Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland explained

Jurisdiction:Archdiocese
St. John's, Newfoundland
Latin:Archidioecesis Sancti Ioannis Terrae Novae
Coat:Shield_RCA_St._John's.png
Coat Size:150px
Country: Canada
Territory:Newfoundland and Labrador
Province:Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland
Catholics:120,135
Catholics Percent:49.6
Denomination:Catholic Church
Sui Iuris Church:Latin Church
Rite:Roman Rite
Established:30 May 1784; years ago
Cathedral:Basilica of St. John the Baptist
Patron:St. John the Baptist
Bishop:Peter Hundt
Bishop Title:Archbishop
Suffragans:Robert Anthony Daniels
Bishop of Grand Falls
Bart van Roijen
Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador

The Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland (Latin: Archidioecesis Sancti Ioannis Terrae Novae) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the metropolitan of an ecclesiastical province with two suffragan dioceses: Grand Falls and Corner Brook and Labrador. The current archbishop is the Most Reverend Peter Hundt. The Archdiocese of St. John's is the oldest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in English-speaking North America.

The Basilica of St. John the Baptist is the cathedral of the archdiocese. The building sits within the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic District of Canada.

History

The future Archdiocese of St. John's was established 30 May 1784 as Catholics in Newfoundland gradually gained religious liberty, made explicit by a public declaration by Governor John Campbell. After a request from Irish merchants in St. John's to Bishop William Egan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, James Louis O'Donel was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Newfoundland, as a pre-diocesan jurisdiction entitled to a titular bishop and exempt, i.e., directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. In addition to O'Donel's personal popularity, one of his qualifications for the position was an ability to preach in Newfoundland Irish.

It was promoted to a Vicariate Apostolic on 5 January 1796 and on 4 June 1847 was elevated to a diocese.

In 1904, St. John's was elevated to an archdiocese.

In July 2021, the Archdiocese of St. John's announced plans to sell off assets in order to compensate victims of the Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal.[1]

Sex abuse scandals

See main article: Sexual abuse in St. John's archdiocese.

For decades, the Archdiocese of St. John's has been tied to sex abuse scandals.[2]

In 1988, a scandal erupted over allegations of widespread abuse of children at Mount Cashel Orphanage.[3] [4] [5] [6] From 1989 to 1993, nine Christian Brothers were charged and prosecuted for various criminal offences including sex offences against the boys of Mount Cashel orphanage.[7] [8] [9] [10] The religious order that ran the orphanage filed for bankruptcy in the face of numerous lawsuits. Since the Mount Cashel scandal erupted, a number of priests across the country have been accused of sexual abuse.[11]

In July 2020, Rev. Peter Power, who was originally from the Archdiocese of Toronto, was charged with charges of sexual touching, sexual assault and committing an indecent act involving two teenaged boys, aged 18 and 16 years old at a residence in a small Newfoundland community earlier in the year.[12] Though officially retired, Power was still occasionally active in Catholic ministry when he relocated to Newfoundland.

The same month in July 2020, the Newfoundland and Labrador court of appeal unanimously reversed a 2018 decision of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador and ruled that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's was vicariously liable for the sexual abuse committed at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1950s and 1960s, paving the way for victims of the Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal to receive compensation from the Diocese.[13] [14] [15]

In July 2021, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of NL announced plans to sell off assets in order to compensate victims of the Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal.[16]

On July 5, 2024, a third-party insolvency monitor put forward a sum of $104 million to pay the victims of sexual abuse by the Archdiocese. A document filed with Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court put the net claim award at $104,074,667. Among the 367 claims filed, 292 had already been accepted, while 65 were disallowed and 10 were considered pending. The document stated the average payment to a claimant was $356,417.[17]

Bishops

Prefecture Apostolic of Newfoundland

Image Name From Until
Erected: 30 May 1784
1James Louis O'Donel O.F.M.17 May 1784

Vicariate Apostolic of Newfoundland

Image Name From Until
Elevated: 5 January 1796
1James Louis O'Donel O.F.M.1 January 1807
2Patrick Lambert O.F.M.1 January 180723 September 1816
3Thomas Scallan O.F.M.23 September 1816 7 June 1830
4Michael Anthony Fleming O.F.S.7 June 1830

Diocese of Newfoundland

Image Name From Until
Elevated: 4 June 1847
4Michael Anthony Fleming O.F.S.14 July 1850
5John Thomas Mullock O.F.M.14 July 1850

Diocese of St. John's, Newfoundland

Image Name From Until
Name Changed: 29 February 1856
5John Thomas Mullock O.F.M.29 March 1869
613 May 18704 December 1893
75 January 1895

Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland

Image Name From Until
Elevated: 8 February 1904
715 October 1914
826 February 191523 September 1950
9Patrick James Skinner C.I.M.23 January 195128 March 1979
1028 March 19792 February 1991
11James Hector MacDonald C.S.C.2 February 19914 December 2000
12Brendan O'Brien4 December 20001 June 2007
1318 October 200712 December 2018
1412 December 2018

Coadjutor bishops

Auxiliary bishop

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Bibliography

External links

47.5656°N -52.7082°W

Notes and References

  1. News: CBC News. NL. July 26, 2021. Catholic Church selling assets to pay Mount Cashel survivors, but lawyer says it won't be enough. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2022.
  2. Web site: Catholic Church Liable for Sexual Abuse of Altar Boys: St. John's, Newfoundland . 2009-02-16 . 2009-07-31 . 2009-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090815231621/http://www.sexualabuseclaimsblog.com/2009/02/catholic_church_liable_for_sexual_abuse_of_alter_boys_st_johns_newfoundland.html . dead .
  3. News: Gullage. Peter. February 17, 2019. Mount Cashel: After 30 years, the pain still has not gone away. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2022.
  4. News: Bartlett. Jeff. January 13, 2018. Abuse settlement brings dark memories — and hope — for journalist who covered Mount Cashel scandal. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2022.
  5. News: CBC News. NL. September 19, 2007. Whistleblower in Elizabeth Towers scandal dies at 69. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 18, 2022.
  6. Hughes. Samuel. 1992. Mount Cashel Hughes Commission. Report on Mount Cashel. One. 149.
  7. Web site: Government. NL. 1997. Mount Cashel Orphanage Abuse Scandal Timeline. February 18, 2022. Heritage Newfoundland and Labrdor.
  8. Web site: Government. NL. 1997. Mount Cashel Orphanage Abuse Scandal. February 18, 2022. Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.
  9. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/05/28/cashel040528.html 15 years later, Mount Cashel cases appear to end
  10. News: Bill. Roger. February 23, 2019. The pedestals were washed away: The sex abuse scandals that rocked the church in N.L.. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2022.
  11. http://archives.cbc.ca/society/crime_justice/clips/12676/ Notorious Mount Cashel orphanage to close
  12. News: Retired priest from archdiocese of Toronto facing sex charges in Newfoundland. The Canadian Press. Global News. July 21, 2020. December 16, 2020.
  13. News: Whiffen. Glen. July 29, 2020. The decision by province's Appeals Court, which reverses a 2018 Supreme Court finding, was unanimous; church has 60 days to decide if it will apply for a Supreme Court of Canada appeal. Journal Pioneer. December 14, 2020.
  14. News: Mercer. Greg. January 13, 2021. Three decades after Mount Cashel orphanage abuse scandal, victims are still fighting for justice. The Globe and Mail. February 19, 2022.
  15. News: Cooke. Ryan. January 15, 2021. Mount Cashel survivor reflects on traumatic path to victory against Catholic church. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2022.
  16. News: CBC News. NL. July 26, 2021. Catholic Church selling assets to pay Mount Cashel survivors, but lawyer says it won't be enough. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 19, 2022.
  17. Web site: July 5, 2024. $104M awarded to sexual abuse victims of Mount Cashel and N.L. priests . CBC News. July 5, 2024.