Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the Greater Rochester region of New York State in the United States. The region that the Diocese comprises extends from its northern border on the south shore of Lake Ontario through the Finger Lakes region to its southern border at the New York-Pennsylvania border.

Diocese of Rochester

Dioecesis Roffensis
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Location
Country United States
TerritoryCounties of Monroe, Cayuga, Livingston, Wayne, Tioga, Tompkins, Ontario, Seneca, Schuyler, Yates, Steuben and Chemung, New York
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of New York
MetropolitanTimothy M. Dolan
Statistics
Area8,772 sq mi (22,720 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2014)
1,570,000
350,000 (23%)
Parishes106
Churches172
Congregations172
Schools27
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedMarch 3, 1868
CathedralSacred Heart Cathedral
Patron saintSt. John Fisher
Secular priests251
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopSalvatore Ronald Matano
Vicar GeneralVery Rev. Paul J. Tomasso
Bishops emeritusMatthew H. Clark
Map
Website
dor.org

The Diocese of Rochester comprises 12 counties in New York, with approximately 350,000 Catholics and over 125 faith communities (parishes and chapels), 22 diocesan elementary schools and 7 independent parochial high schools. The bishop of the diocese is currently Salvatore Ronald Matano. The metropolitan for the diocese is the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, currently Cardinal Timothy Dolan. The cathedral parish for the diocese is Sacred Heart Cathedral.

History
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Rochester (1868-1937)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester began on March 3, 1868, when Pope Pius IX entrusted eight counties (Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Cayuga, Yates, and Tompkins) within the Diocese of Buffalo to Bernard J. McQuaid, the first bishop of Rochester. The new diocese had about 54,500 Catholics in 35 parish churches and 29 mission churches.

In 1896, the counties of Schuyler, Tioga, Chemung, and Steuben were added to the Diocese of Rochester from the Diocese of Buffalo, forming the current boundaries.

The diocese grew as Catholic immigrants came to western New York, peaking in the 1960s. Since then, the Catholic population has stabilized while the numbers of ordained presbyters (priests) and religious sisters has fallen.[1]

  • In 1909, there were 121,000 Catholics in 93 parishes, 36 missions and 53 parish schools with 18,000 pupils. There were 164 priests and more than 500 sisters.
  • In 1938, there were 223,657 Catholics in 129 parishes, 36 missions and 72 parish schools serving 23,796 pupils. There were 289 active diocesan priests.
  • In 1966, there were 361,790 Catholics in 155 parishes, 36 mission churches and 99 elementary parish schools serving 45,540 pupils. There were 371 active diocesan priests and 1,549 sisters.
  • In 1978, there were 358,850 Catholics in 161 parishes, 29 mission churches and 75 schools serving 19,526 pupils. There were 311 active diocesan priests and 1,095 women religious.
  • In 1992, there were 361,384 Catholics in 162 parishes and 58 elementary schools serving 11,992 pupils. There were 208 active diocesan priests and 842 sisters.

On September 22, 2017, the Diocese of Rochester inaugurated its sesquicentennial anniversary marked by a solemn Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral. This event marks a year long celebration of the 150 year anniversary and the year of the Eucharist which was proclaimed by Bishop Salvatore Matano on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Reports of sex abuse and bankruptcy

In June 2018, it was revealed that the Diocese had secretly paid $1.6 million since 1950 in compensation to 20 sex abuse victims.[2] Most of the payments occurred after the eruption of the 2002 clergy sex abuse scandal, although some are decades old. On June 10, 2019, a man claiming that he had been molested between 1969 and 1971 by local priest Rev. Francis Vogt filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Rochester and several other local Catholic organizations affiliated the Diocese, claiming that they shielded Vogt from potential prosecution.[3] On September 12, 2019, the Diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of lawsuits against priests and other ministers who served in the Diocese.[4][5] The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is the first Catholic diocese in the state of New York to file for bankruptcy and also the 20th Catholic diocese in the U.S. to do so.[5]

On May 4, 2020, it was revealed that attorneys for sex abuse plaintiffs forced the Diocese of Rochester to turn over approximately 43,000 documents in exchange for delaying the sex abuse lawsuits.[6] However, it remains to be seen if the released documents are complete.[6] On August 3, 2020, it was announced that new lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Rochester which accused 21 previously unidentified Catholic clergy of committing acts of sex abuse.[7] On August 19, 2020, it was revealed that 503 people who had filed sex abuse lawsuits against the Diocese of Rochester under the 2019 New York Child Victims Act, despite the expected number being originally anticipated as 250-300.[8]

Bishops

The following are lists of bishops and their years of service:

Bishops of Rochester
  1. Bernard J. McQuaid (1868–1909)
  2. Thomas F. Hickey (1909–1928; coadjutor bishop 1905-1909), appointed Archbishop (ad personam) upon retirement
  3. John Francis O'Hern (1929–1933)
  4. Edward A. Mooney (1933–1937), Archbishop (ad personam), appointed Archbishop of Detroit (Cardinal in 1946)
  5. James E. Kearney (1937–1966)
  6. Venerable Fulton J. Sheen (1966-–1969), appointed Archbishop (ad personam) upon retirement
  7. Joseph Lloyd Hogan (1969–1978)
  8. Matthew H. Clark (1979–2012)
  9. Salvatore Ronald Matano (2013–present)

Former auxiliary bishops

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Schools
Superintendents of the Monroe County Catholic School System
NameTenure
Sr. Roberta Tierney, SSND[9] 1976–1978
Timothy Leahy 1978–1979
Rev. Richard C. Kinsky, CSB 1979–1981
Sr. Edwardine Weaver, RSM 1981–1986
Br. Brian Walsh, CFC[10] July 1986–1 July 1991
Sr. Mary Ann Binsack, RSM[11] 1991–1992
Timothy W. Dwyer[11]1992–2001
Sr. Elizabeth Meegan, OP[10]2001–2006
Sr. Elaine Poitras, CSC[10]2006–January 2008
Sr. Janice Morgan, CSJ[12]January 2008–August 2008
Anne Willkens LeachAugust 2008–July 2013
Anthony S. Cook III[13]1 July 2013–present

Primary schools
Schools[14]
SchoolParishLocationEstablishedGrades
All Saints AcademySt. MaryCorning, Steuben CountyPre-K through Grade 8
Holy Cross SchoolHoly CrossRochester, Monroe County2011Pre-K through Grade 6
Holy Family Primary SchoolSt. MaryElmira, Chemung CountyPre-K through Grade 6
St. Agnes SchoolSt. AgnesAvon, Livingston County1878Pre-K through Grade 6
St. Francis de Sales - St. Stephen SchoolOur Lady of PeaceGeneva, Ontario CountyPre-K through Grade 8
St. John Neumann SchoolSt. John the EvangelistIrondequoit, Monroe CountyPre-K through Grade 6
St. Joseph Elementary SchoolSt. JosephAuburn, Cayuga CountyPre-K through Grade 5
St. Joseph SchoolSt. JosephPenfield, Monroe County1960Pre-K through Grade 6
St. Kateri SchoolChrist the KingIrondequoit, Monroe CountyPre-K through Grade 6
St. Lawrence SchoolSt. LawrenceGreece, Monroe CountyPre-K through Grade 6
St. Louis SchoolSt. LouisPittsford, Monroe CountyPre-School through Grade 6
St. Mary SchoolSt. MaryCanandaigua, Ontario County1849K through Grade 8
St. Mary Our Mother SchoolSt. Mary Our MotherHorseheads, Chemung CountyPre-K through Grade 6
St. Michael SchoolSt. MichaelPenn Yan, Yates County1882Pre-K through Grade 5
St. Pius X SchoolSt. Pius XChili, Monroe County1954Pre-K through Grade 5
St. Rita SchoolSt. RitaWebster, Monroe County1957Pre-K through Grade 5
Seton Catholic SchoolOur Lady of Lourdes/St. AnneBrighton, Monroe County1948Pre-K through Grade 6
Siena Catholic AcademySt. Thomas MoreBrighton, Monroe County1993Grades 6, 7, and 8

Former primary schools

Over the years, as Catholic populations moved to the suburbs, the Diocese has closed parishes and their schools. These include the former Holy Apostles, Holy Redeemer, Holy Rosary, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Victory, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Augustine, St. Casimir, St. Francis Xavier, St. Helen, St. John the Evangelist, St. Joseph, St. Lucy, St. Mary, St. Michael, St. Patrick, Ss. Peter and Paul, St. Stanislaus, and St. Theresa.

In 2008, facing growing deficits and declining enrollments, the Diocese closed the following schools:[15]

  • Holy Family School, Dansville, Livingston County
  • All Saints Catholic Academy, Gates
  • Catherine McAuley, Greece
  • Corpus Christi, Rochester
  • Good Shepherd, Henrietta
  • Holy Cross, Rochester (reopened in 2011)
  • Holy Family, Rochester
  • Holy Trinity, Webster
  • St. Andrews, Rochester
  • St. Boniface, Rochester
  • St. John of Rochester, Fairport
  • St. John the Evangelist, Spencerport
  • St. Margaret Mary, Irondequoit
  • St. Monica, Rochester

High schools

There remain five traditionally Catholic high schools (or combined junior/senior high schools) in the diocese. These schools were founded by various Roman Catholic religious orders and operate independently of the diocese itself.

Schools
SchoolFounding Religious OrderLocationEstablishedGrades
Aquinas InstituteBasilianRochester, Monroe County1902Grades 6 through 12
Bishop Kearney High SchoolChristian Brothers, Sisters of Notre DameIrondequoit, Monroe County1962Grades 7 through 12
McQuaid Jesuit High SchoolJesuitsBrighton, Monroe County1954Grades 6 through 12
Notre Dame High SchoolSisters of MercyElmira, Chemung County1955Grades 7 through 12
Our Lady of Mercy High SchoolSisters of MercyBrighton, Monroe County1928Grades 6 through 12
  • Aquinas Institute
  • Bishop Kearney High School
  • McQuaid Jesuit High School
  • The former Cardinal Mooney High School

Former high schools
  • Academy of the Sacred Heart, Rochester, Monroe County, 1855–1969
  • Cardinal Mooney High School, Greece, Monroe County, 1962–1989
  • DeSales High School, Geneva, Ontario County, 1912–2012
  • Nazareth Academy, Rochester, Monroe County, 1871–2010
  • St. Agnes High School, Rochester, Monroe County, 1954–1982
  • King's Preparatory, Rochester, Monroe County, 1967–1970
  • St. Anthony of Padua College Prep School, Watkins Glen, Schuyler County, 1949–1970
  • Holy Family High School, Auburn, Cayuga County 1904–1957
  • Mt. Carmel High School, Auburn, Cayuga County, 1957–1970

Former seminaries

Former liberal arts colleges

Former charitable institutions
  • St. Ann's Home (now St. Ann's Community)
  • St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum (later St. Joseph's Villa, now Villa of Hope)[16]
  • St. Mary's Boys' Home
  • St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, Monroe County
  • St. Patrick's Girls' Home

Counties

This is a list of the counties in New York State that fall into the Diocese of Rochester:

Arms
Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
Notes
Arms was designed in the 1930s by Pierre LaRose
Escutcheon
The arms of the diocese are composed of a saltire with a crescent in the center.
Symbolism
The St. Andrew's Cross (saltire) was taken from the coat of arms of the original Diocese of Rochester in England (now an Anglican diocese). The new design is distinguished from the original, by changing a scallop shell in the center to the crescent symbol of the Immaculate Conception.[17]

References
  1. "Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester - Diocesan History". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  2. Andreatta, David. "Andreatta: Diocese of Rochester has paid $1.6 million to 20 sex abuse victims". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  3. WHAM (2019-06-11). "Victim sues Diocese of Rochester over claims of sexual abuse by priest". WHAM. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  4. Orr, Steve (September 12, 2019). "Diocese bankruptcy: Matano says it was 'a very difficult and painful decision'". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  5. Orr, Steve. "Rochester diocese, facing flood of sex-abuse claims, files for bankruptcy protection". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  6. "Buffalo Catholic Diocese Lawyers Ask for Abuse Lawsuits To Be Put on Hold". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  7. https://www.democratandchronicle.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democratandchronicle.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2F2020%2F08%2F03%2F21-new-alleged-abusers-named-new-rochester-diocese-lawsuits-cva%2F5528884002%2F
  8. https://13wham.com/news/local/more-than-500-sex-abuse-claims-filed-against-diocese-of-rochester
  9. "Sr. Roberta Tierney; directed education - Catholic Courier". www.catholiccourier.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  10. "New schools head brings fresh ideas - Catholic Courier". www.catholiccourier.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  11. Cullivan, Rob (May 28, 1992). "Schools superintendent to stress long view" (PDF). Catholic Courier. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  12. "DOR Catholic: Update on Sister Janice Morgan". DOR Catholic. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  13. http://www.dor.org/index.cfm/news/news-docs/new-schools-superintendent-named/
  14. "Discover Our Schools". Catholic Schools Diocese of Rochester. Rochester, New York: Diocese of Rochester. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  15. "As Bishop Announces Closures, Catholic High Schools Plan to Expand", Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, 2008-01-19, ISSN 1088-5153, retrieved 2013-01-02 Alt URL
  16. "Villa of Hope History". Organization website. Rochester, New York: Villa of Hope. 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  17. "Bishop Clark". Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.

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