Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks
Diocese of Fairbanks Dioecesis de Fairbanks | |
---|---|
St. Therese of Lisieux | |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Steven Maekawa |
Map | |
Website | |
dioceseoffairbanks.org |
- Former names: Prefecture Apostolic of Alaska (1894-1917), Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska (1917-1962).
The Diocese of Fairbanks (
The Diocese of Fairbanks is led by a
Statistics
As of 2023, the Diocese of Fairbanks had 46 parishes and missions, with 14 priests, to serve 11,876 Catholics, in an area of 409,849 square miles (1,061,500 km2). It is geographically the largest diocese in the United States.
History
1867 to 1900
When the United States purchased Alaska in 1867 from the
In May 1886, Seghers was murdered by a traveling companion near Nulato, Alaska, while on a missionary trip. After learning of Segher's death, Reverend Pascal Tosi of the Society of Jesus unilaterally took control of the Alaska missions. Later that summer in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, the Jesuit superior of the Rocky Mountain Mission, Joseph M. Cataldo, appointed Tosi as superior of the Alaska mission[1]
On July 27, 1894,
1900 to 1951
When Rene resigned in 1904, Pope Pius X named Joseph Crimont of the Society of Jesus as what would be the last prefect apostolic.
The first church in the Alaskan interior was Immaculate Conception Church in 1904, built two years after the establishment of Fairbanks as a trading post. Father Francis Monroe raised $3,000 from gold miners to build the structure. In 1906, Monroe conducted fundraising again to construct Saint Joseph's Hospital, the first hospital in Fairbanks. The Sisters of Providence from Montreal, Quebec, came to operate Saint Joseph's in 1910.[3]
On December 22, 1916, Pope Benedict XV elevated the Prefecture Apostolic of Alaska to the Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska.[2] He appointed Crimont as its first vicar apostolic on February 15, 1917, and made him a bishop. In 1948, Pope Pius XII appointed Reverend Francis Gleeson of the Society of Jesus to lead the vicariate.
1951 to 2000
On June 23, 1951,
In 1962,
After Gleeson retired in 1968, Whelan automatically succeeded him as bishop. Whalen made numerous trips by
2000 to present
Kaniecki died suddenly in 2000. In 2002, John Paul II appointed Reverend
In 2019, the Vatican removed the Diocese of Fairbanks from its list of missionary dioceses, transferring control of the diocese from the
On September 17, 2020, Pope Francis suppressed the Diocese of Anchorage and the Diocese of Juneau and erected the
Bishops and other ordinaries
Prefects Apostolic of Alaska
- Pascal Tosi (1894–1897)
- Jean-Baptiste René (1897–1904)
- Joseph Raphael John Crimont (1904–1917), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Alaska
Vicars Apostolic of Alaska
- Joseph Raphael John Crimont (1917–1945)
- Walter James Fitzgerald (1945–1947)
- Francis Doyle Gleeson (1948–1951), title changed with change of title of vicariate apostolic
Vicar Apostolic of Northern Alaska
- Francis Doyle Gleeson (1951-1962); Appointed first Bishop of Fairbanks
Bishops of Fairbanks
- Coadjutor Bishop1964–1965), died before succession
- Robert Louis Whelan (1968–1985)
- Michael Joseph Kaniecki (1985–2000)
- Bishop of Saint Cloud
- Bishop of New Ulm
- Steven Maekawa, O.P. (2023-present)
Other priest of the Vicariate of Alaska who became a bishop
Robert Dermot O'Flanagan, appointed Bishop of Juneau in 1951
Education
- Immaculate Conception Elementary, Fairbanks
- Monroe Catholic High School, Fairbanks
Health care
- Hospital ministry - Catholic services to patients in local hospitals and nursing homes
- Stephen ministry - interdenominational companions for people in grief, illness, loss, family breakdown, etc.[citation needed]
Media
- The Alaskan Shepherd, a diocesan newsletter
- radio stationin the country.
- KQHE radio. Established in 2012.
Controversies
Sexual abuse cases
In 1969, Bishop Whelan granted the request for Joseph Lundowski, a lay volunteer, to officially distribute communion at St. Michael's Parish in a remote Alaskan village. Lundowski was neither a priest or a deacon. In 1964, Monsignor John E. Gurr, the vicar general had received a letter from a priest who complained that Lundowski was sexually abusing boys in his parish. Gurr took no action.[9] After a local resident spotting Lundowski molesting a young boy, he exposed the scandal in the village. The local priest, himself accused later of child molestation, immediately flew Lundowski out of the village.[9]
In a 2004 lawsuit, Bishop Gleeson was accused of shielding Lundowski from sexual abuse prosecution. Thirty-three men from villages such as Stebbins, St. Michael and Hooper Bay, accused Lundowski of multiple attacks. The suit said that Gleeson was aware of Lundowski's crimes, transferring him from one place to another.[10]
In February 2008, the diocese announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It claimed an inability to pay settlements to the 140 plaintiffs who had filed claims for sexual abuse by priests or church workers. The Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, was named as a co-defendant in the case, and settled for $50 million. The diocese, which reported an operating budget then of approximately $6 million, claimed that one of the diocese's insurance carriers failed to "participate meaningfully".[11][12][13][14] When the diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2012, it acknowledged that reports of abuse spanned "over the last six decades."[15] Over time, the diocese's list of "credibly accused" clergy grew as well.[16]
See also
- Ecclesiastical Province of Anchorage
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Roman Catholic archdioceses(by country and continent)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical)(including archdioceses)
- List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view)(including archdioceses)
References
- ^ a b Travers, Pat. "History". Diocese of Juneau. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Diocese of Fairbanks page on Catholic Hierarchy web site.
- ^ "History". Immaculate Conception Church. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Juneau (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Anchorage-Juneau (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ "Bishop Robert Louis Whelan". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
- ^ Guidos, Rhina (12 November 2019). "Fairbanks bishop hopes move will help priest shortage". Catholic News Service. Catholic Philly. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Timeline – The Silence". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Baldino, Megan (1 February 2005). "Revelations: Faith Betrayed (Part 3)". KTUU. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ Baldino, Megan (15 February 2008). "Fairbanks Catholic Diocese filing for bankruptcy". KTUU.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^ Baldino, Megan (15 February 2008). "Diocese of Fairbanks plans bankruptcy". United Press International. Archived from the original on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^ Baldino, Megan (15 February 2008). "Diocese of Fairbanks to file for bankruptcy". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^ Smetzer, Mary Beth (4 March 2008). "Diocese hopes to continue operations despite Chapter 11 petition". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008.
- ^ "Number of sex abuse claimants reaches 288 in Fairbanks Diocese". 19 January 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ Hovey, Dave (20 December 2018). "Priests and Members of Diocese of Fairbanks Named As 'Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse'". KNOM Radio Mission. Retrieved 5 April 2021.