Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro

The Diocese of Owensboro (Latin: Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in western Kentucky in the United States. As of 2020, the diocese contained of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties.[1][2] The Diocese of Owensboro is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Louisville.

Diocese of Owensboro

Dioecesis Owensburgensis
St. Stephen Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryKentucky Western Kentucky
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of Louisville
Statistics
Population
- Catholics
51,780 [1] (6.2%)
Parishes78[2]
Schools19[1]
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedDecember 9, 1937
CathedralSt. Stephen's Cathedral[3]
Patron saintSt. Stephen[4]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopWilliam Medley
Bishop of Owensboro
Metropolitan ArchbishopShelton Fabre
Archbishop of Louisville
Map
Website
rcdok.org
McRaith Catholic Center

The current bishop, William Medley, was the pastor of Saint Bernadette Parish of the Archdiocese of Louisville prior to his consecration which took place February 10, 2010.[1]

History

The first Catholic immigrants to the Kentucky area came from Maryland in 1785. By 1796, approximately 300 Catholic families were living in the new state of Kentucky. Among the early missionaries was Stephen Badin who set out on foot for Kentucky on September 3, 1793, sent by Bishop John Carroll of the Diocese of Baltimore. For the next 14 years Badin traveled on foot, horseback and boat between widely scattered Catholic settlements in Kentucky and the Northwest Territory. For three years, Badin was the only priest in the whole of Kentucky.

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown, covering Kentucky and most of the Northwest Territory. In 1841, Pope Leo suppressed the Diocese of Bardstown, which by this time encompassed only Kentucky. In its place, he created the Diocese of Louisville, with jurisdiction over Kentucky. [5] The Owensboro region would remain part of the Diocese of Louisville for the next 96 years.

Pope Pius XI erected the Diocese of Owensboro in territory taken from the Diocese of Louisville in 1937. The pope also elevated the Diocese of Louisville to an archdiocese and made the new Diocese of Owensboro as one of its suffragans. Pius XI named Reverend Francis Cotton as the first bishop of Owensboro. Cotton had first planned to establish his cathedral in Henderson, Kentucky at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, but then changed it to Owensboro. The diocese's cathedral is named after St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.[3]

After his consecration, Cotton embarked on visits to the parishes in the new diocese. He brought the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade, a national organization for helping the poor, to the diocese.[6]In early 1940, Cotton began the collection of relief supplies for refugees from World War II in Europe. By 1942, the diocese had collected over $1 million in supplies for distribution in Europe and China.[6] In February 1943, Cotton held a synod in the diocese to set its laws and constitution. Contemporary reports said that Cotton strictly enforced these rules in the diocese, but personally was a kind individual.[6]Cotton died in 1960.

On March 10, 1961, Reverend Henry Soenneker of the Diocese of St. Cloud was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro by Pope John XXIII.[7][8] After Soenneker retired in 1982, Pope John Paul II named John McRaith of the Diocese of New Ulm as his replacement.[9] He established the diocesan newspaper, The Western Kentucky Catholic, in 1984.[10]McRaith retired in 2009.

The current bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro is William Medley from the Archdiocese of Louisville. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

Sexual abuse

In April 2019, the Diocese of Owensboro released a list of 15 priests who were accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the diocese.[11][12] Two of these priests, Joseph J. Pilger and Louis Francis Piskula, were convicted, with Pilger receiving a five-year probation sentence in 1995 and Piskula receiving a five-year prison sentence in 2014.[12] Piskula later died in prison in 2018.[12][13] Two other credibly accused priests, Richard M. Powers and Joseph Robert "Bob" Willet, were forced to pay settlements in 1999.[12] Pilger also was ordered to pay a $5.2M settlement to at least 27 accusers in 2003, the same year he was murdered.[12]

In 2018, the diocese removed Gerald Baker from active ministry in the diocese after determining that sexual abuse accusations against him were credible.[13][12] In March 2019, the diocese temporarily suspended Joseph Edward "Ed" Bradley after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor were made.[14] In May 2019, the diocese recommended that Bradley be permanently removed from public service.[15] In 2021, the Vatican removed Bradley's suspension, allowing him to perform priestly functions. However, noting his "imprudent behavior", he was banned from schools for the next five years.[16]

Bishops

Bishops of Owensboro
  1. Francis Ridgley Cotton (1937-1960)[1]
  2. Henry Joseph Soenneker (1961-1982)[1]
  3. John Jeremiah McRaith (1982-2009)[1]
  4. William Francis Medley (2009–present)[1]

High schools and university

See also

References
  1. "The Bishop". Diocese of Owensboro. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  2. "Our Diocese". Diocese of Owensboro. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. "About Us". Saint Stephen Cathedral. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. https://parishsfds.com/documents/2021/12/Novena%20to%20St%20Stephen.pdf
  5. Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 846
  6. Publishing, Turner (February 1994). The Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-56311-129-7.
  7. "Bishop Henry Joseph Soenneker". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  8. "Pope Names Kentucky Bishop". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  9. "Bishop John Jeremiah McRaith". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  10. "Bishop McRaith, 'a man of the land,' dies at 82". The Record. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  11. WKYT News Staff (13 April 2019). "Diocese of Owensboro releases names of accused priests". WKYT. WKYT/WFIE. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  12. "Database of Publicly Accused Priests in the United States". BishopAccountability.org. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  13. "Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse Permanently Suspended". U.S. News. Associated Press. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  14. White and Smith, Douglas and Beth (2 March 2019). "Father Ed Bradley, Rick Pitino's former team chaplain, suspended after sex abuse claim". Courier-Journal. Henderson Gleaner. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  15. "Diocese recommends permanent suspension for accused priest". WBKO. Associated Press. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  16. Lyman, Jill; Gorman, Evan. "EXCLUSIVE: Fr. Bradley 'rejoiced' after Vatican reinstates him following sexual abuse allegations". https://www.14news.com. Retrieved 2023-03-24. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)


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