Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino
Diocese of San Bernardino Dioecesis Sancti Bernardi Diócesis de San Bernardino | |
---|---|
St. Bernardine of Siena Our Lady of Guadalupe | |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Alberto Rojas |
Metropolitan Archbishop | José Gómez |
Bishops emeritus | |
Map | |
Website | |
sbdiocese.org |
The Diocese of San Bernardino (
The Diocese of San Bernardino is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Demographics
In 2019, the Diocese of San Bernardino reported a population of 1,740,655 Catholics, a 22,000 increase from the previous year. That made San Bernardino the fifth largest Catholic diocese in the United States. The main cause of this increase was thought to be the increasing migration of Hispanics to the area in part due to the economic opportunities and affordable housing in comparison to the rest of California.[2]
History
1800 to 1821
During the 18th century, the San Bernardino and Riverside areas were part of the province of
- Alta California (Upper California), including the modern American states of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, along with western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming
- Baja California and Baja California Sur
Spanish missionaries from the
The first European settlement in present-day Riverside County was an estancia, or farmer, established by the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia at the Luiseño village of Temescal. In 1819, Franciscan missionaries established the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia in what is today Redlands.
After the Mexican War of Independence ended in 1821, Alta California became part of Mexico. The Mexican Government in 1835 secularized all the Catholic missions in Alta California, including the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia.
1821 to 1859
In 1840, Pope
After ceding Alta California to the United States at the close of the
1859 to 1978
In 1859, Pius IX renamed the Diocese of Monterey as the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles to recognize the growth of Los Angeles; the see was transferred to Los Angeles in 1876.[5] St. Francis de Sales, the first parish in Riverside County, was established in 1886.[6]
In 1922, the Vatican divided the diocese again, with the southern portion becoming the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego.[7] The Diocese of San Diego was erected in 1936, including San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.[7] These two counties would remain part of the Diocese of San Diego for the next 42 years.
1978 to present
Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of San Bernardino on November 6, 1978, taking San Bernardino and Riverside Counties from the Diocese of San Diego. He appointed Reverend Phillip Straling of San Diego as the first bishop of San Bernardino.[8]
During Straling's episcopate, the diocese grew from about 235,000 people to 800,000, and from 85 parishes to 105.[9] For the formation for ministry, he established a diaconate program, and started the Straling Institute in 1980 for laymen. In 1995, John Paul II named Straling as bishop of the Diocese of Reno and replaced him in San Bernardino with Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Barnes.[10]
Under Barnes, the diocese operated three high schools, twenty-three elementary schools and three pre-schools. In 2001, Barnes inaugurated the Annual Bishop's Golf Classic to fund scholarships to families who are unable to afford a Catholic education for their children. During his tenure, Barnes closed four primary schools in the California communities of Barstow, Banning, Apple Valley[11] and San Bernardino.[12] The high desert portion of the diocese currently has no Catholic schools.In 2019, Auxiliary Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Archdiocese of Chicago was appointed as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino by Pope Francis to assist Barnes.[13]
When Barnes retired in 2020, Rojas automatically succeeded him as bishop. In May 2023 seven priests were ordained for San Bernardino, the largest number of ordinations in the diocese's history.[14] As of 2023, the current bishop of San Bernardino is Alberto Rojas.
Sex abuse
Former Monsignor Patrick O'Keefe was charged in August 2002 with 15 felony counts of
In April 2003, the Diocese of San Bernardino sued the
Reverend Joseph Jablonski, a visiting priest with the
Reverend Marcelo De Jesumaria of
In 2018, the diocese released a list of 34 priests with credible accusations of
Nick Flores in December 2019 sued the diocese, claimed that he had been sexually abused by Reverend Louis Perreault at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Hemet in the 1990s. His attorneys accused the diocese of having been a so-called dumping ground for sexually abusive priests.[26] The diocese had permanently removes Perreault from ministry in September 2011 after receiving abuse allegations against him.[27]
Bishops
Bishops of San Bernardino
- Phillip Francis Straling (1978–1995),[28] appointed Bishop of Reno
- Gerald Richard Barnes (1995–2020)
- Alberto Rojas (2020[29]–present)
Coadjutor bishops
Alberto Rojas (2019–2020)[30]
Auxiliary bishops
- Gerald Richard Barnes (1992–1995)
- Dennis Patrick O'Neil (2001–2003)
- Rutilio del Riego Jáñez (2005[31]–2015)
High schools
- Aquinas High School – San Bernardino
- Notre Dame High School – Riverside
- Xavier College Preparatory High School – Palm Desert
Our Lady of the Desert School in Yucca Valley is not associated with the diocese, though it offers traditional Catholic education.
See also
- Catholic Church by country
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
References
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Diocese of San Bernardino. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "The Hispanic community is bringing our numbers up". California Catholic Daily. December 19, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ Crafts, E. P. R. (1906). Pioneer Days in the San Bernardino Valley. Redlands, California: Kingsley, Moles & Collins Co. pp. 12–13.
- ^ Van de Grift Sanchez, Nellie (1914). Spanish and Indian place names of California: their meaning and their romance. A.M. Robertson. p. 74. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Monterey in California (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "St. Francis De Sales history". www.sbdiocese.org. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "San Diego (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "Bishop Phillip Francis Straling". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
- ^ "Past Bishops". www.sbdiocese.org. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
- ^ "Diocese of San Bernardino: Bishop Gerald Barnes". www.sbdiocese.org. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ Victor Valley Daily Press January 22, 2009
- ^ San Bernardino County Sun November 6, 2011
- ^ "Nomina del Coadiutore di San Bernardino (U.S.A.)". Holy See Press Office. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ Blanco-Rico, Nova (May 20, 2023). "Record number of new priests — 7 — is ordained in San Bernardino diocese". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ "Woman Says Trust Shattered by Sexual Abuse; She Says Pastor Molested Her, Church Officials Protected Him, by Felisa Cardona, San Bernardino Sun, August 26, 2002". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Ex-Monsignor's Abuse Case from 1972 to Be Dismissed, by Michael Fisher, Press Enterprise, July 12, 2003". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Calif. man alleges abuse by Shanley". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ ncs-import. "San Bernardino Diocese pulls complaint against Boston Archdiocese". www.nevadaappeal.com. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ "California bishop banned priest, but that didn't keep him from ministry around Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. February 19, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ Grover • •, Joel (May 30, 2015). "Priest Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Woman During Flight". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "Catholic Priest Sentenced to Prison for Groping Woman". Time. August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "Diocese of San Bernardino lists 34 priests accused of abuse". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Estacio, Martin. "Program would aid church sex abuse victims". Victorville Daily Press. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "Inland Empire Man Files Suit Against Diocese Of San Bernardino Alleging Former Priest Abused Him - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. December 30, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Clery Credibly Accuse of Child Sexual Abuse" (PDF). Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ Stammer, Larry B. (March 23, 1995). "Bishop of San Bernardino Diocese Reassigned to Reno". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
- ^ "Rinunce e nomine". Holy See Press Office (Press release). December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ "Nomina del Coadiutore di San Bernardino (U.S.A.)". Holy See Press Office. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ "Priest in Riverside Is Named Auxiliary Bishop". Los Angeles Times. July 27, 2005. Retrieved May 22, 2009.