Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus
Diocese of Columbus Dioecesis Columbensis | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
Territory | 23 counties in Central and Southern Ohio. |
Ecclesiastical province | Cincinnati |
Statistics | |
Area | 29,282 sq mi (75,840 km2) |
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2006) 2,447,972 252,103 (10.3%) |
Parishes | 106 |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | March 3, 1868 (153 years ago) |
Cathedral | St. Joseph Cathedral |
Patron saint | St. Francis de Sales |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Robert J. Brennan |
Bishops emeritus | James Anthony Griffin, Frederick Francis Campbell |
Map | |
Website | |
columbuscatholic.org |
The Diocese of Columbus (Latin: Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The diocese was erected on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX out of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. On October 21, 1944 the diocese lost territory when Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Steubenville. The Diocese of Columbus is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Early history[]
The Catholic faith was brought in the area by the Dominican Order in Somerset. They established St. Joseph's Parish in Somerset, the state's oldest parish, while under the direction of Edward Fenwick. These Dominican friars spread the faith in various areas of Central and Southern Ohio. Pennsylvania Germans and Irish immigrants settled in this part of the state, which led to the establishment of the older parishes. While the Germans and Irish settled in the southeastern part of Ohio, French immigrants came to the northern part of the diocese. In addition, small groups of Italians, Hungarians, and Slovaks moved into farming communities or in the city of Columbus.
Bishops[]
Bishops of Columbus[]
- Sylvester Horton Rosecrans (1868-1878)
- John Ambrose Watterson (1880-1899)
- Henry K. Moeller (1900-1903), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later Archbishop of Cincinnati
- James Joseph Hartley (1903-1944)
- Michael Joseph Ready (1944-1957)
- Clarence George Issenmann (1957-1964), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Cleveland
- John Joseph Carberry (1965-1968), appointed Archbishop of Saint Louis (elevated to Cardinal in 1969)
- Clarence Edward Elwell (1968-1973)
- Edward John Herrmann (1973-1982)
- James Anthony Griffin (1983-2004)
- Frederick Francis Campbell (2005-2019)
- Robert J. Brennan (2019–present)
Former auxiliary bishops of Columbus[]
- Edward Gerard Hettinger (1941-1977)
- George Avis Fulcher (1976-1983), appointed Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana
Other priests of this diocese who became Bishops[]
These bishops were priests in the diocese before consecration:
- Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, appointed Apostolic Administrator of Galveston in 1882
- Francis William Howard, appointed Bishop of Covington in 1923
Parishes[]
As of 2020,the Diocese of Columbus comprises 103 parishes and two missions. The parishes are divided into the following deaneries:
- Center - South Columbus Deanery
- Community of Holy Rosary/St. John the Evangelist, Columbus (African American; 1979)
- Corpus Christi, Columbus (1923)
- Holy Cross, Columbus (German; 1846)
- Sts. Augustine & Gabriel, Columbus (Vietnamese; 1925)
- St. Dominic, Columbus (African American; 1889)
- St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus (1866)
- St. Ladislas, Columbus (Hungarian/Croatian 1908)
- St. Mary of the Assumption, Columbus (German; 1865)
- St. Patrick, Columbus (Irish; 1852)
- St. Thomas the Apostle, Columbus (1900)
- Northwest Columbus Deanery
- Our Lady of Victory, Columbus (1922)
- St. Agatha, Columbus (1940)
- St. Andrew, Columbus (1955)
- , Hilliard (1956)
- St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin (1987)
- St. Christopher, Columbus (1947)
- St. Joan of Arc, Powell (1987)
- St. Margaret of Cortona, Columbus (Italian; 1921)
- St. Peter, Columbus (1970)
- St. Timothy, Columbus (1961)
- North High Deanery
- Holy Name, Columbus (1905)
- Immaculate Conception, Columbus (1916)
- Our Lady of Peace, Columbus (1946)
- Parroquia Santa Cruz, Columbus (Hispanic; 1993)
- Sacred Heart, Columbus (1875)
- St. Francis of Assisi, Columbus (1892)
- St. John the Baptist, Columbus (Italian; 1895)
- St. Michael the Archangel, Worthington (1946)
- St. Thomas More Newman Center, Columbus (1906)
- Northland Columbus Deanery
- Church of the Resurrection, New Albany (1983)
- St. Anthony, Columbus (1963)
- St. Elizabeth, Columbus (1967)
- St. James the Less, Columbus (1947)
- St. John Neumann, Sunbury (1977)
- St. Matthias, Columbus (1956)
- St. Paul, Westerville (1913)
- West Columbus Deanery
- Holy Family, Columbus (Irish; 1877)
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City (1954)
- Sts. Simon & Jude, West Jefferson (German/Irish; 1867)
- St. Agnes, Columbus (1954)
- St. Aloysius, Columbus (1906)
- St. Cecilia, Columbus (1882)
- St. Joseph, Plain City (1864)
- St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus (1928)
- St. Patrick, London (German/Irish; 1866)
- St. Stephen the Martyr, Columbus (Hispanic; 1963)
- East Columbus Deanery
- St. John XXIII, Canal Winchester (2000)
- Christ the King, Columbus (1946)
- Holy Spirit, Columbus (1947)
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Columbus (1967)
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Pickerington (1978)
- St. Catharine of Siena, Columbus (1931)
- St. Mary, Groveport (1871)
- St. Matthew, Gahanna (1959)
- St. Philip the Apostle, Columbus (1956)
- St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg (1958)
- Marion Deanery
- Immaculate Conception, Kenton (1866)
- Our Lady of Lourdes, Ada (1874)
- Our Lady of Lourdes, Marysville (1866)
- Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary, Cardington (1971)
- St. Mary, Delaware (1854)
- St. Mary, Marion (1864)
- Perry County-Zanesville Deanery
- Church of the Atonement, Crooksville (1902)
- Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mattingly Settlement (1856)
- Holy Trinity, Somerset (1826)
- St. Ann, Dresden (1877)
- St. Bernard, Corning (1885)
- St. Joseph, Somerset (1818)
- St. Nicholas, Zanesville (German; 1842)
- St. Patrick, Junction City (1827)
- St. Rose of Lima, New Lexington (1867)
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Zanesville (Irish/Italian; 1842)
- Knox-Licking Deanery
- Church of the Ascension, Johnstown (1912)
- Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Newark (1904)
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Buckeye Lake (1928)
- St. Edward the Confessor, Granville (1947)
- St. Francis de Sales, Newark (1844)
- St. Leonard, Heath (1962)
- St. Luke, Danville (1823)
- St. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon (1839)
- Tuscawaras-Holmes-Coshocton Deanery
- Holy Trinity, Zoar (1995)
- Immacualte Conception, Dennison (Irish; 1870)
- Sacred Heart, Coshocton (1897)
- Sacred Heart, New Philadelphia (1895)
- Sts. Peter & Paul, Glenmont (1855)
- St. Francis de Sales, Newcomerstown (1918)
- St. Joseph, Dover (German/Italian; 1848)
- St. Peter, Millersburg (1877)
- Lancaster Deanery
- St. Bernadette, Lancaster (1963)
- St. Mary, Bremen (1917)
- St. Mark, Lancaster (1959)
- St. Mary of the Assumption, Lancaster (1819)
- St. John the Evangelist, Logan (1838)
- St. Joseph, Sugar Grove (1892)
- Chillicothe Deanery
- Holy Trinity, Jackson (1880)
- Sts. Peter & Paul, Wellston (1881)
- St. Colman of Cloyne, Washington Courthouse (1881)
- St. Joseph, Circleville (1845)
- St. Mary, Chillicothe (1837)
- St. Mary Queen of the Missions, Waverly (1878)
- St. Peter, Chillicothe (German; 1846)
- St. Sylvester, Zaleski (Irish; 1864)
- Scioto County Deanery
- Holy Redeemer, Portsmouth (Irish; 1853)
- Holy Trinity, Pond Creek (French; 1854)
- St. Mary of the Annunciation, (German; 1850)
- St. Peter in Chains, Wheelersburg (1849)
Education[]
Colleges[]
- Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Columbus
- Ohio Dominican University, Columbus
- Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus (Jurisdiction of the Apostolic Nuncio)
High schools[]
- Bishop Hartley High School, Columbus
- Bishop Ready High School, Columbus
- Bishop Rosecrans High School, Zanesville
- Bishop Watterson High School, Columbus
- Cristo Rey Columbus High School, Columbus
- Newark Catholic High School, Newark
- Notre Dame High School, Portsmouth
- Saint Charles Preparatory School, Columbus
- St. Francis DeSales High School, Columbus
- Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, New Philadelphia
- William V. Fisher Catholic High School, Lancaster
Closed schools[]
- Marion Catholic High School, Marion
- St. Ladislas School, Columbus
- Corpus Christi School, Columbus
- St. Mary High School, Columbus
- Holy Family School, Columbus
- Holy Name School, Columbus
- Bishop Flaget High School, Chillicothe (Currently a grade school)
- Father Wehrle High School, Columbus
- St. Leo School, Columbus
- St. Peter, Chillicothe
- St. Mary, Chillicothe
- St. Aloysius Academy, New Lexington
- St. Thomas the Apostle Grade School, Columbus
- Holy Rosary (Grade School & High School)
Elementary schools[]
- All Saints Academy, Columbus
- Bishop Fenwick, Zanesville
- Bishop Flaget, Chillicothe
- Blessed Sacrament, Newark
- Holy Spirit, Whitehall
- Holy Trinity, Somerset
- Immaculate Conception, Columbus
- Immaculate Conception, Dennison
- Notre Dame Elementary, Portsmouth
- Our Lady of Bethlehem, Columbus
- Our Lady of Peace, Columbus
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City
- Sacred Heart, Coshocton
- St. Agatha, Columbus
- St. Andrew, Columbus
- St. Anthony, Columbus
- St. Bernadette, Lancaster
- St. Brendan, Hilliard
- St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin
- St. Catharine, Columbus
- St. Cecilia, Columbus
- St. Francis de Sales, Newark
- St. James the Less, Columbus
- St. John, Logan
- St. Joseph Montessori, Columbus
- St. Mary Elementary, Lancaster
- St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus
- St. Mary, Columbus
- St. Mary, Delaware
- St. Mary, Marion
- St. Matthew, Gahanna
- St. Matthias, Columbus
- St. Michael, Worthington
- St. Patrick, London
- St. Paul, Westerville
- St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg
- St. Rose of Lima, New Lexington
- St. Timothy, Columbus
- St. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon
- Sts. Peter and Paul, Wellston
- Trinity Elementary, Columbus
- Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary School, Dover
Hospitals[]
- Genesis HealthCare System, Zanesville (combination of Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda Hospital). Good Samaritan Hospital began in 1900 and is co-sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
- Mt. Carmel Hospitals, Columbus (Mt. Carmel, East; Mt. Carmel, West; St. Ann, Westerville). Mt. Carmel opened in 1886, by the Sisters of the Holy Cross from St. Mary's, Indiana. In 1972, Mt. Carmel East opened to serve the suburbs. Also, St. Ann's Hospital was bought by Mt. Carmel in 1995. At one time, St. Ann's was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity.
- Trinity Hospital Twin City, Dennison. Bought by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania in May 2011.
- Former Hospitals
The following list are the closed hospitals of the Diocese, which stopped operations due to high costs and other factors:
- St. Francis Hospital, Columbus (1862–1955). Operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The building was razed in 1957 and today it is the site of Grant Hospital.
- St. Anthony's Hospital, Columbus (1891–1991). Also operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The original building was razed in 1971 and was finally sold in 1991. It is now part of the Ohio State University hospital system.
- San Antonio Hospital, Kenton (1897–1963). The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati owned the facilities.
- Mercy Hospital, Mt. Vernon (1919–1975). Owned by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. This hospital closed and merged with the local public hospital of Mt. Vernon.
- Mercy Hospital, Portsmouth (1917–1981). This hospital was owned by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes from Rochester, Minnesota. It was sold to the community hospital in the city.
Religious institutes[]
The Diocese of Columbus has many religious institutes of men and women serving in parishes, schools, colleges, and hospitals.
Religious priests and brothers[]
- Holy Trinity Parish, Somerset
- Pontifical College Josephinum
- Ohio Dominican University
- St. Joseph Parish, Somerset
- St. Patrick Parish, Columbus
- Paulist Fathers
- Precious Blood Fathers
- St. James the Less Parish, Columbus
- Sons of the Immaculate Conception Congregation
- Mt. Carmel Hospitals
- St. Elizabeth Parish, Columbus
Religious Sisters[]
- Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (from Kerala), Chillicothe
- The Bridgettine Sisters (Order of the Most Holy Savior), Columbus
- Third Order of St. Francis (Joliet), Columbus
- Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Columbus
- Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Columbus and Mount Vernon
- Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Columbus
- Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Columbus
- Sisters of the Holy Cross, Columbus
- Dominican Sisters of Peace, Columbus
- Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Columbus
- Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, Columbus
- Missionary Servants of the Word, Columbus
- Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, Columbus
- Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Worthington
- Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, Zanesville
Catholic radio within the Diocese[]
- WVSG 820 AM Saint Gabriel Radio (the former WOSU (AM))
- WFOT at 89.5 FM licensed to Lexington and serving the Mansfield area. Annunciation Radio airs programming from EWTN Global Catholic Radio. WFOT broadcasts as a simulcast of WNOC.
Other stations reaching into portions of the Diocese[]
- WULM "Radio Maria" 1600 AM in Springfield which reaches towards Columbus in some areas during daylight hours and can also be heard 24/7 on the internet, Android, iPhone and BlackBerry via their respective phone applications which can be downloaded at radiomaria.us Radio Maria USA is based at originating station KJMJ 580 AM in Alexandria, Louisiana.
- WNOP "Sacred Heart Radio" 720 AM licensed to Newport, Kentucky and based in Cincinnati which also airs local and EWTN programming...plus an FM sister, WHSS 89.5 in Hamilton.
Clergy Abuse Scandal[]
On March 1, 2019, the Diocese released a list of 36 of its clergy that had sexually abused children. Groups that support survivors of clergy child rape and sexual molestation expressed skepticism that the list was complete.
I. Clergy incardinated in the Diocese of Columbus against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor within the Diocese was made and investigated while the clergy was living.
Name | Ordained | Status |
Fr. Ronald Atwood | 1969 | Deceased |
Fr. Thomas Brosmer | 1969 | Removed from ministry |
Fr. R. Michael Ellifritz | 1967 | Laicized |
Fr. Roger Emmert | 1962 | Deceased |
Msgr. Joseph Fete | 1974 | Laicized |
Fr. Michael Hanrahan | 1971 | Laicized, deceased |
Dcn. James Hutson | 1982 | Deceased |
Fr. Philip Jacobs | 1974 | Laicized |
Fr. Raymond Lavelle | 1957 | Deceased |
Fr. Frederick Loyd | 1970 | Laicized |
Fr. Robert Luchi | 1957 | Left ministry |
Fr. Bernard McClory | 1953 | Deceased |
Fr. Thomas McLaughlin | 1956 | Laicized, deceased |
Fr. Samuel Ritchey | 1973 | Laicized, deceased |
Fr. Francis Schaefer | 1955 | Deceased |
Fr. George Tumeo | 1965 | Laicized |
Fr. Martin Weithman | 1980 | Laicized |
II. Clergy incardinated in the Diocese of Columbus against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor within the Diocese was made after the clergy's death.[1]
Name | Ordained | Status |
Msgr. Harry Estadt | 1932 | Deceased |
Fr. John Geiger | 1957 | Deceased |
Fr. Louis Hoffman | 1943 | Deceased |
Fr. Robert Schmidt | 1943 | Deceased |
Fr. Ted Spires | 1961 | Laicized, deceased |
Fr. Alan Sprenger | 1960 | Deceased |
Fr. John Tague | 1951 | Deceased |
III. Clergy incardinated in the Diocese of Columbus against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor at a location outside the Diocese was made and investigated while the cleric was living.
Name | Ordained | Status |
Fr. Carl Drake | 1964 | Removed from ministry |
IV. Extern or religious clergy (clergy from other dioceses or religious orders) who served in the Diocese of Columbus who were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors (alleged conduct occurred in the Diocese of Columbus).
Name | Ordained | Status |
Fr. Hector Bellinato, PIME | 1935 | No longer in Diocese |
Fr. David Heimann | 1958 | Deceased |
Dcn. Gabriel Hernandez | 2008 | Dismissed from the Josephinum, laicized |
Fr. Robert Hunt, C.PP.S. | 1954 | Deceased |
Fr. Timothy Keane, SS.CC. | 1950 | No longer in ministry |
V. Extern or religious clergy who served in the Diocese of Columbus that were credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors elsewhere (alleged conduct occurred outside the Diocese of Columbus).
Name | Ordained | Status |
Fr. Pierre Albalaa, MSM | 1995 | Removed from ministry |
Fr. Frank Benham | 1963 | Left ministry |
Fr. Aaron J. Cote, OP | 1986 | Deceased |
Fr. Kenneth France-Kelly, OP | 1981 |
Settlement[]
On August 26, 2020, the Diocese of Columbus agreed to settle one sex abuse lawsuit by paying $1 million to alleged victim Kevin Heidtman.[1] Heidtman who is by then in his 30s, said in the lawsuit that longtime St. Charles Preparatory School teacher Monsignor Thomas Bennett, who is deceased, sexually abused him and others and the diocese knowingly let it.[1]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b King, Danae. "Columbus Catholic Diocese settles priest sexual abuse case for $1 million". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
External links[]
Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Diocese of Columbus. |
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus
- Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States
- Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati
- Religious organizations established in 1868
- Religion in Columbus, Ohio
- Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century
- 1868 establishments in Ohio