Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River

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Diocese of Fall River

Dioecesis Riverormenensis
St Marys Fall River - Northeast.jpg
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River.svg
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryBarnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham on the south coast of Plymouth County in Massachusetts[1]
Ecclesiastical provinceBoston
MetropolitanBoston
Population
- Catholics (including non-members)
313,115[1][2] (39.7%)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedMarch 12, 1904
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Patron saintSaint Mary of the Assumption
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopEdgar Moreira da Cunha
Bishops emeritusGeorge William Coleman
Map
Diocese of Fall River map 1.jpg
Website
fallriverdiocese.org

The Diocese of Fall River (Latin: Dioecesis Riverormensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church spanning Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham along the south coast of Plymouth County in Massachusetts, in the New England region of the United States. It is led by the prelature of a bishop administering the diocese from the mother church St. Mary's Cathedral in Fall River, Massachusetts. The Diocese of Fall River is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston.

Diocesan statistics[]

Religious include the bishop, 147 priests currently serving in parishes, 90 permanent deacons, 16 religious brothers and 295 religious sisters. There are 96 parishes, 11 missions, a health care center, and 5 nursing homes.

The total Catholic population of the area as of 2013 is approximately 313,115.[2]

History[]

Pope Pius X canonically erected the Diocese of Fall River, taking its present territory from the Diocese of Providence and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston, on 12 March 1904. This action conformed the territory of the Diocese of Providence to the state of Rhode Island. He appointed Father William Stang as the first bishop of Fall River on the same date. He died in office. Bishop Stang High School was named in his memory.

On July 2, 1907, Pope Pius X appointed Father Daniel Feehan as the second Bishop of Fall River. Ordained a bishop on September 19, 1907, by Bishop Thomas Daniel Beaven, he served until incapacitation and died on July 19, 1934, in office. Bishop Feehan High School was named in his honor.

Bishop James E. Cassidy, Bishop Feehan's coadjutor and Vicar General for many years, succeeded him. In 1945 Bishop Cassidy also received the assistance of a coadjutor, Bishop James L. Connolly, who would later succeed him. Bishop Cassidy High School, now known as Coyle and Cassidy High School, was named in his honor.

Following the death of Cassidy, Connolly became Bishop of Fall River in May 1951. One key to his tenure as Bishop was a special concern with providing secondary education in the four urban areas of the Diocese. As a result, four Catholic high schools were constructed under his guidance. Bishop Connolly High School[3] was dedicated in his name in 1967. He also founded the diocesan newspaper, The Anchor.[4] Connolly attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He served as Bishop of Fall River until 1970 when he retired.

Daniel Anthony Cronin became the fifth Bishop in December 1970 upon the retirement of Bishop Connolly. Cronin continued the work of implementing the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and supported liturgical renewal, continuing education of the clergy and the restoration of the permanent diaconate. He devoted himself to the pastoral care of the sick in hospitals, to the expansion of Catholic Counseling and Social Services, to the Family Life Ministry and other various activities.[5] Late in 1991 Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Cronin Archbishop of Hartford.

On July 3, 2014, Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha, S.D.V., was announced as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Fall River, and installed September 24.[6][7] Edgar M. da Cunha was born in Nova Fatima, then part of the municipality of Riachão do Jacuípe, Brazil. He studied at the Universidade Catolica Fatima dos Salvados[8] and was ordained a priest on March 27, 1982 by Bishop Joseph A. Francis, S.V.D. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark as well as titular bishop of Ucres on June 27, 2003 by John Paul II. da Cunha was consecrated an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark on September 3, 2003 as the only Brazilian-born bishop in the United States.[9]

Sexual abuse[]

Main article: Sexual abuse scandal in Fall River diocese

In the early 1990s, revelations surfaced about how the Diocese of Fall River protected former priest James Porter from potential charges of sexual abuse between 1960 and 1964. After being transferred to St. Mary's parochial grammar school in 1960, where he was charged with managing the school's altar boys, Porter gained a reputation there as a child molester, However, no action was taken against him by the Catholic Church until 1963, by which time at least four parents had complained to his superiors about his inappropriate behavior. Rather than contact the police, however, Church officials moved Porter to a parish in Fall River, where further complaints about his behavior surfaced.[10] Despite being arrested as early as 1964 for sex abuse, all of his sex abuse charges only resulted in hospitalizations until he was jailed in Minnesota in 1992, which also happened many years after he left the priesthood to get married and start a family[11] In the early 1960s, Porter abused more than 60 North Attleboro children, and nearly 100 in southeastern Massachusetts.[12] In Massachusetts in 1993, Porter's lawyer struck a plea bargain, and Porter was sentenced to 18–20 years in prison, with the possibility of parole, with counseling, after six years. Parole was consistently denied for several years. He completed his prison sentence in 2004, but was held until his death pending a civil commitment hearing.[10] In December 1993, then-Diocese of Fall River Bishop Sean O'Malley acknowledged the Diocese's protection of Porter and apologized.[13]

On December 11, 2020, a secret grand jury at Barnstable Superior Court indicted Father Mark R. Hession, also known as “Father Mark,” on two counts of Rape, one count of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under Age 14, and one count of Intimidation of a Witness.[14] Hession was known to many locals because of his past work at Our Lady of Victory Church. Hession also worked closely with the Kennedy family and even delivered the homily at Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy's funeral in August 2009.[14]

Bishops[]

Bishops of Fall River[]

  1. William Stang (1904–1907)
  2. Daniel Francis Feehan (1907–1934)
  3. James Edwin Cassidy (1934–1951; coadjutor bishop 1934)
  4. James Louis Connolly (1951–1970; coadjutor bishop 1945–1951)
  5. Daniel Anthony Cronin (1970–1992), appointed Archbishop of Hartford
  6. Seán Patrick O'Malley (1992–2002), appointed Bishop of Palm Beach and later Archbishop of Boston (created Cardinal in 2006)
  7. George William Coleman (2003–2014)
  8. Edgar Moreira da Cunha (2014–present)

Auxiliary Bishops of Fall River[]

  • James Edwin Cassidy (1930-1934), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Fall River (see above)
  • James Joseph Gerrard (1959-1976)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops[]

Education[]

Schools[]

Closed[]

  • Coyle and Cassidy School in Taunton

Colleges[]

Superintendents[]

The current Superintendent of Schools is Stephen Perla.[15] The following is a list of superintendents:

  • George A. Milot, PhD (2001–2011)[16]
  • Michael S. Griffin (2011–2016)
  • Stephen Perla (2016 – present)

Landmarks[]

In addition to St. Mary's Cathedral, two other major churches in the diocese are St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, Santo Christo Church and Shrine, and St. Anne's both in Fall River.

The Diocese of Fall River is also home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, owned and operated by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette. The shrine, perhaps most famous for its "Festival of Light" that spans over ten acres, now accompanied by a display of over a hundred creches from countries where the Missionaries of La Salette are active, during the Advent and Christmas seasons, offers spiritual retreats, liturgical services, sacramental confession, concerts of Christian music, and other religious programming throughout the year.

Suppressed parishes[]

Year Parish City/Town Notes Ref
1966 Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish New Bedford [17][18]
1977 St. Hyacinth Parish New Bedford [19]
1982 St. Roch's Parish Fall River [20]
1987 St. Boniface Parish New Bedford [21]
1987 Sacred Hearts Parish Fairhaven [22]
1989 St. Mathieu's Parish Fall River [23]
1997 Holy Cross Parish Fall River Merged with SS. Peter & Paul Parish in 1997 to become SS. Peter & Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church; the parish merged again with St. Mary's Cathedral in 2013. [24]
1999 St. Therese Parish New Bedford [25]
2000 St. Casimir Parish New Bedford [26]
2000 St. Elizabeth's Parish Fall River Merged with St. Jean Baptiste Parish and St. William's Parish to form Parish of the Holy Trinity. [27]
2000 St. Jean Baptiste Parish Fall River Merged with St. Elizabeth's Parish and St. William's Parish to form Parish of the Holy Trinity. [28]
2000 St. Louis Parish Fall River Merged with St. Mary's Cathedral effective August 1, 2000. [29]
2000 St. William's Parish Fall River Merged with St. Jean Baptiste Parish and St. Elizabeth's Parish to form Parish of the Holy Trinity. [30]
2000 Sacred Heart Parish Taunton Merged with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish to form Annunciation of the Lord Parish at the former Sacred Heart Church.
2000 Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Taunton Merged with Sacred Heart Parish to form Annunciation of the Lord Parish at the former Sacred Heart Church. [31]
2004 St. Anne Parish New Bedford [32]
2004 St. Hedwig Parish New Bedford [33]
2007 Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish Taunton [34]
2007 St. Jacques Parish Taunton [35]
2008 St. Joseph Parish Taunton
2008 St. Paul Parish Taunton
2008 St. Peter Parish Dighton Merged with St. Joseph Parish (Dighton) to form St. Nicholas of Myra Parish. [36]
2008 St. Joseph Parish Dighton Merged with St. Peter Parish to form St. Nicholas of Myra Parish. [36]
2012 St. John the Baptist Parish New Bedford [37]
2012 Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish Fall River Merged with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish to form St. Bernadette's Parish. [38]
2012 Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish Fall River Merged with Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish to form St. Bernadette's Parish. Immaculate Conception church building demolished in February 2019. [38][39]
2013 Holy Ghost Parish Attleboro [40]
2013 St. Joseph's Parish Attleboro [40]
2015 St. Killian Parish New Bedford [41]
2018 St. Bernadette's Parish Fall River
2018 Ste. Anne's Parish Fall River Merged into St. Anthony of Padua Parish [42]

Province of Boston[]

Further information: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States § Province of Boston

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Diocese of Fall River". Catholic Hierarchy. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "A Look at the Diocese". Diocese of Fall River. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  3. ^ "History". Bishop Connolly High School. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  4. ^ "About The Anchor". The Anchor. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  5. ^ "Our History". Diocese of Fall River. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  6. ^ "Pope Francis appoints new bishop for Fall River Diocese". Taunton Daily Gazette. Taunton, Mass. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  7. ^ Allard, Deborah (July 4, 2014). "Da Cunha named new bishop of Fall River diocese". Taunton Daily Gazette. Taunton, Mass. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Interview with Auxiliary Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha". Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha". Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pedophile priest James Porter dies at 70". NBC News. New York City: NBCUniversal. Associated Press. February 11, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Kurkjian, Stephen; Matchan, Linda (July 24, 1992). "Other abuse by Porter alleged in N.M." Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Matchan, Linda (August 29, 1993). "Abuse in the Catholic Church: Town secret". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  13. ^ https://apnews.com/1b36dbe79b0eed05f276d7fdea5ea59e
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Bastile, Robert (December 11, 2020). "BREAKING HN VIDEO: Priest who delivered homily at Senator Kennedy's funeral indicted on rape charges". Hyannis News. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "Leadership Team – CS Alliance". www.catholicschoolsalliance.org. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  16. ^ "Former Principal Milot to Return as Bishop Feehan Principal | Patch". Foxborough, MA Patch. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  17. ^ "Diocese Suppresses New Bedford French-Language Holy Rosary Church". The Anchor. Fall River. April 14, 1966. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  18. ^ "Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish, New Bedford". The Anchor. Fall River. September 12, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  19. ^ "St. Hyacinth Parish, New Bedford". The Anchor. Fall River. May 16, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  20. ^ "St. Roch's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. June 13, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  21. ^ "St. Boniface Parish, New Bedford". The Anchor. Fall River. September 5, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  22. ^ "Sacred Hearts Parish, Fairhaven". The Anchor. Fall River. September 12, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  23. ^ "St. Mathieu's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. May 9, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  24. ^ Fraga, Brian (21 July 2013). "As churches merge, diocese and parishioners struggle with transitions". The Herald News. Fall River. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  25. ^ Thomas, Sarah (20 November 1999). "A tender farewell at St. Therese". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  26. ^ Barcellos, Robert J. "St. Casimir's priest retires". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  27. ^ "St. Elizabeth's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. October 24, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  28. ^ "St. Jean Baptiste Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. May 30, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  29. ^ "Decree". The Anchor. Fall River. 28 July 2000. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  30. ^ "St. Williams's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. August 15, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  31. ^ Dion, Marc Monroe (8 April 2012). "Fall River, Greater Taunton churches see downsizing, transitions". Taunton Daily Gazette. tauntongazette.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  32. ^ Spillane, Jack (26 February 2004). "Diocese to merge four New Bedford Parishes". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  33. ^ Spillane, Jack (29 February 2004). "Parish merger a unilateral decision". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. p. A1. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  34. ^ "Whittenton churches merge into new parish". wickedlocal.com. GateHouse News Service. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  35. ^ Lopes, Ashley (21 June 2007). "Two churches merge to create new parish". Taunton Daily Gazette. tauntongazette.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Tuoti, Gerry (8 April 2012). "FEWER BUT STRONGER: Diocese hopes Greater Taunton church consolidations result in 'stronger parish community'". Taunton Daily Gazette. tauntongazette.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  37. ^ Phillips, Jim (4 November 2012). "Parishioners Saddened As St. John The Baptist Closes In New Bedford". WBSM News. wbsm.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b "Flint Parishes to merge". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  39. ^ "Demolition of Fall River's Immaculate Conception Church begins". The Herald News. Fall River. February 5, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  40. ^ Jump up to: a b "Home Page | The Anchor". Anchornews.org. 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  41. ^ "New Bedford's St. Kilian Church to hold final Mass in September". The Standard-Times. New Bedford. August 4, 2015. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  42. ^ "The last Mass at St. Anne's ends a long-time legacy in community". The Herald News. Fall River. November 25, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-25.

External links[]

Coordinates: 41°42′39″N 71°08′50″W / 41.71083°N 71.14722°W / 41.71083; -71.14722

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