Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg

Unlike the other British colonies in America, the Province of Pennsylvania did not ban Catholics from the colony or threaten priests with imprisonment. However, the colony did require any Catholics seeing public office to take an oath to Protestantism. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, the oldest parish in the present day diocese, was founded in Conewago in 1730.[3] In 1743, St. Mary's Parish was established in Lancaster.

On November 26, 1784, a year after the end of the American Revolution, Pope Pius VI erected the Apostolic Prefecture of United States of America, including all of the new United States. In 1787, the first Catholic church was erected for German Catholics in Conewago.[3] On November 6, 1789, Pius VI converted the prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore, covering all of the United States.[4] With the passage of the US Bill of Rights in 1791, Catholics received full freedom of worship.

The first Catholic mission was founded in Harrisburg in 1806. In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Philadelphia, covering all of Pennsylvania.[5] South central Pennsylvania would remain part of this new diocese for the next 60 years.

In Harrisburg, the first Catholic Church, St. Patricks, was established for an Irish congregation in 1826.[6] St. Mary's parish was founded in York by the missionary Reverend John Neumann in 1852 for a congregation of German-speaking Catholics.[7]

During the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War, St. Francis Xavier church in Gettysburg was converted into a field hospital for casualties, with many nuns from nearby Emmitsburg, Maryland, serving as nurses for the soldiers.[8]

On March 3, 1868, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Harrisburg, taking its territory from the Diocese of Philadelphia. He appointed Reverend Jeremiah F. Shanahan of Philadelphia as the first bishop of the new diocese.[9]

At the time of its founding, the Diocese of Harrisburg had a Catholic population of 25,000 Catholics, with 22 priests, 40 churches and missions, and seven parochial schools.[10] Jeremiah Shanahan opened the Sylvan Heights Seminary at Harrisburg in 1883. He also introduced the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of Christian Charity, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and the Sisters of Charity into the diocese to set up Catholic institutions.[10]

When Jeremiah Shanahan died in 1886 after 18 years as bishop, the diocese had 51 priests, 51 churches, 75 chapels and missions, three orphanages, 29 parochial schools, and a Catholic population over 35,000.[11]

The second bishop of Harrisburg was Reverend Thomas McGovern of Philadelphia, named by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. During his tenure, McGovern erected twelve parishes, mostly designated for different ethnic groups.[12] McGovern died in 1898.

Reverend John W. Shanahan of Philadelphia, the brother of Jeremiah Shanahan, was named as the next bishop of Harrisburg by Leo XIII in 1899. During his 16-year-long tenure, Shanahan erected 27 new parishes and increased the number of priests from 74 to 120.[10] He opened an orphanage for girls at Sylvan Heights and a protectory for boys at Abbottstown. John Shanahan completed construction on the Cathedral of St. Patrick in 1907.[10] In 1907, he founded the Sisters of Saint Casimir. He also established the motherhouses of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood and the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and invited to the diocese the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Scranton.[13] John Shanahan died in 1916.

On July 10, 1916, Reverend Philip R. McDevitt of Philadelphia was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg by Pope Benedict XV.[14] During his 19-year tenure, McDevitt established ten parishes and twelve schools.[15] In 1925, he created the Mission Board to respond to financial needs in the diocese caused by the Great Depression.[10]

After McDevitt died in 1937, Pope Pius XI named Auxiliary Bishop George L. Leech as the next bishop of Allentown. In 1946, Leech described Howard Hughes’s 1943 film The Outlaw as "a destructive and corrupting picture which glamorizes crime and immorality".[16] Pope Paul VI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Thomas Daley as coadjutor bishop in 1967 to assist Leech. After 34 years as bishop, Leech retired in 1971; Daley automatically succeeded him as the next bishop of Harrisburg.

During his 12-year-long tenure, Daley established the Diocesan Office of Planning, Diocesan Development Office and the Emmaus Program for priests.[10] He called for a temporary moratorium on building nuclear power plants after the accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant near Harrisburg in 1979.[17] Daley died in 1983.

Auxiliary Bishop William H. Keeler was the next bishop of Harrisburg, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1983. As Bishop of Harrisburg, Keeler served on a number of committees for interreligious dialogue, and helped expand diocesan youth ministry.[18] Six years later, he became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

In 1989, Monsignor Nicholas C. Dattilo of the Diocese of Pittsburgh was appointed the eighth bishop of Harrisburg by John Paul II.[19] As bishop, Dattilo reorganized parishes and missions, because of populations shifts within the fifteen counties of the diocese.[20] The number of parishes was reduced from 120 to 89, resulting in 23 appeals and years of protests.[21] In 1998, Dattilo established the Ecclesial Lay Ministry Program, a three-year formation program to prepare trained lay leaders.[20] Following the closure of Villa Vianney, he approved construction for a new residence for retired priests in 1999. He also finalized plans for a diocesan conference center, with the groundbreaking in October 1999.[20] Dattilo died in 2004.

Dattilo was replaced by Monsignor Kevin C. Rhoades in 2004, appointed by John Paul II. Rhodes served in Harrisburg until 2009, when he was named bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. To replace Rhodes, Pope Benedict XVI named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph P. McFadden of Philadelphia as the next bishop of Harrisburg. McFadden died three years later.

On March 19, 2014, Bishop Ronald William Gainer, formerly bishop of the Diocese of Lexington was installed as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg. On October 1, 2014. Gainer introduced a new policy prohibiting girls at Catholic schools from participating in any wrestling, football, and rugby matches.[22] It also required male wrestlers from Catholic schools to forfeit matches against female opponents on other teams.[22] According to the diocese, the ban applies to sports "... that involve substantial and potentially immodest physical contact."[22] In 2016, public high school J.P. McCaskey exploited the policy to win a dual wrestling match against Delone Catholic.[23]

On February 19, 2020, the diocese filed for bankruptcy in light of the sex abuse lawsuits.[24] In its bankruptcy filing, the diocese[25] stated that it was struggling financially and had only $1 to $10 million in assets and $50 million in liabilities.[26]

On April 25, 2023, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Timothy C. Senior as the 12th bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, where he succeeds Bishop Ronald Gainer who had reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.[27] His installation is scheduled for June 21, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick.[28]

1. Jeremiah F. Shanahan (1868-1886)
2. Thomas McGovern (1888-1898)
3. John W. Shanahan (1899-1916), brother of Jeremiah Shanahan
4. Philip R. McDevitt (1916-1935)
5. George L. Leech (1935-1971)
6. Joseph T. Daley (1971-1983; coadjutor bishop 1967–1971)
7. William Henry Keeler (1983-1989), appointed Archbishop of Baltimore (Cardinal in 1994)
8. Nicholas C. Dattilo (1990-2004)
9. Kevin C. Rhoades (2004-2010), appointed Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend
10. Joseph P. McFadden (2010-2013)
11. Ronald William Gainer (2014–2023)
12. Timothy C. Senior (Elect, 2023)

• Lawrence F. Schott (1956-1963)
• Joseph Thomas Daley (1963-1967), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Harrisburg
• William Henry Keeler (1979-1983), appointed Bishop of Harrisburg

• David M. O'Connell, C.M., appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton in 2010 and later became Bishop of Trenton
• William J. Waltersheid, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh in 2011
• Edward C. Malesic, appointed Bishop of Greensburg in 2015, Bishop of Cleveland in 2020