Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn explained

Jurisdiction:Diocese
Brooklyn
Latin:Diœcesis Bruklyniensis
Coat:Coat of arms of the Diocese of Brooklyn.svg
Coat Size:150px
Country: United States
Territory:Brooklyn and Queens
Province:Archdiocese of New York
Area Sqmi:179
Population:5,007,353
Population As Of:July 2017
Catholics:1,506,000
Parishes:188
Schools:99
Denomination:Catholic
Sui Iuris Church:Latin Church
Rite:Roman Rite
Cathedral:Cathedral Basilica of St. James
Cocathedral:Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph
Priests:472
Bishop:Robert J. Brennan
Map:Diocese of Brooklyn map 1.png

The Diocese of Brooklyn (Latin: Diœcesis Bruklyniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The Diocese of Brooklyn is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn and its co-cathedral is the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. The current Bishop of Brooklyn is Robert J. Brennan.

Brooklyn is one of the few dioceses in the United States that is made up of 100% urban territory.[1]

The bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, presides from both the Cathedral Basilica of St. James and the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. This atypical arrangement was required due to the small size of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James. St. Joseph's Church was designated as a co-cathedral for the Diocese of Brooklyn on February 14, 2013, by Pope Benedict XVI after Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio petitioned the Vatican.

History

The diocese was established in 1853 out of the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, at a time when Brooklyn was still a separate city from New York City. It originally included all of Long Island, but its present-day territory was established in 1957 when Nassau and Suffolk counties were split off to form the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[2]

The opening of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1801 drew a number of immigrants, largely Catholics from Northern Ireland, especially from Derry and Donegal. They would cross the East River to attend services at St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street. Periodically, John Power or others would come to celebrate Mass at the home of William Purcell or at Dempsey's Blooming Grove Garden on Fulton St. The Church of St. James was erected in 1822. In July, 1841, Johann Stephen Raffeiner, from the Tyrol, began the German parish of the Most Holy Trinity on a part of the farm of the old Dutch Meserole family in the Bushwick section. Holy Cross Cemetery was opened in 1849. In 1853, Archbishop John Hughes appointed his vicar-general, Irish-born John Loughlin, former pastor of St. Patrick's on Mulberry St. as bishop of the new diocese. Loughlin chose St. James as his cathedral.[3]

During his episcopate, Loughlin founded 120 parishes. Plans to build the larger Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception were deferred in favor of orphanages, schools, and hospitals. He was succeeded in 1892, by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell, former chancellor of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn served at that time 250,000 Catholics. With the increase in the number of immigrants of various nationalities, McDonnell founded a number of national churches which ministered to parishioners in their own language. To this end, he invited several religious institutes into the diocese, including the Redemptorists, Benedictines, Franciscans (including the Minor Conventuals and Capuchins), Jesuits, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Daughters of Wisdom, and Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus.[4] He also built three hospitals. Camp Wycoff and Camp Black, set up during the Spanish–American War were attended by local clergy.

Thomas Edmund Molloy was named the third Bishop of Brooklyn on November 21, 1921. In 1930 Bishop Molloy established the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre was split off from Brooklyn April 6, 1957. Ten days later, Bryan Joseph McEntegart became the next Bishop of Brooklyn. He built six high schools, Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, and a hospital. He improved outreach to the growing Hispanic population, he sent priests and religious to study Spanish language and culture. Bishop Francis Mugavero experience as former head Brooklyn's Catholic Charities was reflected in his episcopate. In 1971, Mugavero established the Catholic Migration Office to serve the needs of immigrants and refugees living in Brooklyn and Queens. The Nehemiah project produced affordable housing in Brownsville.

In September 2018, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn agreed to a record $27.5 million settlement for sex abuse allegations.[5] On February 15, 2019, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens made public a list of 108 clergy who were "credibly accused" of committing sexual abuse,[6] [7] [8] some of whom have also been convicted for their crimes.[9] Along with the list, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio also issued a letter of apology, asking for forgiveness.[10] In June 2020, the FBI arrested Francis Hughes, a priest serving in Queens, on child pornography charges and sex-related charges involving underage minors.[11] In a separate case, the Vatican exonerated Bishop DiMarzio of allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century. After an inquiry led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said that the accusations were groundless.[12]

Churches

See main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.

Bishops

Bishops of Brooklyn

  1. John Loughlin (1853–1891)
  2. Charles Edward McDonnell (1892–1921)
  3. Thomas Edmund Molloy (1922–1956), elevated to Archbishop ad personam in 1951
  4. Bryan Joseph McEntegart (1957–1968), elevated to Archbishop ad personam in 1966
  5. Francis Mugavero (1968–1990)
  6. Thomas Vose Daily (1990–2003)
  7. Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio (2003–2021)
  8. Robert J. Brennan (2021–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

Former auxiliary bishops

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

Priests "equivalent to diocesan bishops" affiliated with this diocese

Education

See also: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. The sitting bishop is also the true principal of the diocese's pre-seminary high school, Cathedral Preparatory Seminary. As of March 2009, Cathedral Preparatory Seminary is the only full-time high school seminary in the nation. Three diocesan and/or parish high schools are under the auspices of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. As of 2019, only 36 Diocese of Brooklyn schools were still not scheduled to close, compared to the 102 which were operational in the 1980s. Between the mid-2000s and 2019, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn permanently closed 45 of its schools.

High schools

Brooklyn

Queens

Elementary schools

There were 116 diocesan and parish elementary schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. In March 2009. In 2009, Pope John Paul II Family Academy opened at St. Barbara's School in Bushwick, [17] [18] In 2019, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst and Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Academy in Mill Basin closed, and two Bushwick schools, St Brigid and St. Frances Cabrini, merged.[19]

Brooklyn

Queens

Seminaries

Brooklyn

Seminary of the Immaculate Conception – Former major seminary in Huntington for the Diocese of Brooklyn, established in 1926, closed in 2012. Seminarians from the diocese now fulfill their major seminary programs at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.

Queens

Cathedral Seminary House of Formation – established in Douglaston in 1967. Currently serves as the college/minor seminary for the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Also serves as the minor seminary for students from other dioceses.

Seminarians enrolled at the Cathedral Seminary study for their undergraduate philosophy degrees at either St. John's University in Queens or Fordham University in Bronx.

Cemeteries

The Diocese of Brooklyn has nine Catholic cemeteries serving the diocese; two in Brooklyn, five in Queens and three outside the diocese.

Brooklyn

Queens

Outside of diocese

Hospitals

Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center – Closed

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Coen, Joseph W.; McNamara, Patrick, J.; Vaccari, Peter I. Diocese of Immigrants: The Brooklyn Catholic Experience 1853-2003, Éditions du Signe, 2004. . p. 120
  2. http://www.drvc.org/history/a-brief-history-of-the-diocese.html Who We Are
  3. Web site: The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. V. 1-3 .... Jul 1, 1914. Catholic editing Company. Jul 1, 2020. Google Books.
  4. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02798d.htm Meehan, Thomas. "Diocese of Brooklyn." The Catholic Encyclopedia
  5. Web site: Diocese of Brooklyn reaches record $27.5M settlement with four victims of abuse by former lay educator. NBC News. 18 September 2018 . Jul 1, 2020.
  6. Web site: Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis Response. Jul 1, 2020.
  7. Web site: Brooklyn Diocese lists names of 108 clergy accused of sexually abusing minors. Feb 15, 2019. WPIX. Jul 1, 2020.
  8. Web site: List of Diocesan Clergy for whom the Diocese received allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor. Jul 1, 2020.
  9. Web site: Database of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse. app.bishop-accountability.org. Jul 1, 2020.
  10. https://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Most-Reverend-Nicholas-DiMarzio-Letter.pdf
  11. Web site: Queens Priest Arrested After Sharing Explicit Texts, Photos with 15-Year-Old Boy: FBI. 29 July 2020 .
  12. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/vatican-exonerates-brooklyn-bishop-accused-sexual-abuse-79767380 Calvan, Bobby Caina. "Vatican exonerates Brooklyn bishop accused of sexual abuse", abcnews, September 1, 2021
  13. Web site: FHA . Fontbonne-71 Years of Excellence . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090122202754/http://fontbonne.org/index_files/Page353.htm . January 22, 2009 . 2007-08-01 . Fontbonne Hall website.
  14. Web site: About Us Saint Saviour High School . 2023-06-10 . www.stsaviour.org . en.
  15. Web site: Brooklyn & Queens Catholic High Schools . 2023-06-10 . Office of Schools – Diocese of Brooklyn . en-US.
  16. Web site: History of School . 2023-06-10 . www.ctkhsny.org . en.
  17. News: NY Daily News . NY Daily News . Rich donor aids new Catholic school for poor fams. 2009-02-27 . 2009-03-20.
  18. http://popejohnpaulfamilyacademy.org/ Pope John Paul II Family Academy
  19. Web site: With Schools Closing, Is Catholic Education Disappearing in Brooklyn?. Megan. McGibney. Jun 21, 2019. Jul 1, 2020.
  20. Web site: Brooklyn Catholic Elementary Schools . 2023-06-10 . Office of Schools – Diocese of Brooklyn . en-US.

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