Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
Diocese of Rockville Centre Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa | |
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Saint Agnes[2] | |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | John Barres |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Timothy M. Dolan |
Auxiliary Bishops | |
Bishops emeritus |
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Map | |
Website | |
drvc.org |
The Diocese of Rockville Centre (
The current bishop is
History
Early history
During the Dutch and British rule of the
1784 to 1957
In 1784, Pope Pius VI erected the Apostolic Prefecture of United States of America, including all of the new United States. In 1789, the same pope raised this prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore.[5] Pope Pius VII in 1808 erected the Diocese of New York, taking all of New York State from the Diocese of Baltimore.[6]
Catholic priests started appearing in Long Island in the mid-19th century, founding missions and parishes. The first Catholic Church in Nassau County was St. Brigid in Westbury, founded in 1840.[7] The first resident priest in Suffolk County arrived in Sag Harbor in 1852 to provide support to Irish Catholic families working on the railroads.[8]
The Diocese of Brooklyn was erected by Pope Pius IX in 1853 with territory from the Archdiocese of New York.[9] All of Long Island would remain part of the new diocese for the next 104 years.
1957 to 2000
Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Rockville Centre on April 6, 1957, taking Nassau and Suffolk counties from the Diocese of Brooklyn.[10] The pope named Bishop Walter P. Kellenberg of the Diocese of Ogdensburg as the first bishop of the new diocese.[11] St. Agnes Cathedral was designated as the diocesan cathedral. Kellenberg founded the diocese's Catholic Charities office in 1957.[12] He resigned in 1976.
Kellenberg was followed by Auxiliary Bishop
2000 to 2010
After McGann retired in January 2000, McHugh automatically succeeded him as bishop. However, only 11 months later, McHugh died in December 2000. John Paul II then appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Soon after Murphy's installation as bishop in 2001, he decided that his private quarters in the cathedral
In 2003, 52 priests requested a meeting with Murphy. In a letter, the priests spoke of anger and dissatisfaction within the diocese and "a certain lack of confidence in your pastoral leadership." They also complained about Murphy's management style, the cost of his new apartment, the sexual abuse scandal in Boston[17] and his ban against Long Island Voice of the Faithful.[18]
2010 to present
In 2011, Murphy announced the closing of six elementary schools in the diocese:
- St. John Baptist de La Salle Regional School in Farmingdale
- St. Catherine of Sienna School in Franklin Square
- St. Ignatius Loyola School in Hicksville
- Sacred Heart School in North Merrick
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Lindenhurst
- Prince of Peace Regional School in Sayville[19]
In 2012, the Archdiocese of New York and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre merged all their seminary programs.
- The minor seminary program was designated as the Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Queens
- The St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. As a result, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harborclosed that year.
Murphy retired in 2016. The current bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre is John Barres, the former bishop of the Diocese of Allentown. He was appointed by Pope Francis in January 2017.[20]
In October 2017, Barres announced the creation of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) for survivors of acts of child sexual abuse committed by clergy in the diocese. That same year, he created a video series on Telecare, the diocesan television network. Targeted to commuters, the series was entitled "The Catholic Spirituality of Commuter Delays."[21]
In June 2020, the diocese, which suffered significant financial damage from the COVID-19 pandemic, filed court documents stating its intention to file for bankruptcy if there was no pause in nearly 100 pending sex abuse lawsuits.[22][23][24][25] In October 2020, Rockville Centre became the fourth diocese in New York State to declare bankruptcy.[26] An April 2021 bankruptcy filing documents allegations against some former priests who had not previously been publicly accused of abuse. In total, the diocese listed 101 accused clergy members, though a committee of unsecured creditors had published a list of 46 more names.[27]
Sex abuse
In May 2000, Reverend Andrew Millar, a retired priest residing at the rectory of St. Peter and Paul Roman Church in Manorville, was arrested on sodomy charges. A parent had caught Millar sodomizing his 15 year old developmentally disabled son in a public bathroom at Tobay Beach in Nassau County.[28] The diocese had retired Millar in 1999 after receiving an abuse complaint dating back to 1991. After pleading guilty, Millar was sentenced in November 2000 to one to three years in prison.[29]
Reverend Michael Hands of St. Raphael's Parish in
In November 2006, Reverend Thomas G. Saloy, an administrator at the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church in
Reverend Gerald Twomey was arrested in May 2008 on charges of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse. He was accused of forcibly touching a man in a private home in 1996.[35] Twomey had been suspended from ministry since June 2007, when he was accused of sexually abusing a ten year old in 1964 or 1965.[36]
By August 2019, the diocese had named 68 clergy who were "credibly accused" of acts of sex abuse.[37] That same month, Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston was named in a sex abuse lawsuit in New York. A man accused Guglielmone, then a pastor at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Amityville, of sexually abusing him when he was an eight year in 1978.[38] Guglielmone denied the allegations. The diocese investigated the allegation and found it not credible.[39] In December 2020, the Vatican concluded its investigation and determined Guglielmone to be innocent of the charges.[40]
In February 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act. The law created a one-year lookback period in which victims of child sex abuse could file civil lawsuits against abusers that were previously barred by the statute of limitations.[41] Also in February 2019, two women accused Bishop McGann of sexually abusing them as children in the 1960s and 1970s.[42]
In May 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the 2019 New York Child Victims Act's statute of limitation deadline to file sex abuse lawsuits from August 2020, to January 2021.[43] In May 2020, a Nassau County Supreme Court justice allowed pending lawsuits against the diocese to proceed. The justice rejected legal claims from the diocest that the Child Victims Act violated due process.[44][45]
Bishops
Bishops of Rockville Centre
- Walter P. Kellenberg (1957–1976)
- John R. McGann (1976–2000)
- James T. McHugh (2000; coadjutor bishop 1998–2000)
- William F. Murphy(2001–2017)
- John O. Barres (2017–present)
Current auxiliary bishops
- Andrzej Jerzy Zglejszewski (2014–present)
- Robert J. Coyle (2018–present; previously Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, 2013–2018)
- Luis Miguel Romero Fernández (2020–present)
Former auxiliary bishops
- Vincent John Baldwin (1962–1979)
- John R. McGann (1970–1976), appointed Bishop of this diocese
- Gerald Augustine John Ryan (1977–1985)
- James Joseph Daly (1977–1996)
- Alfred John Markiewicz (1986–1994), appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo
- Emil Aloysius Wcela (1988–2007)
- John Charles Dunne (1988–2013)
- Paul Henry Walsh (2003–2012)
- Peter Anthony Libasci (2007–2011), appointed Bishop of Manchester
- Nelson J. Perez (2012–2017), appointed Bishop of Cleveland, later Archbishop of Philadelphia
- Robert J. Brennan (2012–2019), appointed Bishop of Columbus, later Bishop of Brooklyn
- Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.
Other diocesan priests who became bishops
- Robert E. Guglielmone, appointed Bishop of Charleston in 2009
- William Edward Koenig, appointed Bishop of Wilmington in 2021
Coat of Arms
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Media
Catholic Faith Network (CFn) formerly known as "Telecare" was founded in 1969 by Monsignor Thomas Hartman . CFn's programming includes live religious services, talk shows, devotional programs, educational programming, entertainment, and children's programs. It also presents coverage of special events at the Vatican and of papal journeys. It serves subscribers in three states.
In 2012, the diocesan weekly newspaper, Long Island Catholic, switched to a subscription-based monthly magazine.[46]
Education
Former seminary
High schools
Diocesan
- Holy Trinity Diocesan High School – Hicksville (1966)
- St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School – West Islip (1966)
Operated by religious orders and independent
- Chaminade High School – Mineola, Marianists Fathers and Brothers (1930)
- Kellenberg Memorial High School – Uniondale, Marianists Fathers and Brothers (1987)
- Our Lady of Mercy Academy – Syosset, Sisters of Mercy (1928)
- Sacred Heart Academy – Hempstead, Sisters of St. Joseph Brentwood(1949)
- St. Anthony's High School – South Huntington, Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn(1933)
- St. Dominic High School – Oyster Bay, independent (1928)
- St. Mary's High School – Manhasset, Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist (1949)
Closed schools
- Academy of Saint Joseph – Brentwood, (1856 to 2009)
- Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School – Riverhead, Sisters of Mercy (1956 to 2018)
- St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary – Uniondale, (1961 to 1984)
Catholic Charities
Catholic Health
Catholic Health System, formerly Catholic Health Services of Long Island, was founded in 1997 and operates under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[48] CHS operates six hospitals:
- Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center – West Islip
- Mercy Medical Center – Rockville Centre
- Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center – Smithtown
- Saint Charles Hospital – Port Jefferson
- Saint Francis Hospital and Heart Center – Flower Hill[49]
- Saint Joseph Hospital – Bethpage[50]
CHS is the primary clinical affiliate and major teaching site of New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury[51] With 17,000 employees, CHS in 2017 was the third-largest employer on Long Island.[52] In 2021, CHSLI's name was changed to Catholic Health.[53]
Cemeteries
In 2016 the diocese created a new corporation, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, to assume ownership of its cemeteries. It administers four major cemeteries:[54]
- Cemetery of the Holy Rood – Westbury
- Holy Sepulchre Cemetery – Coram
- Queen of Peace Cemetery – Old Westbury
- Queen of All Saints Cemetery – Central Islip
In addition, the diocese contains 21 parish cemeteries. Six of them are managed by Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island and the remainder by the individual parishes.[54]
St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries, despite being located within the diocese in East Farmingdale, is administered by the Diocese of Brooklyn.
References
- ^ Who We Are Archived 2017-03-18 at the Wayback Machine. Diocese of Rockville Centre. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "The Diocese of Rockville Centre Celebrates Patron, St. Agnes | the Diocese of Rockville Centre".
- ^ "1010 WINS - On-Air, Online, on Demand - LI Diocese Loses Sex Abuse Suit". Archived from the original on 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2005-12-14.
- ^ a b "Parish History (New)". Church of St. Patrick - Huntington, NY. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopeida: Archdiocese of New York". New Advent. Archived from the original on 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2006-01-21.
- ^ "New York (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ Cipollone, Alex. "A Short History of our Parish". Saint Brigid's Catholic Church. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ "The Immigrant Church: St. Patrick's" (PDF). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ "Brooklyn (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "Rockville Centre (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "Church Hierarchy". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ ""Celebrating 60 Years" Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre" (PDF). The Mission. September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2020. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ "Bishop John Raymond McGann [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "Bishop James Thomas McHugh [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "Bishop William Francis Murphy [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ a b Ryan, Dick (October 25, 2002). "One bishop's high cost of living". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
- ^ New York Times: "Priests Say Murphy Takes a First Step' January 25, 2004
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "6 Catholic schools on Long Island to close". The Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. 6 December 2011.
- ^ "Bishop John Oliver Barres [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "The Most Reverend John Oliver Barres, S.T.D., J.C.L., D.D.", The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre". January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ "Diocese of Rockville Centre threatens bankruptcy if judge doesn't pause child sex abuse suits". longisland.news12.com. June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Rockville Centre diocese faces bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits". Catholic News Agency. June 15, 2020.
- ^ Nossa, Jill (June 18, 2020). "Diocese of Rockville Centre faces bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits". Herald Community Newspapers.
- ^ Boniello, Kathianne (13 June 2020). "Diocese of Rockville Centre threatens bankruptcy in face of child sex-abuse lawsuits".
- Catholic World Report. October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ Parpan, Grant (28 April 2021). "New Diocese list of abusers includes 16 former local priests". The Suffolk Times.
- ^ Corral, Oscar (May 17, 2000). "Ex-Priest Charged with Abuse". Newsday. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Gearty, Robert (November 16, 2000). "Jail for Sex Rap Rev". Newsday. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ LeSure, Elizabeth (January 2, 2003). "N.Y. Priest: Church Protected Monsignor". Midland Daily News. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "Priest charged with child porn". Lewiston Sun Journal. 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ "PRIEST ADMITS TO KIDDIE PORN". The New York Post. 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Harmon, Brian (2008-03-12). "Suspended priest faces new sex abuse rap". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Jones, Bart (June 8, 2007). "Catholic Priest Denies Abusing 10-Year-Old". Newsday. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ "Database of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse". app.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Glenn; Hobbs, Stephen; Moore, Thad (14 August 2019). "Bishop of Charleston Diocese accused of sexual abuse in new lawsuit from NY". Post and Courier. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Glenn (14 August 2019). "Bishop of Charleston Diocese accused of sexual abuse in new lawsuit from NY". Post and Courier.
- ^ "Charleston Catholic Bishop cleared by Vatican over child sexual abuse claim". Catholic News Agency. December 8, 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- ^ Joseph, Elizabeth (February 14, 2019). "'This is society's way of saying we are sorry,' New York Governor tells survivors of sex abuse before signing Child Victims Act into law". CNN.
- ^ "2 women accuse longtime Long Island Bishop John McGann of sex abuse". ABC7 New York. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Pozarycki, Robert (May 8, 2020). "Time limit extended for sex abuse victims to file claims under New York Child Victims Act". amNewYork. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ Tarinelli, Ryan (May 13, 2020). "Child Victims Act Does Not Violate Diocese's Due Process Right, Nassau Justice Rules". New York Law Journal. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Cayla (May 13, 2020). "Judge throws out constitutional challenge to Child Victims Act". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ "Rockville Centre diocese converts newspaper to monthly magazine". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ "About Us". www.catholiccharities.cc. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
- ^ https://www.chsli.org/about-chs Catholic Health Services of Long Island: About CHS
- ^ "List of Geographical Misnomers -- Newsday.com". 2006-05-28. Archived from the original on May 28, 2006. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
- ^ https://www.chsli.org/hospitals Catholic Health Services of Long Island: Hospitals
- ^ "Clinical Education Institutions | College of Osteopathic Medicine | New York Tech". www.nyit.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
- ^ "Long Island's largest employers". Newsday.
- ^ "Catholic Health. Experts in medicine, leaders in care. | CHSLI". www.chsli.org. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
- ^ a b "Map of Long Island Catholic Cemeteries" (PDF). Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island. Retrieved 2021-07-19.