Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo

During the 17th century, present-day Michigan was part of the French colony of New France. The Diocese of Quebec had jurisdiction over the region. In 1763, the Michigan area became part of the British Province of Quebec, forbidden from settlement by American colonists. After the American Revolution, the Michigan region became part of the new United States. For Catholics, Michigan was now under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which then comprised the entire country.

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky, with jurisdiction over the new Michigan Territory. On June 19, 1821, the pope erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking the Michigan Territory from the Diocese of Bardstown.[2]

Pope Gregory XVI formed the Diocese of Detroit on March 8, 1833, covering the entire Michigan Territory. Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of Grand Rapids out of the Archdiocese of Detroit on May 19, 1882, including the Kalamazoo area.

On December 19, 1970, the Diocese of Kalamazoo was erected by Pope Paul VI and the parish of St. Augustine designated as its cathedral The diocese was officially inaugurated on July 21, 1971, when Reverend Paul Donovan of the Diocese of Lansing was consecrated and installed as the first bishop. From 1914 until its closure in 1992 the diocese hosted Nazareth College. Donovan resigned as bishop in 1994 after 23 years as bishop of Kalamazoo.

In 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Alfred Markiewicz from the Diocese of Rockville Centre as the second bishop of Kalamazoo.[3] He died in 1997 after only three years in office. That same year, John Paul II named Reverend James Murray of the Diocese 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.

The current bishop of Kalamazoo is Paul J. Bradley, a former auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

In January 2019, Bishop Bradley assigned Archbishop Emeritus John Nienstedt, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, to assist for several months at a parish in Battle Creek, Michigan. Many parishioners did not want Nienstadt due to his failure to report sexual abuse claims as archbishop. After two weeks, Nienstadt left the parish in Battle Creek.[4]

In February 2020, the diocese announced that an individual was claiming that Reverend Richard Fritz, a retired diocesan priest, had sexually abused them during the late 1970's and early 1980's.[5]