Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington

Diocese of Wilmington Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis
Cathedral of St. Peter
Coat of arms
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Delaware The nine counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland: Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester
Ecclesiastical province	Baltimore
Statistics
Area	5,375 km2 (2,075 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2014) 1,369,080 240,338 (17.6%)
Parishes	57
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	March 3, 1868 (153 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of Saint Peter
Patron saint	St. Francis de Sales
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	William Edward Koenig
Bishops emeritus	William Francis Malooly
Map
Website
cdow.org

The Diocese of Wilmington (Latin: Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the eastern United States and comprises the entire state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland (i.e. the parts of the Delmarva Peninsula not in Virginia: the nine Maryland counties included here are Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester). The Diocese of Wilmington is one of four Catholic dioceses in the United States to have territory in more than one federal entity; the Diocese of Gallup and the Diocese of Norwich each span two states while the Archdiocese of Washington spans Washington, D.C. and five counties of Maryland.^{[citation needed]}

On Thursday, April 30, 2021, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop William Francis Malooly and appointed William Edward Koenig as his successor.^[1]

History[]

Rev. Patrick Kenney established the first Roman Catholic mission in Delaware was in 1804 on the site of the Coffee Run Cemetery in Mill Creek, Delaware. The Coffee Run Mission Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[2][a][3]

On 3 March 1868, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Wilmington with territory consisting of the state of Delaware taken from the Diocese of Philadelphia, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Accomack and Northampton counties on the Eastern Shore of Virginia taken from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The pope designated the new diocese, which encompassed the entire Delmarva Peninsula, as a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore.

On 28 May 1974, Pope Paul VI transferred both counties in Virginia to the Diocese of Richmond, establishing the present territory of the diocese, consisting of the entire state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Sexual abuse cases[]

In 2009, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of financial liabilities from lawsuits regarding sexual abuse by priests.^[4] In 2011, 150 victims received an average of $310,000 each, totaling $77.425 million. Defendants in the cases were not identified.^[5]

Bishops[]

Bishops of Wilmington[]

1. Thomas Albert Andrew Becker (1868–1886), appointed Bishop of Savannah
2. Alfred Allen Paul Curtis (1886–1896)
3. John James Joseph Monaghan (1897–1925)
4. Edmond John Fitzmaurice (1925–1960), appointed Archbishop ad personam upon retirement in 1960
   - Hubert James Cartwright (coadjutor bishop 1956–1958); died before succession
5. Michael William Hyle (1960–1967; coadjutor bishop 1958–1960)
6. Thomas Joseph Mardaga (1968–1984)
7. Robert Edward Mulvee (1985–1995), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Providence and later succeeded to that see
8. Michael Angelo Saltarelli (1995–2008)
9. William Francis Malooly (2008–2021)
10. William Edward Koenig (2021-present)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops[]

• Benjamin Joseph Keiley (priest here 1873–1886), appointed Bishop of Savannah in 1900
• James C. Burke, O.P., was Territorial Prelate of Chimbote (1965-1978, being consecrated bishop in 1967) before serving here 1978-1994
• John Barres, appointed Bishop of Allentown in 2009 and later Bishop of Rockville Centre

Churches[]

High schools[]

• Padua Academy, Wilmington, DE
• Saints Peter and Paul High School, Easton, MD
• St. Elizabeth High School, Wilmington, DE
• St. Mark's High School, Wilmington, DE

Closed schools[]

• St. Thomas More Preparatory, Magnolia, DE

See also[]

• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• List of Roman Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
• St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church (Wilmington, Delaware)
• St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Wilmington, Delaware
• Serviam Girls Academy

References[]

Notes

Citations

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Diocese of Wilmington.

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Official Site
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Wilmington
• The Dialog newspaper published by The Diocese

Coordinates: 39°44′34.7″N 75°33′11.56″W / 39.742972°N 75.5532111°W / 39.742972; -75.5532111