Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington (Latin: Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the eastern United States and comprises the entire state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland (i.e. the parts of the Delmarva Peninsula not in Virginia: the nine counties of Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester). The Diocese of Wilmington is one of three Roman Catholic Dioceses in the United States to have territory in more than one state, the others being the Diocese of Gallup and the Diocese of Norwich (the Archdiocese of Washington also crosses a state line, having DC and 5 Maryland counties). It is led by Bishop William Francis Malooly, whose seat is the Cathedral of Saint Peter in the City of Wilmington.

Diocese of Wilmington Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis
Cathedral of St. Peter
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Delaware The nine counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland: Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester
Ecclesiastical province	Baltimore
Metropolitan	Baltimore
Statistics
Area	5,375 km^2 (2,075 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2014) 1,369,080 240,338 (17.6%)
Parishes	57
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	March 3, 1868 (152 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of Saint Peter
Patron saint	St. Francis de Sales
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	William Francis Malooly
Metropolitan Archbishop	William E. Lori Archbishop of Baltimore
Map
Website
cdow.org

History

Rev. Patrick Kenney established the first Roman Catholic mission in Delaware was in 1804 on the site of the Coffee Run Cemetery in Mill Creek, Delaware. The Coffee Run Mission Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1][lower-alpha 1][2] The diocese was canonically erected on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX from portions of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Diocese of Philadelphia, and also received the 2 eastern-shore counties of Virginia, thus extending all the way down the Delmarva Peninsula. The Virginia portion reverted to the Diocese of Richmond in 1974, leaving the Diocese of Wilmington with all of Delaware and the 9 eastern-shore counties of Maryland.

Clergy Sexual Abuse Settlement

In 2009, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of financial liabilities from lawsuits regarding sexual abuse by priests.[3] In 2011, 150 victims received an average of $310,000 each, totaling $77.425 million-this represents the seventh largest Roman Catholic clergy sexual abuse settlement in the history of the U.S. Perpetrators of the sexual assaults were not identified.[4][5]

Bishops

Bishops of Wilmington

1. Thomas Albert Andrew Becker (1868–1886), appointed Bishop of Savannah
2. Alfred Allen Paul Curtis (1886–1896)
3. John James Joseph Monaghan (1897–1925)
4. Edmond John Fitzmaurice (1925–1960), appointed Archbishop (personal title) upon retirement in 1960
5. Michael William Hyle (1960–1967)
6. Thomas Joseph Mardaga (1968–1984)
7. Robert Edward Mulvee (1985–1995), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Providence
8. Michael Angelo Saltarelli (1995–2008)
9. William Francis Malooly (2008–present)

Coadjutor Bishops

• Hubert James Cartwright (1956-1958), died before he could succeed to see
• Michael William Hyle (1958-1960)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

• Benjamin Joseph Keiley (priest here 1873-1886), appointed Bishop of Savannah in 1900
• James C. Burke, O.P., was Territorial Prelate of Chimbote (1965-1978, being consecrated bishop in 1967) before serving here 1978-1994
• John Barres, appointed Bishop of Allentown in 2009 and later Bishop of Rockville Centre

Churches

Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington

High schools

• Archmere Academy *, Claymont, DE
• Padua Academy, Wilmington, DE
• Saints Peter and Paul High School, Easton, MD
• St. Elizabeth High School, Wilmington, DE
• St. Mark's High School, Wilmington, DE
• Salesianum School *, Wilmington, DE
• Ursuline Academy *, Wilmington, DE

Closed Schools

• St. Thomas More Preparatory, Magnolia, DE

See also

• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• 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)
• Resurrection Catholic Parish (Wilmington)
• St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church (Wilmington, Delaware)
• St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Wilmington, Delaware
• Serviam Girls Academy

References

Notes

1. The title of the on-line article differs from the title of the article as it appeared in print

Citations

1. Tangel, Andrew (December 1, 2005). "Death knell may sound for historic farm buildings". The News Journal. pp. B1, B2. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2006.
2. "Coffee Run Mission Site (added 1973 - New Castle County - #73000509)". National Register of Historic Places.
3. Urbina, Ian (October 19, 2009), Delaware Diocese Files for Bankruptcy in Wake of Abuse Suits, The New York Times, retrieved May 15, 2011
4. Rowe, Peter (September 10, 2017). "Largest sexual abuse settlements by Roman Catholic institutions in the U.S." The San Diego Union-Tribune.
5. "Largest Settlements by Total Dollar Amount". Bishop Accountability.

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Official Site
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Wilmington
• The Dialog newspaper published by The Diocese