Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro

Last updated
Diocese of Owensboro

Dioecesis Owensburgensis
St. Stephen Cathedral - Owensboro, Kentucky 01.jpg
St. Stephen Cathedral
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Owensboro.svg
Coat of arms
Location
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Territory Flag of Kentucky.svg Western Kentucky
Ecclesiastical province Archdiocese of Louisville
Statistics
Population
- Catholics
51,780 [1]  (6.2%)
Parishes78 [2]
Schools19 [1]
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
EstablishedDecember 9, 1937
Cathedral St. Stephen's Cathedral [3]
Patron saint St. Stephen [4]
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Bishop William Medley
Metropolitan Archbishop Shelton Fabre
Map
Diocese of Owensboro.jpg
Website
rcdok.org
McRaith Catholic Center - Owensboro McRaith Catholic Center.jpg
McRaith Catholic Center – Owensboro

The Diocese of Owensboro (Latin : Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in western Kentucky in the United States. As of 2020, the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties. [1] [2] The Diocese of Owensboro is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Louisville.

Contents

The current bishop, William Medley, was the pastor of Saint Bernadette Parish of the Archdiocese of Louisville prior to his consecration which took place February 10, 2010. [1]

History

1785 to 1937

The first Catholic immigrants to the Kentucky area came from Maryland in 1785. By 1796, approximately 300 Catholic families were living in the new state of Kentucky. Among the early missionaries was Stephen Badin who set out on foot for Kentucky on September 3, 1793, sent by Bishop John Carroll of the Diocese of Baltimore. For the next 14 years Badin traveled on foot, horseback and boat between widely scattered Catholic settlements in Kentucky and the Northwest Territory. For three years, Badin was the only priest in the whole of Kentucky.

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown, covering Kentucky and most of the Northwest Territory. In 1841, Pope Leo suppressed the Diocese of Bardstown, which by this time encompassed only Kentucky. In its place, he created the Diocese of Louisville, with jurisdiction over Kentucky. [5] The Owensboro region would remain part of the Diocese of Louisville for the next 96 years.

1937 to 1961

Pope Pius XI erected the Diocese of Owensboro in territory taken from the Diocese of Louisville in 1937. The pope also elevated the Diocese of Louisville to an archdiocese and made the new Diocese of Owensboro as one of its suffragans. Pius XI named Reverend Francis Cotton as the first bishop of Owensboro. Cotton had first planned to establish his cathedral in Henderson, Kentucky at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, but then changed it to Owensboro. The diocese's cathedral is named after St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. [3]

After his consecration, Cotton embarked on visits to the parishes in the new diocese. He brought the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade, a national organization for helping the poor, to the diocese. [6] In early 1940, Cotton began the collection of relief supplies for refugees from World War II in Europe. By 1942, the diocese had collected over $1 million in supplies for distribution in Europe and China. [6] In February 1943, Cotton held a synod in the diocese to set its laws and constitution. Contemporary reports said that Cotton strictly enforced these rules in the diocese, but personally was a kind individual. [6] Cotton died in 1960.

1961 to present

In March 1961, Reverend Henry Soenneker of the Diocese of St. Cloud was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro by Pope John XXIII. [7] [8] After Soenneker retired in 1982, Pope John Paul II named John McRaith of the Diocese of New Ulm as his replacement. [9] He established the diocesan newspaper, The Western Kentucky Catholic, in 1984. [10] McRaith retired in 2009.

The current bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro is William Medley from the Archdiocese of Louisville. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

In December 2021, 74 people died in Western Kentucky after a series of tornadoes hit the region. [11] Medley released this comment.

“Though no one but the Lord can heal the broken hearts of those who have lost loved ones, I am humbled by the outpouring of support coming to us from around the country and the world.” [11]

\In November 2023, Medley visited Nigeria to thank the families of Nigerian priests serving in his diocese. He had made similar trips to India, Myanmar and Mexico to thank the families of priests from those nations. [12]

Sexual abuse

Reverend Louis Piskula was arrested on sodomy and sexual abuse of a minor charges in February 2011. The victim had approached the diocese in 2010 and was told to notify the police. [13] After pleading guilty, Piskula was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014. [14] He died in prison in 2018. [15]

In October 2018, the diocese permanently removed Reverend Gerald Baker from active ministry after determining that sexual abuse accusations against him were credible. He had been accused by three minors in 2016 when he was serving at St. Mary of the Woods Parish; at that point, the diocese put Baker on temporary suspension. [15] [16]

In March 2019, the diocese temporarily suspended Reverend Ed Bradley after he was accused sexual abuse of a minor. [17] The incidents allegedly occurred during the 1980s when Bradley was volunteering as a chaplain at Owensboro Catholic High School. In May 2019, the diocese recommended that Bradley be permanently removed from public service. [18] In 2021, the Vatican removed Bradley's suspension, allowing him to perform priestly functions. However, noting his "imprudent behavior", he was banned from schools for the next five years. [19]

In April 2019, the diocese released a list of 15 priests who were accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the diocese. [20]

Bishops

Bishops of Owensboro

  1. Francis Ridgley Cotton (1937–1960) [1]
  2. Henry Joseph Soenneker (1961–1982) [1]
  3. John Jeremiah McRaith (1982–2009) [1]
  4. William Francis Medley (2009–present) [1]

Education

High schools

University

Brescia University – Owensboro

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford</span> Catholic diocese in northern Illinois

The Diocese of Rockford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Northern Illinois in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Kentucky, United States

The Archdiocese of Louisville is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in central Kentucky in the United States. The cathedral church of the archdiocese is the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, Kentucky. The archdiocese is the seat of the metropolitan see of the Province of Louisville, which encompasses the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. The archdiocese is the second-oldest diocese west of the Appalachian Mountains, after the Archdiocese of New Orleans. As of 2023, the archbishop of Louisville is Shelton Fabre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in north-central and northeastern Indiana in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Bardstown</span> Former Roman Catholic diocese in the United States

The Diocese of Bardstown was a Latin Church Catholic diocese in the United States established in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 8, 1808, along with the Diocese of Boston, Diocese of New York, and Diocese of Philadelphia, comprising the former territory of the Diocese of Baltimore west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Diocese of Baltimore simultaneously became a metropolitan archdiocese with the four new sees as its suffragans. The title of the former Diocese of Bardstown changed to Diocese of Louisville with the transfer of its see from Bardstown to Louisville in 1841.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Michigan, USA

The Diocese of Kalamazoo is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwestern Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Michigan, USA

The Diocese of Lansing is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory – or diocese – of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology</span> Catholic seminary in Indiana, US

The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is a Roman Catholic seminary and school of theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. It is affiliated with the Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. The institution was named after Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a ninth century hermit living in what is today Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Wisconsin, USA

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay is a Latin church diocese in the northeast region of Wisconsin in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Its mother church is the Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier in Green Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Wisconsin, USA

The Diocese of Superior is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northwest Wisconsin in the United States. Its episcopal see is Superior, and the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior is its mother church. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Ohio, USA

The Diocese of Steubenville is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church covering thirteen counties in southeastern Ohio in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington</span> Diocese in northern Kentucky, United States

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington is a Latin Church diocese in Northern Kentucky in the United States. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Tennessee, United States

The Diocese of Knoxville is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Tennessee in the United States. It was founded on May 27, 1988, from the eastern counties of what was then the Diocese of Nashville. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Louisville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in the United States

The Diocese of Lexington is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, in southeastern Kentucky in the United States. It was erected on January 14, 1988. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Louisville. The Diocese of Lexington provides education for approximately 4,300 students in its 15 elementary schools and two high schools located throughout the diocese, and maintains Newman Centers at eight of Kentucky's colleges and universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in the United States

The Diocese of Memphis is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the western part of Tennessee in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Minnesota, USA

The Diocese of Saint Cloud is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in central Minnesota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

John Jeremiah McRaith was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky from 1982 to 2009.

Francis Ridgley CottonO.P. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky from 1938 to 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Medley</span>

William Francis Medley is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A former priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Medley has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Kendrick Williams</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1936)

James Kendrick Williams is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who was bishop of Diocese of Lexington in Kentucky from 1988 to 2002. Williams previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Covington in Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Mark Spalding</span>

Joseph Mark Spalding, D.D., J.C.L. is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee since 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Bishop". Diocese of Owensboro. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Our Diocese". Diocese of Owensboro. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 "About Us". Saint Stephen Cathedral. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. ↑ https://parishsfds.com/documents/2021/12/Novena%20to%20St%20Stephen.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. ↑ Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN   978-88-209-9070-1), p. 846
  6. 1 2 3 Publishing, Turner (February 1994). The Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN   978-1-56311-129-7.
  7. ↑ "Bishop Henry Joseph Soenneker". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  8. ↑ "Pope Names Kentucky Bishop". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  9. ↑ "Bishop John Jeremiah McRaith". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  10. ↑ "Bishop McRaith, 'a man of the land,' dies at 82". The Record. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  11. 1 2 "Virgin Mary statue still stands despite deadly tornadoes—and Catholics offer help". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  12. ↑ "Packed Masses and vibrant vocations: Bishop Medley takes 'goodwill tour' to Nigeria | The Western Kentucky Catholic". westernkycatholic.com. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  13. ↑ "Owensboro Priest Charged with Sexual Abuse of a Minor, SurfKY, June 8, 2012". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  14. ↑ "Retired priest denied shock probation, WLKY (January 13, 2015)". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  15. 1 2 "Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse Permanently Suspended". U.S. News. Associated Press. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  16. ↑ "Owensboro Pastor Suspended Due to Allegations, Tristate Homepage, May 19, 2016". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  17. ↑ White and Smith, Douglas and Beth (2 March 2019). "Father Ed Bradley, Rick Pitino's former team chaplain, suspended after sex abuse claim". Courier-Journal. Henderson Gleaner. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  18. ↑ "Diocese recommends permanent suspension for accused priest". WBKO. Associated Press. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  19. ↑ Lyman, Jill; Gorman, Evan. "EXCLUSIVE: Fr. Bradley 'rejoiced' after Vatican reinstates him following sexual abuse allegations". www.14news.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  20. ↑ WKYT News Staff (13 April 2019). "Diocese of Owensboro releases names of accused priests". WKYT. WKYT/WFIE. Retrieved 1 February 2020.

37°45′28″N87°07′06″W / 37.75778°N 87.11833°W / 37.75778; -87.11833

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.