Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn

The Diocese of Brooklyn is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The Diocese of Brooklyn is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn and its co-cathedral is the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. The current Bishop of Brooklyn is Robert J. Brennan.

Diocese of Brooklyn

Diœcesis Bruklyniensis
Cathedral Basilica of St. James
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryBrooklyn and Queens
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of New York
Headquarters310 Prospect Park West
Brooklyn, New York, 11215
Statistics
Area179 sq mi (460 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of July 2017)
5,007,353
1,506,000
Parishes188
Schools99
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchRoman Catholic Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJuly 29, 1853 (1853-07-29)
CathedralCathedral Basilica of St. James
Co-cathedralCo-Cathedral of St. Joseph
Secular priests472
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopRobert J. Brennan
Metropolitan ArchbishopTimothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York
Auxiliary BishopsJames Massa
Witold Mroziewski
Neil Edward Tiedemann
Bishops emeritusNicholas Anthony DiMarzio
Octavio Cisneros
Raymond Francis Chappetto
Paul Robert Sanchez
Map
Website
dioceseofbrooklyn.org
Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights

Brooklyn is one of the few dioceses in the United States that is made up of 100% urban territory.[1]

The Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, presides from both the Cathedral Basilica of St. James and the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. This atypical arrangement was required due to the small size of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James. St. Joseph's Church was designated as a Co-Cathedral for the Diocese of Brooklyn on February 14, 2013, by Pope Benedict XVI after Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio petitioned the Vatican.

History

The diocese was established in 1853 out of the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, at a time when Brooklyn was still a separate city from New York City. It originally included all of Long Island, but its present-day territory was established in 1957 when Nassau and Suffolk counties were split off to form the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[2]

The opening of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1801 drew a number of immigrants, largely Catholics from Northern Ireland, especially from Derry and Donegal. They would cross the East River to attend services at St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street. Periodically, Rev. John Power or others would come to celebrate Mass at the home of William Purcell or at Dempsey's Blooming Grove Garden on Fulton St. The Church of St. James was erected in 1822. In July, 1841, Father Johann Stephen Raffeiner, from the Tyrol, began the German parish of the Most Holy Trinity on a part of the farm of the old Dutch Meserole family in the Bushwick section. Holy Cross Cemetery was opened in 1849. In 1853, Archbishop John Hughes appointed his vicar-general, Irish-born John Loughlin, former pastor of St. Patrick's on Mulberry St. as bishop of the new diocese. Loughlin chose St. James as his cathedral.[3]

During his episcopate, Loughlin founded 120 parishes. Plans to build the larger Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception were deferred in favor of orphanages, schools, and hospitals. He was succeeded in 1892, by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell, former chancellor of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn served at that time 250,000 Catholics. With the increase in the number of immigrants of various nationalities, McDonnell founded a number of national churches which ministered to parishioners in their own language. To this end, he invited several religious institutes into the diocese, including the Redemptorists, Benedictines, Franciscans (including the Minor Conventuals and Capuchins), Jesuits, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Daughters of Wisdom, and Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus.[4] He also built three hospitals. Camp Wycoff and Camp Black, set up during the Spanish–American War were attended by local clergy.

Thomas Edmund Molloy was named the third Bishop of Brooklyn on November 21, 1921. In 1930 Bishop Molloy established the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre was split off from Brooklyn April 6, 1957. Ten days later, Bryan Joseph McEntegart became the next Bishop of Brooklyn. He built six high schools, Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, and a hospital. He improved outreach to the growing Hispanic population, he sent priests and religious to study Spanish language and culture. Bishop Francis Mugavero experience as former head Brooklyn's Catholic Charities was reflected in his episcopate. In 1971, Mugavero established the Catholic Migration Office to serve the needs of immigrants and refugees living in Brooklyn and Queens. The Nehemiah project produced affordable housing in Brownsville.

In September 2018, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn agreed to a record $27.5 million settlement for sex abuse allegations.[5] On February 15, 2019, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens made public a list of 108 clergy who were "credibly accused" of committing sexual abuse,[6][7][8] some of whom have also been convicted for their crimes.[9][8] Along with the list, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio also issued a letter of apology, asking for forgiveness.[10] In June 2020, the FBI arrested Rev. Francis Hughes, a priest serving in Queens, on child pornography charges and sex-related charges involving underage minors.[11] In a separate case, the Vatican exonerated Bishop DiMarzio of allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century. After an inquiry led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said that the accusations were groundless.[12]

Churches
Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn

Bishops

The lists of the bishops and auxiliary bishops of the diocese and their years of service, followed by other priests of the diocese who became bishops:

Bishops of the Diocese of Brooklyn
  1. John Loughlin (1853–1891)
  2. Charles Edward McDonnell (1892–1921)
  3. Thomas Edmund Molloy (1922–1956), elevated to Archbishop ad personam in 1951
  4. Bryan Joseph McEntegart (1957–1968), elevated to Archbishop ad personam in 1966
  5. Francis Mugavero (1968–1990)
  6. Thomas Vose Daily (1990–2003)
  7. Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio (2003–2021)
  8. Robert J. Brennan (2021–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

Former auxiliary bishops

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

Priests "equivalent to diocesan bishops" affiliated with this diocese
  • Father Leo Joseph White, Apostolic Prefect of Garissa, Kenya, 1976-1984 - incardinated in 1990.

Education
See also: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn

The sitting bishop is also the true principal of the diocese's pre-seminary high school, Cathedral Preparatory Seminary. As of March 2009, Cathedral Preparatory Seminary is the only full-time high school seminary in the nation. Three Diocesan and/or parish high schools are under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. As of 2019, only 36 Diocese of Brooklyn schools were still not scheduled to close, compared to the 102 which were operational in the 1980s.[13] Between the mid-2000s and 2019, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn permanently closed 45 of its schools.[13]

High schools

There are three diocesan and/or parish high schools under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. While the Catholic high schools below may geographically lie within the diocese, most are run independently of it. [14]

Brooklyn

Queens

Elementary schools
Queen of All Saints School, Fort Greene

There were 116 diocesan and parish elementary schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. In March 2009. In the fall of 2009, a new free tuition school called the Pope John Paul II Family Academy [15] opened [16] at St. Barbara's School in Bushwick, Brooklyn..png In 2019 two diocesan elementary schools– Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, and Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Academy in Mill Basin - permanently closed, and two Bushwick schools, St Brigid and St. Frances Cabrini, merged.[13]

Brooklyn

  • Bay Ridge Catholic Academy
  • Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy - Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn Jesuit Prep
  • Good Shepherd Catholic Academy (Marine Park )- formerly staffed by Dominican Sisters
  • Midwood Catholic Academy
  • Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy - Brooklyn
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy of Brooklyn
  • Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy
  • Saint Saviour Catholic Academy
  • Salve Regina Catholic Academy
  • St Catherine of Genoa ~ St Therese of Lisieux Catholic Academy
  • St. Athanasius Catholic Academy
  • St. Bernadette Catholic Academy
  • St. Bernard Catholic Academy
  • St. Brigid-St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy
  • St. Edmund Elementary School
  • St. Ephrem Catholic Academy
  • St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy - Brooklyn
  • St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy
  • St. Mark Catholic Academy
  • St. Patrick Catholic Academy (Bay Ridge)
  • St. Peter Catholic Academy
  • St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy
  • Visitation Academy (Bay Ridge)- operated and staffed by Sisters of the Visitation

Queens

  • Divine Mercy Catholic Academy (Ozone Park)- formerly staffed by Ursuline Sisters (including sister of Joe Torre), currently staffed by Lay Faculty and Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
  • Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy
  • Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy
  • Holy Family Catholic Academy, Fresh Meadows
  • Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy - Astoria
  • Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy - Jamaica
  • Incarnation Catholic Academy
  • Notre Dame Catholic Academy
  • Our Lady of Fatima
  • Our Lady of Hope
  • Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy -S.O.P
  • Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy
  • Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament
  • Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy
  • Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Academy
  • Resurrection-Ascension Catholic Academy
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Academy - Bayside
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Academy - Cambria Heights
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Academy - Glendale
  • St. Adalbert Catholic Academy
  • St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy
  • St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Academy
  • Ss. Joachim and Anne
  • St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy
  • St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy
  • St. Clare Catholic Academy
  • St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy
  • St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy - Astoria
  • St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy - Bellerose
  • St. Helen Catholic Academy
  • St. Joan of Arc Catholic School
  • St. Joseph Catholic Academy
  • St. Kevin Catholic Academy
  • St. Leo Catholic Academy
  • St. Luke Catholic School
  • St. Margaret Catholic Academy
  • St. Matthias Catholic Academy
  • St. Mel Catholic Academy
  • St. Michael's Catholic Academy
  • St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Academy
  • St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy
  • St. Sebastian Catholic Academy
  • St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy of Queens

Seminary

The major seminary for the Diocese of Brooklyn from 1926 to 2012 was the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY. In 2012, the site in Huntington ended its seminary program and seminarians from both the Rockville Centre Diocese and the Brooklyn Diocese, now study at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY for their major seminary programs.

Queens

Cemeteries

There are nine Catholic cemeteries serving the diocese; two in Brooklyn, five in Queens and three outside the diocese.

Brooklyn

Queens

  • Saint John Cemetery
  • Mount St. Mary Cemetery
  • St. Monica Cemetery
  • Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery

Outside of the Diocese of Brooklyn

Hospitals

References
  1. Coen, Joseph W.; McNamara, Patrick, J.; Vaccari, Peter I. Diocese of Immigrants: The Brooklyn Catholic Experience 1853-2003, Éditions du Signe, 2004. ISBN 2-7468-0912-5. p. 120
  2. Who We Are Archived 2017-03-18 at the Wayback Machine," Diocese of Rockville Centre website (accessed 2009-November–02).
  3. "The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. V. 1-3 ..." Catholic editing Company. Jul 1, 1914. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020 – via Google Books.
  4. Meehan, Thomas. "Diocese of Brooklyn." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 30 August 2019Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. "Diocese of Brooklyn reaches record $27.5M settlement with four victims of abuse by former lay educator". NBC News. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  6. "Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis Response". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  7. "Brooklyn Diocese lists names of 108 clergy accused of sexually abusing minors". WPIX. Feb 15, 2019. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  8. "List of Diocesan Clergy for whom the Diocese received allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  9. "Database of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse". app.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  10. https://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Most-Reverend-Nicholas-DiMarzio-Letter.pdf
  11. "Queens Priest Arrested After Sharing Explicit Texts, Photos with 15-Year-Old Boy: FBI".
  12. Calvan, Bobby Caina. "Vatican exonerates Brooklyn bishop accused of sexual abuse", abcnews, September 1, 2021
  13. McGibney, Megan (Jun 21, 2019). "With Schools Closing, Is Catholic Education Disappearing in Brooklyn?". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  14. "Catholic High Schools". Diocese of Brooklyn website. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  15. NY Daily News (2009-02-27). "Rich donor aids new Catholic school for poor fams". Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  16. Pope John Paul II Family Academy official site
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