Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton

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.

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, Reverend James Pellentz traveled from Baltimore up the Susquehanna River into northeast Pennsylvania to minister to the Catholics scattered throughout the region.[1][2]

On November 6, 1789, Pius VI converted the prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore., covering all of the United States. [3]With the passage of the US Bill of Rights in 1791, Catholics received full freedom of worship.

In 1793, the French Catholic settlement of French Azilum was founded on the banks of the Susquehanna River near Standing Stone. It was meant as a refuge for French aristocrats fleeing persecution in the French Revolution and slave uprisings in the French colony of Saint-Domingue.[4] In the late 1790's, most of the residents either moved back to France or settled elsewhere in the United States.

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Philadelphia, covering all of Pennsylvania.[5]Northeastern Pennsylvania would remain part of this new diocese for the next 60 years.

The first Catholic settlers in northeastern Pennsylvania were mainly of Irish and German descent. The earliest permanent Catholic settlements in the region were founded at Friendsville in 1819 and Silver Lake in 1813. [6]Catholic residents of these settlements, along with others in the region, occasionally saw priests sent from the Diocese of Philadelphia. In 1825, Bishop Francis Kenrick sent Reverend John O'Flynn to the region to serve as its first resident pastor. He was responsible for Catholic resident in thirteen counties in northeastern Pennsylvania and five counties in the Southern Tier of New York.

The first church in northeastern Pennsylvania was built in 1825 near Silver Lake. Father O'Flynn died at Danville in 1829, and was succeeded by Father Clancy. After Flynn died in 1836, the diocese sent Reverend Henry Fitzsimmons to replace him. Fitzsimmons took up his residence in Carbondale, where a church had been built in 1832. In 1838, the diocese sent Reverend John Vincent O'Reilly to assist in the region. He took up his residence at Silver Lake.

St. Mary's church, finished in 1842, was the first Catholic church in Wilkes-Barre.[7] The first one in Scranton was built in 1852 on the site of the present day Church of Nativity.[8] In Williamsport, a German group erected the first Catholic church, St. Boniface, in 1855.[9]

The Diocese of Scranton was erected on March 3, 1868, by Pope Pius IX, taking its territory from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The pope appointed Monsignor William O'Hara of Philadelphia as the first bishop of the new diocese. When O'Hara became bishop, the diocese had a Catholic population of 25,000 with 47 churches, 25 priests, and two parochial schools with four students.[10]By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Slavic and Italian immigrants, attracted by jobs in the coal-mining industry, comprised half of the Catholic population in the diocese.

In 1971, O'Hara removed Reverend Michael P. Stack from his position as pastor of the Church of the Annunciation Parish in Williamsport due to financial mismanagement. Stack then sued O'Hara, starting a legal battle that would last until 1881, when Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled in O'Hara's favor.[11][12]

In 1896, Pope Leo XIII appointed Reverend Michael Hoban as coadjutor bishop of the diocese to assist O'Hara. Later in 1896, a schism erupted at Sacred Hearts Parish in the coal mining area of South Scranton. The English-speaking miners in the parish were suspicious of an influx of Polish immigrants into the mine fields, fearful that they would drive down wages. The Polish parishioners did not like how their German pastor ran the parish. In October 1896, 250 families left the parish, built a new church and requested recognition from the diocese for St. Stanislaus as a new parish. Hoban refused to give it. In March 1887, Frances Hodur, a Polish priest became the pastor of St. Stanislaus; Hoban suspended him the next week. In September 1898, Hodur submitted a compromise proposal to Hoban, which he rejected. Hodur then traveled to Rome to appeal his case, but was rejected. In October 1898, Hoban excommunicated Hodur. He and his congregation eventually set up the Polish National Catholic Church, establishing a permanent break with the Roman Catholic Church.[13]

When O'Hara died in 1899 after 31 years as bishop, the diocese had a Catholic population of 125,000, with 78 churches, 130 priests, and 40 parochial schools with 12,000 students.[14] Hoban automatically became the second bishop of Scranton in 1899 after O'Hara's death.

After Hoban's death in 1926, Pope Pius XI named Monsignor Thomas O'Reilly from the Diocese of Cleveland as the third Bishop of Scranton. During his tenure, he established seven parishes and fourteen schools in the diocese, despite the economic ravages of the Great Depression.[15] Pius XI appointed Bishop William Hafey from the Diocese of Raleigh as coadjutor bishop in 1936. Hafey became bishop of Scranton after O'Reilly died in 1938. Hafey created new parishes, multiplied the number of buildings, and increased the number of priests and religious.[16] He died in 1954 after 18 years in office.

Monsignor Jerome Hannan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh became the next bishop of Scranton, named by Pope Pius XII in 1954. During his tenure, Hannan oversaw the construction of the chancery building and Saint Pius X Seminary. Hannan died in 1965. His replacement as bishop was Bishop J. Carroll McCormick from the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, named by Pope Paul VI in 1966. McCormick retired in 1983. Pope John Paul II then named Auxiliary Bishop John O'Connor from the Military Vicariate for the United States as the next bishop of Scranton. However, O'Connor served less than a year before being named archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1984.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II appointed James Timlin as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Scranton.[17] Installed on June 7, 1984, Timlin was the first native of Scranton to become its bishop.[18] During his tenure, Timlin held the Second Diocesan Synod, established the Bishop's Annual Appeal, presided over a major restructuring of parishes as a result of the priest shortage and introduced a new policy for Catholic schools consisting of regional mergers, construction of modern facilities, new fundraising efforts and a more equitable sharing of operational costs between parents, pastors and the diocese.[18]

On March 14, 1985, Timlin announced that he would boycott two events honoring Catholic congressmen because of their support of abortion rights for women. The first event honored Democratic representative Peter W. Rodino Jr. at a St. Patrick's Day dinner in Lackawanna County. The second event was the awarding of an honorary degree to Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill Jr. at a commencement ceremony at the University of Scranton.[19] In 2003, Timlin refused to attend the commencement ceremonies for the University of Scranton because of the pro-choice stance of honorary-degree recipient Chris Matthews.[20][21]

After Timlin retired in 2002, John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Martino of Philadelphia in 2003 as the next bishop of Scranton. In January 2007, Martino decided to close Bishop O'Reilly, Seton Catholic, Bishop Hafey, Bishop Hoban, Bishop O'Hara and Bishop Hannan high schools, along with several grade schools. In total he closed about 30 schools. In January 2009, Martino announced that, due to a priest shortage and diminishing financial resources, the Diocese of Scranton would either close or consolidate almost half of its 209 parishes.[22]

In 2008, Martino decertified the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers, which had functioned in the diocese for 30 years. He replaced it with a diocesan association of teachers. The head of the teachers union described this new organization as a "company union".[23]When the presidents of four Catholics universities and colleges in the diocese asked to meet with Martino, he demanded to see syllabi of all their courses on religion, faith and morals. The presidents refused this request, stating that their professors owned the syllabi.[23] According to a report in National Catholic Reporter, the apostolic nunicio to the United States received numerous complaints about Martino's management style, his lack of consultation with others and his remoteness.[24]Martino retired early in 2009.

In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera the tenth bishop of Scranton.[25][26] As of 2013, Bambera is the current bishop of the diocese.

1. William O'Hara (1868–1899)[27]
2. Michael Hoban (1899–1927; coadjutor bishop 1896–1899)
3. Thomas C. O'Reilly (1927–1938)
4. William Hafey (1938–1954; coadjutor bishop 1937–1938)
5. Jerome Hannan (1954–1965)
6. J. Carroll McCormick (1966–1983)
7. John O'Connor (1983–1984), appointed Archbishop of New York (Cardinal in 1985)
8. James Timlin (1984–2003)
9. Joseph Martino (2003–2009)
10. Joseph Bambera (2010–present)

• Andrew Brennan (1923–1926), appointed Bishop of Richmond
• Martin O'Connor (1942–1946), appointed Rector of the Pontifical North American College and later President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and Apostolic Nuncio and Titular Archbishop
• Henry Klonowski (1947–1973)
• James Timlin (1976–1984), appointed Bishop of Scranton
• Francis X. DiLorenzo (1988–1994), appointed Bishop of Honolulu and later Bishop of Richmond
• John Dougherty (1995–2009)

• Eugene Augustine Garvey, appointed Bishop of Altoona in 1901
• Joseph Kopacz, appointed Bishop of Jackson in 2013
• Jeffrey Walsh, appointed Bishop of Gaylord in 2021

• Saint Gregory Early Childhood Center – Clarks Green
• Saint Vincent DePaul Pre-School – Milford
• Saint Catherine Pre-School – Moscow
• Saint John Neumann Early Childhood Center – Muncy
• Domiano Early Childhood Center – Scranton
• Immaculate Care Pre-School – Scranton

• Holy Cross High School – Dunmore
• Our Lady of Peace Elementary – Clarks Summit
• Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Elementary – Dunmore
• LaSalle Academy – Dickson City and Jessup
• Epiphany Elementary – Sayre
• All Saints Academy – Scranton
• Saint Clare/Saint Paul Elementary – Scranton
• Saint Agnes Elementary – Towanda

• Holy Redeemer High School – Wilkes-Barre
• Holy Rosary Elementary School – Duryea
• Wyoming Area Catholic Elementary School – Exeter
• Holy Family Academy – Hazleton
• Good Shepherd Academy – Kingston
• Saint Nicholas/Saint Mary Elementary School – Wilkes Barre
• Saint Jude Elementary School – Mountain Top

• Notre Dame High School – East Stroudsburg
• Monsignor McHugh Elementary – Cresco
• Notre Dame (Elementary and Middle) – East Stroudsburg

• St. John Neumann Regional Academy High School – Williamsport
• Saint John Neumann Regional Academy Elementary – Williamsport

• Scranton Preparatory School – Scranton (Society of Jesus)