Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo
Diocese of Kalamazoo Dioecesis Kalamazuensis | |
---|---|
Detroit | |
Statistics | |
Area | 5,337 sq mi (13,820 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics | 952,812 101,888 (11%) |
Parishes | 46 (+13 missions) |
Schools | 22
• Three high schools • Two middle schools • 17 elementary schools • Two stand-alone preschools |
Information | |
Denomination | St. Augustine of Hippo |
Secular priests | 75 |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Edward M. Lohse |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Allen Vigneron |
Vicar General | Rev. Fabio Garzon |
Bishops emeritus | Paul Joseph Bradley |
Map | |
Website | |
diokzoo.org |
The Diocese of Kalamazoo (
The mother church of the Diocese of Kalamazoo is the Cathedral of Saint Augustine in Kalamazoo.
The current bishop is Edward M. Lohse.
Territory
The Diocese of Kalamazoo encompasses
Counties.History
1700 to 1800
During the 17th century, present-day Michigan was part of the French colony of
1800 to 1970
In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky, with jurisdiction over the new Michigan Territory. In 1821, the pope erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking the Michigan Territory from the Diocese of Bardstown.[2]
The first Catholic church in Kalamazoo, St. Augustine's, was dedicated in 1852.
1970 to present
On December 19, 1970, the Diocese of Kalamazoo was erected by
In 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Alfred Markiewicz from the Diocese of Rockville Centre as the second bishop of Kalamazoo.[5] He died in 1997 after only three years in office. That same year, John Paul II named Reverend James Murray of Lansing to replace Markiewicz. in 2006, Murray released the “Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Latino Ministry.” He also established the diocese Trauma Recovery Program for victims of childhood trauma. Murray retired in 2009.
Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 named Auxiliary Bishop Paul J. Bradley of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as the next bishop of Kalamazoo.[6] In May 2017, Reverend Richard Fritz was accused of embezzling $100,000 from two different parishes, reportedly to purchase lottery tickets.[7] However, the charges were dismissed in July 2017.[8] Fritz retired in 2015.
Bradley retired in May 2023. His successor is Reverend Edward M. Lohse from the Diocese of Erie, who was installed on July 25, 2023.
Sexual abuse
In 2018, Bishop Bradley proposed a ten-step plan for overhauling church policies on the reporting of sexual abuse allegations.
In May 2019, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Reverend Jacob Vellian had been indicted on two charges of rape. He was accused of sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl between 1973 and 1974 at St. John the Evangelist church. As Vellian was living in India, prosecutors were attempting to extradite him to the United States.[11]
In February 2020, the diocese announced that an individual was claiming that Reverend Richard Fritz, who faced embezzlement charges in 2017, had sexually abused them during the late 1970s and early 1980s.[12] In March 2020, the diocese determined that the allegations against Fritz were credible.[13]
Statistics
The Diocese of Kalamazoo consists of 46 parishes and 13 missions, with 75 priests, and 36 deacons. The diocese operates three high schools, two middle schools and 17 grade schools, serving more than 3,000 students. The diocese also has two parish-run preschools.
Bishops of Kalamazoo
- Paul Vincent Donovan (1971–1994)
- Alfred John Markiewicz (1995–1997)
- James Albert Murray (1998–2009)
- Paul J. Bradley (2009–2023)
- Edward M. Lohse (2023–present)
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the diocese of Kalamazoo has the following elements.
- A red field representing the Native American peoples of the diocese
- A silver wavy band representing the Kalamazoo River; Kalamazoo was a Native American word for "boiling pot."
- Blue annulets representing bubbles in the river
- A Native American peace pipewith gold feathers, called a "calumet" by French explorers
The coat of arms also contains an open book displaying the Latin phrase Tolle Lege (Take and Read). The book represents the bible and the quote comes from a story by
Churches
Schools
name | location | 2014-15 enrollment |
---|---|---|
High Schools | ||
Hackett Catholic Prep | Kalamazoo | 274 |
Lake Michigan Catholic High School
|
St. Joseph | 139 |
St. Philip Catholic Central High School | Battle Creek | 145 |
See also
- Catholic Church by country
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
References
- ^ "Diocese of Kalamazoo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- JSTOR 41974134– via JSTOR.
- ^ "History". St. Augustine Cathedral. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Parish History". St. Philip Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Alfred John Markiewicz
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 06.04.2009" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. April 6, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Devereaux, Brad (2017-05-03). "Priest charged with embezzlement over $100,000 including church funds". mlive. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Charges dismissed against Father Fritz". Coldwater Daily Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ Rodas, Jorge (2018-09-14). "Local Bishop calls on Catholic Church to look into reporting policies for sexual abuse". WWMT. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ "Apologetic bishop underestimated reaction to Nienstedt's presence". mlive. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ Miller, Kayla (2019-05-24). "Former Southwest Michigan priest charged with rape, awaits extradition in India". mlive. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Sexual abuse allegation against former Kalamazoo priest deemed credible". WZZM13.com. February 21, 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Tunison, John (2020-02-21). "Southwest Michigan retired priest under investigation for sex abuse: Diocese". mlive. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Coat of Arms". Diocese of Kalamazoo. Retrieved February 24, 2016.