Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts (Latin: Dioecesis Campifontis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts Dioecesis Campifontis | |
---|---|
St. Michael's Cathedral | |
Location | |
Country | |
Territory | |
Ecclesiastical province | Boston |
Metropolitan | Boston |
Coordinates | 42°06′19″N 72°35′07″W |
Statistics | |
Area | 2,822 sq mi (7,310 km2) |
Population - Catholics | 235,000 (28.9%) |
Parishes | 81 |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | June 14, 1870 |
Cathedral | St. Michael's Cathedral |
Patron saint | Saint Michael |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Mitchell T. Rozanski |
Bishops emeritus | Timothy A. McDonnell |
Map | |
Website | |
diospringfield.org |
Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts by canon June 14, 1870, in territory taken from the present-day Archdiocese of Boston.
The Basilica of St. Stanislaus in Chicopee is under the circumscription of the diocese.[1]
Suppression and closure of parishes
Following a decline in parish membership and attendance at weekly Mass, many churches in the diocese have been merged or closed. As of 2010, 65 churches had been closed, with 13 of those buildings housing new congregations created by mergers. Bishop Timothy McDonnell was responsible for the majority of these parish closures.[2]
Sex abuse
In February 2019 it was reported that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield received 15 sex abuse complaints in 2018.[3] On May 27, 2020, the Diocese of Springfield formed an independent task force to advise the Diocesan Bishop on sex abuse allegations.[4] In June 2020, an independent investigation found allegations against the late Bishop Christopher Weldon to be credible.[5]
Bishops
Bishops and their terms of service:
- Patrick Thomas O'Reilly (1870-1892)
- Thomas Daniel Beaven (1892-1920)
- Thomas Michael O'Leary (1921-1949)
- Christopher Joseph Weldon (1950-1977)
- Joseph Francis Maguire (1977-1992) (coadjutor, 1976-1977)
- John Aloysius Marshall (1992-1994)
- Thomas Ludger Dupré (1995-2004)
- Timothy Anthony McDonnell (2004–2014)
- Mitchell Thomas Rozanski (2014–present), appointed Archbishop of St. Louis
Auxiliary bishops
- Leo Edward O'Neil (1980-1989), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Manchester
- Thomas Ludger Dupré (1990-1995), appointed Bishop here
Other priests of this diocese who became Bishops
- Daniel Francis Feehan, appointed Bishop of Fall River in 1907
- Joseph John Rice, appointed Bishop of Burlington in 1910
- Joseph Francis McGrath, appointed Bishop of Baker City in 1918
- William Augustine Hickey, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Providence in 1919
- Timothy Joseph Harrington, appointed auxiliary bishop of Worcester in 1968
High schools
- Pope Francis High School, Springfield (new building on the site of the former Cathedral High School)
- Saint Mary High School, Westfield
Closed:
- Cathedral High School (merged into Pope Francis High School)
- Holyoke Catholic High School, Chicopee (merged into Pope Francis High School)
- St. Joseph Central High School, Pittsfield (closed 2017)
See also
- Catholic Church by country
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Ecclesiastical Province of Boston
- Global organisation of the Catholic Church
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
- List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. |
- "Basilicas: USA -82". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield puts closed churches on the market
- https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/02/springfield_diocese_received_1.html
- https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2020/05/roman-catholic-diocese-of-springfield-forms-independent-task-force-to-advise-bishop-mitchell-rozanski-on-confronting-reported-clergy-sex-abuse.html
- Investigation: Abuse allegations against Catholic bishop ‘credible’
External links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts Official Site
- Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .