	Deceased
Fr. Kenneth France-Kelly, OP	1981

References

External links

• Diocesan website