Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo (Latin: Dioecesis Pueblensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado. The diocese was created on November 15, 1941.[1] It encompasses the southern half of Colorado, from Utah to the west, to Kansas in the east.[2] The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pueblo is the seat of the diocese.

Diocese of Pueblo

Dioecesis Pueblensis
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Location
Country United States
TerritorySouthern half of Colorado
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Denver
Population
- Catholics (including non-members)
110,200 (18.3%)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedNovember 15, 1941
CathedralCathedral of the Sacred Heart
Patron saintOur Lady of Guadalupe
St. Therese of Lisieux
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopStephen Jay Berg
Metropolitan ArchbishopSamuel Joseph Aquila
Bishops emeritusFernando Isern
Map
Website
dioceseofpueblo.org

In 2009, the diocese had nearly 100,000 registered Catholics, about 16% of the population.[2]

History
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Conejos.

The first church in the modern-day Diocese of Pueblo was the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, constructed in 1858 in Conejos by Spanish colonists from New Mexico.[3] On November 15, 1941, Pope Pius XII separated territory from the Archdiocese of Denver to form the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado and elevated the Denver Diocese to an Archdiocese. On November 10, 1983, Pope John Paul II separated territory from both the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Pueblo to form the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

The last official Roman Catholic "cruzado" or Crusade tax, referring to the tax taken to fund the Christian Crusades, was not abolished by the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado until 1945.[4][5]

Reports of Sex Abuse

In 1990, Diocese of Pueblo priest William Groves was arrested and plead guilty to sex abuse of sex abuse.[6][7] As part his plea bargain, more serious sex abuse charges against Groves were dropped and he received a sentence of only four years probation and ordered sex abuse treatment[6][7] On October 23, 2019, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released the results of an eight-month investigation revealing that 43 Catholic clergy were credibly accused of sexually abusing at least 166 children throughout the state of Colorado since 1950.[8] At least 36 of these children were molested by 19 clergy serving in the Diocese of Pueblo.[9] On October 16, 2020, it was revealed that all three of Colorado's Catholic Dioceses, including the Diocese of Pueblo, had paid $6.6 million in compensation to 81 victims of clergy sex abuse within the past year, regardless of how long ago the abuse happened.[10] On December 1, 2020, Weiser's final report revealed that there were an additional 9 credibly accused clergy and 46 alleged victims in both in the Diocese of Pueblo and Archdiocese of Denver.[11][12] Four of these priests named-Monsignor Marvin Kapushion, Father Duane Repola, Father Carlos Trujillo, and Father Joseph Walsh- where accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of Pueblo.[13]

Bishops

Bishops of Pueblo

Other priest of this diocese who became a bishop

Schools
  • Holy Family Catholic School (Grand Junction)
  • St. Columba Catholic School (Durango)
  • St. John Newman Catholic School (Pueblo)
  • St. Therese Catholic School (Pueblo)

There was previously Pueblo Catholic High School but it closed in 1971. By 1975 all Catholic schools in Pueblo had closed.[14]

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1941
Escutcheon
The arms of the diocese are composed of a crenelated wall and the curving lines below the wall. Above it are the Sacred Heart of Jesus flanked on each side by a rose.
Symbolism
The crenelated wall on the Diocesan Shield symbolizes old Fort Pueblo and the curving line below the wall represents the Arkansas River which divides the city. The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents the Sacred Heart Cathedral and is flanked on each side by a rose. The rose to the immediate left represents Mary under the title of the "Mystical Rose." The rose to the immediate right represents St. Therese of Lisieux (The Little Flower) Principal Patroness of the Diocese.

References
  1. "Diocese of Pueblo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. Davis, James D. (16 October 2009). "Priest From Miami Appointed Bishop". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. Howlett, William (1908). "Denver". The Catholic Encyclopedia. NewAdvent.org. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. ORB - Crusades Archived October 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Cline, Austin (25 June 2019). "The Military and Political Effects of the Crusades". LearnReligions.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  6. https://adamhorowitzlaw.com/clergy-abuse/fr-william-groves-diocese-of-pueblo/
  7. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news/1993_04_13_Jones_BreachOf.htm
  8. https://www.denverpost.com/2019/10/23/colorado-catholic-church-sex-abuse-report/
  9. https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/priest-abuse-list-colorado-catholic-priests-accused-child-sex-abuse/73-db1f5024-eb63-4c81-9d86-e3023ea698fe
  10. Padilla, Anica (October 16, 2020). "Catholic Dioceses In Colorado Pay $6.6 Million To Sex Abuse Survivors". CBS 4 Denver. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  11. Schmelzer, Elise (December 1, 2020). "Further investigation into Colorado Catholic Church IDs 46 more victims, 9 more abusive priests — including Denver's Father Woody". Denver Post. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  12. https://www.cpr.org/2020/12/01/final-state-report-concludes-more-than-200-colorado-children-were-abused-by-priests-but-catholic-church-vows-reform/
  13. Chuck, Natalie (December 1, 2020). "Follow-up report reveals 4 new Catholic priests in Pueblo accused of sexual abuse". KOAA. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  14. Beck, Kathy Bribari. "Reunion planned for Pueblo Catholic High Class of '65." Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. July 2015. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. "celebrates its 50th reunion this fall, Sept. 11 to 13, some 40 years since all Pueblo's Catholic schools closed." - The article was published in 2015 so all Catholic schools would have closed by 1975.

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