Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
Archdiocese of Seattle Archidiœcesis Seattlensis | |
---|---|
Catholic | |
Statistics | |
Area | 64,269 km2 (24,814 sq mi)[a] |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2022) 6,117,925[a] 899,000[a] (14.7%) |
Parishes | 143[a] |
Schools | 72[2] |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established |
|
Cathedral | James the Greater[3] |
Secular priests | 115[a] |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Archbishop | Paul D. Etienne |
Auxiliary Bishops | |
Bishops emeritus | J. Peter Sartain |
Map | |
Website | |
archseattle |
The Archdiocese of Seattle (
The archdiocese succeeded to the Diocese of Nesqually headquartered in
Ecclesiastical province
The Archdiocese of Seattle encompasses 144 parishes west of the
- Diocese of Spokane, with territory taken from the archdiocese in 1913
- Diocese of Yakima, with territory taken from the archdiocese in 1951
Statistics
As of 2022, the archdiocese reported that it served approximately served 899,000 Catholics in 143 parishes with 191 diocesan priests, 79 religious priests, 113 permanent deacons, 92 male religious and 234 female religious.[1]
The archdiocese has eleven hospitals, two health care centers, nineteen homes for the elderly, three day care centers, ten specialized homes, and 111 centers for social services.
History
1830 to 1850
The Catholic presence in what was then Oregon Country dates to the arrival in the 1830s of missionary priests François Blanchet and Modeste Demers traveled from the British colony of Lower Canada.
In 1843, the Vatican established the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory and named François Blanchet as its vicar apostolic.[4] In 1846, Pope Gregory XVI divided the vicariate into three dioceses:
- Diocese of Oregon Cityin present-day Oregon
- Diocese of Vancouver Islandin British Columbia
- Diocese of Walla Wallain Washington
That same year, Gregory XVI named
Described as an inflexible and arrogant leader, Blanchet quickly alienated most of the secular priests in his diocese. Many of these priests attempted to join the Jesuit and Oblate orders to escape his control. In response, Blanchet introduced rules to make these priest transfers more difficult and to steer seminarians away from the orders.[5]
In November 1847, conflicts between Protestant missionaries and the Cayuse escalated into violence. Several tribesmen murdered ten Americans, including two Protestant missionaries, near Walla Walla in what was termed the Whitman massacre (Whitman was the leader of the missionaries).[6] Despite attempts by the Cayuse tribe to defuse the conflict, American settlers raised militias to punish them for the killings. Local Protestants accused the Catholic clergy of being in league with the Cayuse. This animosity, the warfare between the U.S. Army and the Cayuse and the failure of the diocese to grow prompted the Vatican to move Blanchet to safety in St. Paul in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.[7][5]
1850 to 1903
On May 31, 1850,
In 1868, Francis X. Prefontaine requested Blanchet's permission to build a church near Pioneer Square in Seattle to support the city's first Catholic parish, Our Lady of Good Help.[8] Blanchet believed that the Catholic population of Seattle would never grow. However, he gave Prefontaine permission to build a church there, on the condition that Prefontaine raise all the money for it. Prefontaine in 1869 opened Seattle's first Catholic church.[9][10]
After Blanchet retired in 1879, Pope Leo XIII named Reverend Egidius Junger as the second bishop of Nesqually.[11] The diocese experienced considerable growth under Junger's administration, including an increase in the number of priests and parishes and an increase in the number of nuns from 60 to 286. St Leo the Great, established in 1879, was the first Catholic Church in Tacoma.[12] Junger built a large cathedral in Vancouver in 1888 to replace the wooden church from years earlier. However, the $50,000 debt incurred by the project became a burden for the diocese.[13] Our Lady of Hope, the first Catholic church in Everett, was dedicated in 1892.[14] Junger died in 1895.
To replace Junger, Leo XIII appointed Reverend Edward O'Dea as the next bishop of Nesqually in 1896. When he took office, O'Dea was confronted with financial difficulties, including a $25,000 debt for the construction of the cathedral.[15]
1903 to 1951
In 1903, O'Dea petitioned the Vatican to move the
The second bishop of Seattle was Reverend
1951 to 1991
Pius XII elevated the Diocese of Seattle to the Archdiocese of Seattle on June 23, 1951, while taking some of its territory to erect the Diocese of Yakima. The pope named Connolly as the first archbishop of Seattle.
By 1983, the Vatican was allegedly receiving complaints that Hunthausen was deviating from Catholic doctrine on matters such as the providing of
In response to Hickey's investigation, John Paul II named Reverend Donald Wuerl in January 1986 as an auxiliary bishop in Seattle. Unknown to Hunthausen, the pope had given Wuerl special powers to override Hunthausen in the following areas:[26]
- Worship and liturgy
- The archdiocesan tribunal that considers requests for marriage annulment
- Anything to do with seminarians
- laicized priests
- Moral issues
- Health care and ministry to gay people[27]
In May 1986, Hunthausen and Wuerl found themselves in opposition on proposed state legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of
In February 1987, after appointing a commission to study the controversy in Seattle, John Paul II met with Hunthausen in Rome.
1991 to 2010
Murphy traveled extensively to parishes around the archdiocese and was an advocate for the poor and disenfranchised. He oversaw an extensive renovation of
In 1992, Murphy opened Elizabeth House in Seattle, which provided medical care and job training for pregnant teens.
To replace Murphy, John Paul II named Bishop
2010 to present
The next archbishop of Seattle was Bishop
When Sartain retired, Etienne automatically became archbishop of Seattle.[43][44] On taking office, Etienne announced that he would not reside in Connolly House, the mansion for the archbishop of Seattle, suggesting it be sold to provide money to help the poor.[45] As of 2023, Etienne is the archbishop of Seattle.
Sex abuse
In May 1988, Reverend Paul Conn from Queen of Angels Parish in Port Angeles pleaded guilty to molesting six altar boys at the church.[46] He was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.[47] Immediately removed from ministry after his arrest, Conn was laicized by the Vatican in 2005.[48] In a letter read at mass in June 1988, Archbishop Hunthausen revealed that Reverend James McGreal was a pedophile. Hunthausen said that the archdiocese had received allegations against McGreal for the previous 20 years and that he had been under treatment for the last ten years.[49] McGreal victimized at least 40 children, but the number could be higher than that. He was laicized by the Vatican in 2005.[50]
The archdiocese in 2006 settled for over $1 million a lawsuit brought by two brothers who claimed to have been sexually molested by James Cornelius during the 1970s. Cornelius had been removed from public ministry in 2002 after the brothers made their accusations to the archdiocese. Once the allegations became public, ten more individuals made allegations against Cornelius to the archdiocese.[51] The Vatican had laicized Cornelius in 2004.[52]
In 2016, the archdiocese released a list of 77 priests, nuns and religious men with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors.[53] The archdiocese in 2018 paid a $7 million settlement to six men who had accused six priests, including Paul Conn and James McGreal, of sexually abusing them when they were minors during the 1970s and 1980s.[54]
By August 2022, the archdiocese had settled five sexual abuse lawsuits over the previous six months. The total settlement amount was approximately $2.3 million for all five plaintiffs. One female plaintiff was abused by a school employee around 1980, who bought her silence with candy.[55] One plaintiff was a victim of Conn, another was victimized during the 1970s by David Pearson, a volunteer at St. Joseph Parish in Issaquah.[56]
Bishops
Bishops of Nesqually
- Augustin-Magloire Blanchet (1850–1879)
- Egidius Junger (1879–1895)
- Edward John O'Dea (1896–1907), title changed to Bishop of Seattle
Bishops of Seattle
- Edward John O'Dea (1907–1932)
- Gerald Shaughnessy (1933–1950)
- Thomas Arthur Connolly (1950–1951), elevated to archbishop
Archbishops of Seattle
- Thomas Arthur Connolly (1951–1975)
- Raymond Hunthausen (1975–1991)
- Thomas Joseph Murphy (1991–1997; coadjutor 1987–1991)
- Alexander Joseph Brunett (1997–2010)
- J. Peter Sartain (2010–2019)
- Paul D. Etienne (2019–present; coadjutor 2019)
Current auxiliary bishops
- Eusebio L. Elizondo Almaguer (2005–present)
- Frank R. Schuster (2022–present)
Former auxiliary bishops
- Thomas Edward Gill (1956–1973)
- Nicolas Eugene Walsh (1976–1983)
- Archbishop of Washington (Cardinalin 2010)
- Bishop of Las Vegas
- Bishop of Yakima
- Daniel Henry Mueggenborg (2017–2021), appointed Bishop of Reno
Other diocesan priests who became bishops
- Robert John Armstrong, appointed Bishop of Sacramento in 1929
- Jean-Baptiste Brondel, appointed Bishop of Vancouver Island in 1879
- Joseph Patrick Dougherty, appointed Bishop of Yakima in 1951
- Cornelius Michael Power, appointed Bishop of Yakima in 1969
Education
As of 2023, the Archdiocese of Seattle had 72 schools, serving over 19,800 students.[2] The diocese also has two universities.
High schools
- Archbishop Murphy High School* – Everett
- Bellarmine Preparatory School* – Tacoma
- Bishop Blanchet High School – Seattle
- Eastside Catholic High School* – Sammamish
- Forest Ridge High School* – Bellevue
- Holy Names Academy* – Seattle
- Kennedy Catholic High School– Burien
- O'Dea High School – Seattle
- Pope John Paul II High School* – Lacey
- Seattle Preparatory School* – Seattle
- Seton Catholic High School* – Vancouver[57]
- * Operationally independent of archdiocese
See also
- Catholic Church by country
- Catholic Church in the United States
- List of Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
- List of Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
- List of Catholic dioceses in the United States
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Annuario Pontificio (2023) via Catholic-Hierarchy.org[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Archdiocese of Seattle". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Home". My Catholic School. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Paulist Press Ordo 2010
- ^ "François Norbert Blanchet". The Catholic Encyclopedia. NewAdvent.org. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-88864-346-9.
- ^ Addis, Cameron. "Whitman Murders". Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Voisine, Nive. "Augustin-Magloire Blanchet". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ "Prefontaine, Father Francis Xavier (1838-1909)". The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. HistoryLink. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
- ^ "Father Francis X. Prefontaine". St. James Cathedral, Seattle. Archived from the original on 2010-08-29. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
- ^ William Farrand Prosser (1903). A History of the Puget Sound Country. Lewis Publishing Company. p. 475. Retrieved 2010-02-15 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Bishop Egidius Junger". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ "Saint Leo the Great". Catholic Tacoma. 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ O'Connel Killen, Patricia. Abundance of Grace: The History of the Archdiocese of Seattle, 1850 to 2000 (1st ed.). Strasbourg, France: Éditions du Signe. pp. 30–34.
- ^ Muhlstein, Julie (2017-10-04). "These Everett churches were born in a time of lawlessness". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "Seattle". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b "Bishop Edward John O'Dea". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Archived from the original on 2009-12-08. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
- ^ "Bishop Gerald Shaughnessy, S.M." Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ "The History of Serra". Serra Clubs of Orange County California. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008.
- ^ "Bishop Gerald Shaughnessy". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Archived from the original on September 21, 2009.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
- ^ "Local Catholic History". Archives and Records, Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ a b c "Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Archived from the original on 2006-12-29.
- ^ "Thomas Connolly, 91, Archbishop in Seattle". The New York Times. 1991-04-20.
- ^ "Archbishop Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Fromherz, Frank. "Raymond Hunthausen, retired archbishop of Seattle, dies at age 96", National Catholic Reporter, July 22, 2018
- ^ Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh – History of Bishops Webpage – Retrieved on October 18, 2008 Archived December 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ hdl:1874/601.
- ^ a b Turner, Wallace (December 9, 1986). "2 Bishops of Seattle Striving to Work with Split Powers". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ "Vatican Moves to Curtail Power of a Liberal Prelate in Seattle". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 5, 1986. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Pope meets with Wuerl in Hunthausen controversy - UPI Archives". UPI. February 16, 1987. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ Chandler, Russell. "Pope Restores Full Powers to Hunthausen", The Los Angeles Times, May 27, 1987
- ^ A Concise History of the Catholic Church, Rev. and exp. ed. New York: Doubleday, 2004. 447.
- ^ Berger, Joseph (June 27, 1997). "Thomas Murphy, Archbishop Of Seattle Since '91, Dies at 64". New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Donald William Cardinal Wuerl [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Canon 403, Section 3, and Canon 405, Section 2, Codex Juris Canonici, 1984.
- ^ Macdonald, Sally; Bartley, Nancy (June 27, 1997). "Murphy: Passed Along His Faith And Gave Tirelessly Of Himself -- Archbishop Gave His Attention To Priests, The Poor, Teens". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Archbishop Thomas Murphy 1932-1997 -- Murphy: Passed Along His Faith And Gave Tirelessly Of Himself -- Archbishop Gave His Attention To Priests, The Poor, Teens | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ "Archbishop Alexander Joseph Brunett [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ a b Kamb, Lewis (31 January 2020). "Alexander Brunett, Seattle archbishop who oversaw expansions amid burgeoning sex-abuse scandal, dies at 86". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Archbishop James Peter Sartain [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ "Holy Rosary Catholic Church, a Tacoma landmark, to be demolished". Seattle Times. August 25, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ Horne, Deborah (August 25, 2019). "Archdiocese orders Pierce County church be razed". Kiro 7 News Seattle. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 29.04.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
- ^ Birnbaum, Kevin (September 3, 2019). "Archbishop Etienne succeeds Archbishop Sartain as archbishop of Seattle". Northwest Catholic. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "'I am a pastor, not a prince.' New Seattle archbishop will not live in mansion". America Magazine. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "Priest Charged with Child Molestation, United Press International, May 2, 1988". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Moriwaki, Lee (March 22, 1992). "Seattle Archdiocese Sets Rules about Sex". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "ARCHDIOCESE SETTLES THREE ABUSE CASES FROM 1960S AND '70S" (PDF). Northwest Catholic. January 17, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Tu, Janet (August 22, 2004). "Diocese names three priests permanently barred from ministry". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ SERVICES, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF AND NEWS (2002-05-24). "Local priest accused of molestation steps down". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ ROWE, CLAUDIA (2004-10-05). "Vatican defrocks priest accused of abuse". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Hastings, Patty (2023-06-16). "Seattle Archdiocese list identifies sex offenders". The Columbian. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Boiko-Weyrauch, Anna; Aegerter, Gil (2018-11-13). "Seattle Archdiocese pays $7 million in priest sex abuse cases". www.kuow.org. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Gurgis, Lauren (2022-12-09). "Seattle Archdiocese pays $2.3 million to settle five claims of sexual abuse". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "Archdiocese of Seattle pays $375,000 to settle 2 sex abuse claims". king5.com. April 29, 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ Ath, Vireak (2018-07-25). "Archdiocese of Seattle Catholic Schools List". My Catholic School. Retrieved 2023-06-30.