Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre (Latin: Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa) comprises the territory of Nassau and Suffolk counties (regionally known as Long Island) in the U.S. state of New York state, except for Fishers Island, which is part of Suffolk County but is included in the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut. Founded in 1957, this diocese was created from territory that once belonged to the Diocese of Brooklyn. It is the sixth-largest Catholic diocese in the United States, currently serving approximately 1.5 million people in 134 parishes.[2] The diocese is named for the village where its cathedral, St. Agnes Cathedral, is located, Rockville Centre in Nassau County. The fifth and current bishop is John Barres.[3]
Diocese of Rockville Centre Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa | |
---|---|
St. Agnes Cathedral | |
Location | |
Country | |
Territory | Long Island, New York |
Ecclesiastical province | New York |
Statistics | |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2014) 2,851,977 1,531,445[1] (53.7%) |
Parishes | 134 |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | April 6, 1957 |
Cathedral | St. Agnes Cathedral |
Patron saint | Saint Agnes |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | John Barres |
Auxiliary Bishops | |
Bishops emeritus | |
Map | |
Website | |
drvc.org |
History
The Diocese of Rockville Centre was split off from the Diocese of Brooklyn April 6, 1957. St. Agnes Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
Walter P. Kellenberg, former Bishop of Ogdensburg served as first bishop of the diocese from 1957 to 1976.[4] He founded the diocese's Catholic Charities office in 1957.[5] Kellenberg was followed by Bishop John McGann, who retired in 2000 and died in 2002. The diocese was led briefly by Bishop James T. McHugh, who died of cancer on December 10, 2000.
William Murphy served as the diocese's fourth bishop from 2001 to 2017. Murphy arrived in Long Island from his native Archdiocese of Boston, where he served as the archdiocese's vicar general. He was succeeded by John Barres on January 31, 2017.
Reports of sex abuse
By August 2019, 68 clergy who served in the Diocese of Rockville Centre were "credibly accused" of committing acts of sex abuse.[6] Some were either convicted for their crimes or agreed to pay financial settlements.[6] Former priest Robert E. Guglielmone, who was later appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina, was also revealed to have been named as a defendant in a sex abuse lawsuit in the state of New York and is accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[7]
On May 8, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the 2019 New York Child Victims Act's statute of limitation deadline to file sex abuse lawsuits from August 14, 2020 to January 14, 2021.[8] On May 13, 2020, a Nassau County Supreme Court justice allowed pending lawsuits against the Diocese of Rockville Centre to proceed after rejecting claims that the New York Child Victims Act, which serves as the legal basis for the upcoming sex abuse lawsuits, violated due process.[9][10]
Bishops
Bishops of Rockville Centre
- Walter P. Kellenberg (1957-1976)
- John R. McGann (1976-2000)
- James T. McHugh (2000)
- William F. Murphy (2001-2017)
- John O. Barres (2017–present)
Coadjutor Bishops
- James T. McHugh (1998-2000)
Auxiliary Bishops
- Vincent John Baldwin (1962–1979)
- Gerald Augustine John Ryan (1977–1985)
- James Joseph Daly (1977–1996)
- Alfred John Markiewicz (1986–1994), appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo
- Emil Aloysius Wcela (1988–2007)
- John Charles Dunne (1988–2013)
- Paul Henry Walsh (2003–2012)
- Peter Anthony Libasci (2007–2011), appointed Bishop of Manchester
- Nelson J. Perez (2012-2017), appointed Bishop of Cleveland, later Archbishop of Philadelphia
- Robert J. Brennan (2012–2019), appointed Bishop of Columbus
- Andrzej Jerzy Zglejszewski (2014–present)
- Robert J. Coyle (2018–present) (had been auxiliary bishop of Military, U.S.)
- Richard Garth Henning (2018–present)
- Luis Miguel Romero Fernández (2020-present)
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
- Robert E. Guglielmone, appointed Bishop of Charleston in 2009
Arms
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Media
- Catholic Faith Network, formerly known as "Telecare" was founded in 1969 by Monsignor Thomas Hartman of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York. CFn's programming includes live religious services, talk shows, devotional programs, educational programming, entertainment, and children's programs. It also presents coverage of special events at the Vatican and of papal journeys. It serves subscribers in three states.
In 2012 the diocesan weekly newspaper Long Island Catholic switched to a subscription-based monthly magazine.[11]
Educational institutions
- Seminary
- High schools
As of 2019, there were nine Catholic high schools on Long Island.
- Diocesan
- Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, Hicksville
- St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip
- St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary, Uniondale (closed in 1984)
- Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, Riverhead (closed in June 2018)
- Private
- Academy of Saint Joseph, Brentwood (Closed June 2009)
- Chaminade High School, Mineola
- Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale
- Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Syosset
- Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead
- St. Anthony's High School, South Huntington
- St. Dominic High School, Oyster Bay
- St. Mary's High School, Manhasset
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre began operating in 1957. In 1974, they opened a residence for the developmentally disabled in Valley Stream. As of 2019, there were thirteen such residences. A shelter for single mothers opened in 1968 and in 2009 expanded to include transitional housing. Catholic Charities is the one largest provider of affordable senior housing on Long Island, operating over 1,300 units.[12]
Catholic Health Services of Long Island
Catholic Health Services of Long Island was founded in 1997 and operates under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[13] CHS operates six hospitals: Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, Saint Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, Saint Francis Hospital and Heart Center in Roslyn, and Saint Joseph Hospital in Bethpage.[14] With 17,000 employees, CHS is the third-largest employer on Long Island.[15]
Province of New York
- See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States
References
- Who We Are. Diocese of Rockville Centre. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2005-12-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "New Long Island bishop to be installed today". Newsday. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- "Church Hierarchy". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ""Celebrating 60 Years" Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre" (PDF). Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- "Database of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse". app.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- Smith, Glenn; Hobbs, Stephen; Moore, Thad. "Bishop of Charleston Diocese accused of sexual abuse in new lawsuit from NY". Post and Courier. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- Pozarycki, Robert (May 8, 2020). "Time limit extended for sex abuse victims to file claims under New York Child Victims Act". amNewYork. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- Tarinelli, Ryan. "Child Victims Act Does Not Violate Diocese's Due Process Right, Nassau Justice Rules". New York Law Journal. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- Harris, Cayla (May 13, 2020). "Judge throws out constitutional challenge to Child Victims Act". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- "Rockville Centre diocese converts newspaper to monthly magazine". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- "About Us". www.catholiccharities.cc. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- https://www.chsli.org/about-chs Catholic Health Services of Long Island: About CHS
- https://www.chsli.org/hospitals Catholic Health Services of Long Island: Hospitals
- "Long Island's largest employers". Newsday.