Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
{{Short description|Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Ohio}}
{{Infobox diocese
| jurisdiction = Metropolitan Archdiocese
| name = Cincinnati
| latin = Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Cincinnatensis
| local =
| image = StPeterInChains.jpg
| image_size = 175px
| image_alt =
| caption = Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains
| coat = Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.svg
| coat_size = 150px
| coat_alt =
| flag = Flag of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati.svg
| flag_size = 150px
| flag_alt =
| country = {{flag|United States}}
| territory = Ohio, including the cities of Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield, and Hamilton
| province = Cincinnati
| deaneries =
| headquarters =
| coordinates =
| area_sqmi = 8,543
| area_footnotes =
| population = 3,074,000
| population_as_of = 2013
| catholics = 471,457
| catholics_percent = 15.3
| parishes = 214{{cite news| title=Catholic leaders to share assessment of schools| first=Denise Smith| last=Amos| work=The Cincinnati Enquirer| date=5 October 2011| access-date=2011-10-28| url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111004/NEWS0102/110050333/Catholic-leaders-share-assessment-schools| quote=Schools: 113 schools with 43,641 students enrolled last year. Cincinnati region includes 17 high schools, 66 elementary schools and one K-12 specialty school.}}
| churches =
| congregations =
| members =
| denomination = Catholic
| sui_iuris_church = Latin Church
| rite = Roman Rite
| established = June 19, 1821 ({{age|1821|6|19}} years ago)
| cathedral = Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains
| cocathedral =
| patron = Francis de Sales
| priests =
| pope = {{Incumbent pope}}
| bishop = Robert Gerald Casey
| bishop_title = Archbishop
| metro_archbishop = Robert Gerald Casey
| coadjutor =
| suffragans =
| auxiliary_bishops =
| apostolic_admin =
| vicar_general =
| episcopal_vicar =
| judicial_vicar =
| emeritus_bishops = Joseph R. Binzer
Dennis Marion Schnurr
| map = Archdiocese of Cincinnati map 1.jpg
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| website = {{Official website|http://www.catholiccincinnati.org|catholiccincinnati.org}}
| footnotes =
}}
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati ({{langx|la|Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Cincinnatensis}}) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church that covers all of the dioceses in the State of Ohio.
As of 2025, the archbishop of Cincinnati is Robert Casey. The mother church is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati.
Geography
File:Cincinnati Catholic map.png
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati encompasses 230 parishes in 19 counties. Cincinnati is the metropolis of the Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati, which contains all of Ohio.{{cite web |title=Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati |url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/cinc0.htm |access-date=10 July 2021 |work=GCatholic}} The province contains the archdiocese and its five suffragan dioceses:
The archdiocese is bordered by:
- the Diocese of Toledo to the north
- the Diocese of Columbus to the east
- the Diocese of Covington to the south
- the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and Diocese of Lafayette to the west
History
= 1700 to 1800 =
During the 17th century, present day Ohio was part of the French colony of New France. The Diocese of Quebec had jurisdiction over the region. However, unlike other parts of the future American Midwest, French missionaries made no attempts to found Catholic missions in Ohio.
In 1763, Ohio Country became part of the British Province of Quebec, forbidden from settlement by American colonists. After the American Revolution ended in 1783, Pope Pius VI erected in 1784 the Prefecture Apostolic of the United States, encompassing the entire territory of the new nation. In 1787, the Ohio area became part of the Northwest Territory of the United States. Pius VI created the Diocese of Baltimore, the first diocese in the United States, to replace the prefecture apostolic in 1789.{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://www.archbalt.org/our-history/index.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724200915/http://archbalt.org/our-history/index.cfm |archive-date=July 24, 2008 |access-date=2009-03-30 |publisher=Archdiocese of Baltimore}}{{Cite web |title=Freedom of Religion Comes to Boston {{!}} Archdiocese of Boston |url=https://www.bostoncatholic.org/historical-sketch-archdiocese-boston/freedom-religion-comes-boston |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=www.bostoncatholic.org}}
= 1800 to 1847 =
In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky, with jurisdiction over the new state of Ohio along with the other midwest states.{{Cite web |title=Louisville (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dloui.html |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}
Cincinnati's first Catholic church, Christ Church, was organized in 1819, just beyond the city boundaries.{{Cite web |title=History of the Archdiocese |url=https://catholicaoc.org/about/history |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Archdiocese of Cincinnati |language=en-US}} The first Catholic church in Dayton, Emmanuel Church, opened in 1837.{{Cite web |title=History – Emmanuel Catholic Church |url=https://www.emmanuelcatholic.com/about/history-of-emmanuel/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |language=en-US}} Soon additional parishes were formed in Hamilton and St. Martin, Brown County. Reverend Emmanuel Thienpont pioneered many parishes in the archdiocese.M.P. O'Brien, "Cincinnati", Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3 (1913), s.v.
Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Cincinnati on June 19, 1821, taking all of Ohio from the Diocese of Bardstown.{{Cite journal |last=Shearer |first=Donald |date=June 1933 |title=Pontificia Americana: A Documentary History of the Catholic Church in the United States 1784–1884 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41974134 |journal=Franciscan Studies |volume=11 |issue=11 |pages=343 |jstor=41974134}} The pope named the missionary Reverend Edward Fenwick as the first bishop of Cincinnati.{{Cite web |title=Bishop Edward Dominic Fenwick [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bfenwicke.html |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}} Fenwick travelled to Europe in 1823 to raise funding for the new diocese. He returned in 1826 with resources to begin construction of the cathedral and parochial schools He also founded convents for the Sisters of Charity and the first community of Dominican women in the United States, the Dominicans of St. Catharine.{{Cite web |title=Petit OP, Loretta. "Friar in the Wilderness", Project OPUS, Chicago, 1994 |url=http://www.worlib.org/friar/index3a.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006185322/http://www.worlib.org/friar/index3a.html |archive-date=2014-10-06 |access-date=2014-10-06}}
In 1829, Fenwick established St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Cincinnati. It is the oldest seminary west of the Appalachian Mountains in the United States.{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://dev.athenaeum.usdigitalpartners.net/about/history/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Athenaeum of Ohio |language=en-US}} In 1831, Fenwick initiated publication of The Catholic Telegraph newspaper.{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Website |url=https://catholicaoc.org/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Archdiocese of Cincinnati |language=en-US}} That same year, he opened the Athenaeum in Cincinnati to educate lay workers.{{Cite book |last=O'Daniel |first=V. F. (Victor Francis) |url=http://archive.org/details/rightrevfenwick00odanuoft |title=The Right Rev. Edward Dominic Fenwick, O.P.: founder of the Dominicans in the United States, pioneer missionary in Kentucky, apostle of Ohio, first bishop of Cincinnati |date=1920 |publisher=Washington, D.C.: The Dominicana |others=Kelly - University of Toronto}}
After Fenwick died in 1832, Pope Gregory XVI named Reverend John Purcell as the second bishop of Cincinnati. At the time of his installation, the diocese had only one Catholic church to serve thousands of new Catholic German and Irish Immigrants. Purcell founded Holy Trinity Parish in Cincinnati in 1834, the first German language church in the diocese.{{cite book |author=Fricke, Doug |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDDmW3wafZUC&q=bridge+cincinnati&pg=PA53 |title=Genealogy of the Mangold Family from Bavaria to Cincinnati, 1800 to 1930s |date=2010 |isbn=9780979996719 |pages=53 | publisher=Allodium Chase |access-date=23 October 2013}}{{Cite web |title=A History of Old St. Mary's |url=https://www.oldstmarys.org/about/a-history-of-old-st-marys/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Oratory |language=en-US}} It was followed in 1842 by the dedication of St. Mary's Church, the oldest existing parish in Cincinnati.
Purcell began construction of Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1846.{{Cite web |title=History & Architecture |url=https://www.stpeterinchainscathedral.org/history---a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413095136/https://www.stpeterinchainscathedral.org/history---a |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 13, 2020 |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains |language=en}} Seeking a larger seminary to replace St. Francis Xavier, Purcell in 1851 constructed Mount St. Mary's of the West Seminary on Price Hill in Cincinnati. To staff the new seminary and school, Purcell invited the Jesuit Fathers into the diocese.{{Cite web |last=Craycraft |first=Kenneth |date=2023-09-15 |title=A Closer Look: Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Legacy, Promise, and Hope |url=https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/legacy-promise-hope/75261 |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=Catholic Telegraph |language=en-US}} He also established two orphan asylums: St. Aloysius's for German-speaking children and St. Peter's for English-speaking children.
= 1847 to 1900 =
In 1847, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Cleveland, taking northeastern Ohio from the Diocese of Cincinnati However, the border line set by the Vatican line cut through multiple counties. To simplify administration of these counties, Purcell and Bishop Louis Rappe of Cleveland, decided that:
...the counties of Mercer, Auglaze, Hardin, Marion, Morrow, Knox, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Jefferson, which belong to the diocese of Cincinnati shall constitute the northern boundary of the diocese of Cincinnati. And that all the counties north of those just named, shall compose the diocese of Cleveland. Holmes county, which is for the greater part south of the line above traced, is by mutual consent, assigned to the diocese of Cleveland.{{Cite news |last=Hansen |first=Ann Natalie |date=October 1997 |title=Our Lady of Mercy School |work=Bulletin of the Catholic Record Society, Diocese of Columbus |url=https://columbuscatholic.org/system/resources/W1siZiIsIjIwMjEvMTAvMjYvOGxubDVnOXFkbl9DUlNfMTk5N18xMC5wZGYiXV0/CRS_1997_10.pdf |access-date=September 15, 2023}}In 1850, Pope Pius IX elevated the Diocese of Cincinnati to an archdiocese with the dioceses of Louisville, Detroit, and Cleveland as its suffragans. Purcell became the first archbishop of Cincinnati.
In 1853, Purcell alienated some of Cincinnati's Protestants by arguing that Catholics should not be taxed to support public schools.{{cite book |author=Frederick J. Blue |url=https://archive.org/details/salmonpchaselife0000blue |title=Salmon P. Chase: a life in politics |publisher=Kent State University Press |year=1987 |isbn=0-87338-340-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/salmonpchaselife0000blue/page/97 97] |url-access=registration}} Later that year, he created controversy when he invited Cardinal Gaetano Bedini, the emissary of Pope Pius IX, to visit Cincinnati. Many German Protestant "Forty-Eighters", who had fled Europe after the failed revolutions of 1848, saw Bedini as a symbol of oppression due to his role in putting down a revolution in the Papal States in 1849. They organized a protest march to Purcell's residence, where Bedini was staying, on Christmas Day 1853. When the demonstrators clashed with police, several were injured and one died.{{cite book |author=James F. Connelly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMujE27nNvcC&pg=PA96 |title=The visit of Archbishop Gaetano Bedini to the United States of America: June 1853-February 1854 |publisher=Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana |year=1960 |isbn=88-7652-082-1 |pages=96ff |access-date=2010-10-25}}
The Vatican in 1868 erected the Diocese of Columbus from the archdiocese, taking "the territory from the Ohio River to the Scioto River ... together with the Counties of Franklin, Delaware and Morrow." The end of Purcell's long tenue as bishop and archbishop was marked by scandal. Many parishioners in the archdiocese, distrustful of banks after the Panic of 1873, had begun depositing funds with the archdiocese for safekeeping. These funds ultimately amounted to $3.6 million. However, the archdiocese fund was hit with a bank run in 1877, rendering it insolvent and unable to pay back all the depositors.{{Cite web |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: John Baptist Purcell |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12570a.htm |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.newadvent.org}}
In 1880, Bishop William Elder of the Diocese of Natchez was appointed coadjutor archbishop in Cincinnati by Pope Leo XIII to assist Purcell. After Purcell died in 1883, Elder automatically became archbishop.{{Cite web |title=Archbishop William Henry Elder [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/belder.html |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}
Elder became archbishop when the archdiocese was facing severe financial problems. Elder systematically organized the administration of the diocese. He reopened Mount Saint Mary Seminary in 1887, which had been closed since 1879.Fortin, Roger Antonio. [https://books.google.com/books?id=T6WOJBt-xWcC&dq=William+Henry+Elder&pg=PA162 Faith and Action: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1821-1996], Ohio State University Press, 2002, p. 171, {{ISBN|9780814209042}} He instituted the office of chancellor of the diocese and insisted on annual reports from clergy and parishes in order to bring the diocese out of great debt. In 1891, after 14 years of litigation, a court found that the archdiocese owed $140,000 to parishioners who had lost money during the 1877 bank run. Elder accepted the verdict in 1892 and assessed parishes to replay the debt in full.
= 1900 to 1970 =
File:St. Monica - Cincinnati 01.jpg
Bishop Henry K. Moeller of Columbus was named coadjutor archbishop in Cincinnati by Pope Pius X in 1903. When Elder died in 1904, Moeller succeeded him as the fourth archbishop of Cincinnati.{{cite news |last=Cheney |first=David M |title=Archbishop Henry Moeller |work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmoeller.html}} During World War I, Moeller successfully petitioned Rome for an end to national parishes and permission to formulate parish boundaries. In 1921, Moeller condemned several forms of dancing (including the shimmy and camel walk) as well as bare female shoulders at social functions.{{cite news |date=1921-02-20 |title=Bans New Dances |work=The New York Times}} He died in 1925.
Bishop John T. McNicholas of the Diocese of Detroit was appointed the fourth archbishop of Cincinnati by Pope Pius XI in 1925.{{cite news |title=Archbishop John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. |work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmcni.html}} During the 1928 presidential election, which featured the first Catholic to win a major party nomination in the person of Al Smith, McNicholas addressed concerns that Smith would take orders from church leaders in Rome in making decisions affecting the country by declaring, "We, as American Catholics, owe no civil allegiance to the Vatican State."{{cite book |last1=Fortin |first1=Roger |title=Faith and Action: A History of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (1821-1996) |publisher=The Ohio State University Press |year=2002 |location=Columbus}} In 1945, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Columbus, taking the eastern counties from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.{{Cite journal |last=Piux XII |date=21 October 1944 |title=Constituto Apostolica Cincinnatensis et Columbensis |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-37-1945-ocr.pdf |journal=Acta Apostolicae Sedis |volume=xxxvii |issue=6 |pages=153–155 |via=Vatican}}
After McNicholas died in 1950, Pope Pius XII named Bishop Karl Alter of Toledo as the next archbishop of Cincinnati.{{cite news |title=Archbishop Karl Joseph Alter |work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/balter.html}} During his administration, Alter established 98 churches, 94 elementary schools, 14 high schools, 79 rectories, and 55 convents.{{cite news |date=1977-08-23 |title=Archbishop Karl Alter |work=Toledo Blade}} He also instituted a priests' senate and an archdiocesan school board composed of lay members, and encouraged the formation of parish councils. Alter undertook a restoration of Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral. He discontinued first grade in the parochial schools in 1964 because of high costs and overcrowded classrooms.{{Cite web |date=2011-05-24 |title=Roman Catholics: Schools Under Strain - Time.com |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940387-1,00.html |access-date=2023-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524064512/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940387-1,00.html |archive-date=2011-05-24 }} Alter retired in 1969.
= 1970 to present =
File:Archdiocese of Cincinnati.jpg
Bishop Paul Leibold of the Diocese of Evansville succeeded Alter as archbishop, being named by Pope Paul VI in 1969.{{Cite web |title=About Us - Previous Bishops |url=https://www.evdio.org/previous-bishops.html |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Evansville Catholic Diocese |language=en}} Leibold strengthened the priests' senate, the pastoral council, and the parish councils. He also launched the archdiocese's sixth synod, Synod '71.{{Cite book |last=Fortin |first=Roger Antonio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T6WOJBt-xWcC&dq=archbishop+leibold&pg=PA358 |title=Faith and Action: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1821-1996 |date=2002 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |isbn=978-0-8142-0904-2 |language=en}} In 1958, Sister Mary Ephrem Neuzil, an Ohio nun, claimed to have seen apparitions of Mary, mother of Jesus and messages from St. Joseph. Leibold, who had previously acted as a spiritual advisor to Neuzil, allowed her to publish two pamphlets about her experiences.{{Cite web |last=Pronechen |first=Joseph |date=2020-03-19 |title=St. Joseph's Apparition in the United States |url=https://www.ncregister.com/blog/st-joseph-s-apparition-in-the-united-states |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=National Catholic Register |language=en}} He also commissioned a wooden plaque with an image of Our Lady of America, a title of Mary, for display at the New Riegel convent.{{Cite web |title=Regarding Our Lady of America |url=https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/regarding-our-lady-of-america-3661 |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=EWTN Global Catholic Television Network |language=en}} In 1971, Leibold criticized composer Leonard Bernstein's theatrical work Mass, terming it as offensive.{{Cite news |date=1972-06-02 |title=Archbishop Paul Leibold. Dies; Headed Cincinnati Archdiocese |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/02/archives/archbishop-paul-leibold-dies-headed-czncznnatg-a-rchdzocesei.html |access-date=2022-06-28 |issn=0362-4331}}
After Leibold died in 1972, Paul VI appointed Bishop Joseph Bernardin, general secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, as the next archbishop of Cincinnati. During his tenure, Bernardin worked to improve relations between Catholics and Jews and strove for better understanding between the Catholic Church and Protestant denominations. He became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1982.
To replace Bernardin in Cincinnati, Pope John Paul II selected Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati in 1982.{{cite web |last=Cheney |first=David M. |date=October 11, 2008 |title=Archbishop Daniel Edward Pilarczyk |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpila.html |access-date=February 2, 2009}} In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Dennis Schnurr of the Diocese of Duluth as coadjutor archbishop in Cincinnati to assist Pilarczyk. When he retired in 2009, Schnurr automatically replaced him.{{cite news |last=Price |first=Bill |date=October 17, 2008 |title=Vatican Names Future Replacement For Pilarczyk |publisher=WCPO-TV}} In 2010, Schnurr revoked archdiocese permission for a "Violence Against Women" event at Seton High School in Cincinnati because one of the speakers supported abortion rights for women. The sponsors disinvited the speaker, but the archdiocese still denied its support for the event.{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2010 |title=Cincinnati bishop among sponsors to pull support from women's conference |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/global-sisters-report/cincinnati-bishop-among-sponsors-pull-support-womens-conference |access-date=April 23, 2022 |website=National Catholic Reporter}}
In May 2020, Schnurr decided not to renew the contract of Jim Zimmerman, a teacher at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, because Zimmerman was part of a same-sex marriage. A teacher at the school for 23 years, Zimmerman had been open about his marriage with school officials, other faculty and students. According to Zimmerman, his principal told him that a community member had alerted Schnurr about the marriage. Zimmerman's supporters accused Schnurr of homophobia, which he strongly denied.{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Dan |title=Cincinnati's archbishop defends firing of Catholic high school teacher who is gay |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/05/01/catholic-teacher-fired-supporters-say-he-removed-because-he-gay/3066855001/ |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=The Enquirer}}{{Cite web |title=Gay teacher ousted from Catholic school after 23 years |url=https://www.sent-trib.com/news/gay-teacher-ousted-from-catholic-school-after-23-years/article_e9d6ca90-8f0e-11ea-94e7-c700187d8ada.html |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=Sentinel-Tribune}}{{Cite web |date=May 8, 2020 |title=Ohio teacher in same-sex marriage loses Catholic high school job |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/ohio-teacher-same-sex-marriage-loses-catholic-high-school-job |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=National Catholic Reporter}}
In July 2021, Schnurr said that he disapproved of a town hall being held by President Joe Biden at Mount Saint Joseph University in Cincinnati, but admitted he had no power to block it. Schnurr did not explain his reasoning.{{Cite web |last=CNA |date=July 20, 2021 |title=Archbishop: I would not have approved Biden's visit to Catholic university |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248441/cincinnati-archbishop-i-would-not-have-approved-bidens-visit-to-catholic-university |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=Catholic News Agency}} Schnurr said that he would have never approved this event on archdiocese property.{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=Archbishop: I would not have approved Biden's visit to Catholic university |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248441/cincinnati-archbishop-i-would-not-have-approved-bidens-visit-to-catholic-university |access-date=April 23, 2022 |website=Catholic News Agency}}
In October 2021, Schnurr announced a plan for the restructuring of the archdiocese that could close 70% of its churches.{{Cite web |last=Flynn |first=JD |date=2021-10-01 |title=Schnurr gets started |url=https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/schnurr-gets-started |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=The Pillar |language=en}} Parishes were to be grouped into "parish families" overseen by a single pastor. In the long term, each parish family was expected to merge its parishes into a single parish. Reorganization plans were scheduled to be finalized in 2022.{{cite news |last=Horn |first=Dan |date=September 8, 2021 |title=Big changes coming to archdiocese parishes and schools |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2021/09/08/catholic-cincinnati-big-changes-coming-archdiocese-parishes-and-schools/5755264001/ |access-date=September 30, 2021}}
Pope Francis accepted Schnurr's resignation on February 12, 2025 and named Bishop Robert G. Casey as the archbishop of Cincinnati. Schnurr was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as Apostolic Administrator until Casey's installation. {{Cite web |title=Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati; Appoints Bishop Robert Casey as Successor {{!}} USCCB |url=https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-francis-accepts-resignation-archbishop-dennis-schnurr-archdiocese-cincinnati |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=www.usccb.org |language=en}}{{cite news |last=Keel |first=Fletcher |date=February 12, 2025 |title=Pope Francis accepts resignation of Cincinnati Archbishop, new Archbishop appointed |work=WLWT |url=https://www.wlwt.com/article/pope-francis-accepts-resignation-archbishop-dennis-schnurr/63770111?fbclid=IwY2xjawIdu3RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHe7H0VP5dKqrUaTT65YM46wu8EEP0SJoIsbj5ZB1DzY3vtLz6Q3Nj3TYHQ_aem_wD6yjRoiUB-YdJbitOr8pg |access-date=February 15, 2025}}
=Sexual abuse scandals=
Reverend Thomas Brunner was removed in 1985 from his post as chaplain at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati after admitting to accusations of sexual harassment from two female students. After counseling, he was assigned to a different parish. In 1989, a woman accused Brunner of sexually abusing her when she was in high school. Brunner passed a psychological evaluation and was kept in ministry. In September 2003, while his background was being reviewed by the child protection review board, Brunner abruptly resigned his pastoral post at St. Patrick Parish in Troy.
In 1991, Reverend George Cooley from Guardian Angels Church in Mount Washington, pleaded guilty to sexually molesting four boys during the 1980s. The parents of two of Cooley's victims complained to the archdiocese, but nothing happened. They finally reported Cooley to the police in 1990. Cooley served three months in jail, then 15 more months after violating his probation. He was laicized by the Vatican soon after his conviction.{{Cite web |title=Sex Abuse Cases Not New Locally, Cincinnati Enquirer, March 16, 2002 |url=https://www.bishop-accountability.org/news13/2002_03_16_CincinnatiEnquirer_SexAbuse_John_Goeke_ETC_1.htm |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=www.bishop-accountability.org}}{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Richelle |date=April 14, 2002 |title=Abuse Robbed Family of Faith |url=https://www.bishop-accountability.org/news/2002_04_14_Thompson_AbuseRobbed.htm |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Cincinnati Enquirer}}
In November 2003, following a sexual abuse scandal and two-year investigation by the Hamilton County prosecutor's office, Archbishop Pilarczyk entered a plea of nolo contendere regarding five misdemeanor charges of failure to report allegations of child molestation from the 1970s and 1980s.{{cite news| last=Coday| first=Denis| title=Cincinnati archdiocese convicted for failing to report sex abuse| url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2003d/121203/121203i.htm| work=National Catholic Reporter| date=12 December 2003| access-date=2007-02-23}} The court fined archdiocese $10,000.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/21/us/archdiocese-of-cincinnati-fined-in-sex-abuse-scandal.html|title=Archdiocese of Cincinnati Fined in Sex Abuse Scandal|first=Laurie|last=Goodstein|work=The New York Times |date=November 21, 2003|via=NYTimes.com}}{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2003 |title=Archdiocese found guilty on abuse-related charges - Baltimore Sun |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-11-21-0311210430-story.html}}
The diocese in 2013 started receiving complaints about the conduct of Reverend Geoff Drew, then posted at Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Liberty Township. Witnesses reported seeing Drew give back rubs and make inappropriate remarks to teenage boys. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph R. Binzer received the complaints, but did not forward them to Archbishop Schnurr or take any actions against Drew. Binzer received more complaints about Drew in 2015, but did nothing.{{Cite web |last=Condon |first=Ed |date=Aug 5, 2019 |title=Auxiliary bishop did not disclose Cincinnati priest accusations |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/41954/auxiliary-bishop-did-not-disclose-cincinnati-priest-accusations |website=Catholic News Agency}}
When Drew transferred to St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Green Township in early 2018, Binzer did not tell the parish or its school about the previous accusations. In July 2018, Drew was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old boy. It was at this junction that Schnurr allegedly became aware of Drew's background. In August 2019, Schnurr removed Binzer from his position as head of priest personnel. In May 2020, the Vatican accepted Binzer's resignation as auxiliary bishop in Cincinnati.{{cite news |date=May 7, 2020 |title=Bishop Joseph R. Binzer Resigns as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati |work=The Catholic Telegraph |url=http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/bishop-joseph-binzer-resigns/66003 |access-date=May 7, 2020}}
In August 2019, police arrested Drew and charged him with nine counts of sex abuse while serving as a music teacher at St. Ignatius School.{{Cite web |title=Cincinnati priest arrested and indicted for sexually abusing minor |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/42054/cincinnati-priest-arrested-and-indicted-for-sexually-abusing-minor |website=Catholic News Agency}}{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Dan |date=August 20, 2019 |title='We were stunned': Church officials say they were blindsided by priest's rape charges |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/20/priest-arraigned-wednesday-cincinnati-church-stunned-rape-charges/2065460001/ |website=The Enquirer}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/videos/news/2019/08/21/bond-set-5-million-cincinnati-priest-accused-raping-alter-boy/2071575001/|title=Bond set at $5 million for Cincinnati Priest accused of raping altar boy|website=The Enquirer}} He pleaded guilty in December 2021 and was sentenced to seven years in prison.{{Cite web |last1=Baker |first1=Jennifer Edwards |last2=Goffinet |first2=Jared |last3=Medina |first3=Andrea |date=2021-12-02 |title=Cincinnati priest pleads guilty to raping altar boy, gets 7 years in deal with prosecutors |url=https://www.fox19.com/2021/04/23/father-drew-rape-trial-delayed-again-7/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=fox19.com |language=en}}
Religious orders and congregations
Members of religious orders and congregations staff schools and parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and serve in a variety of social service roles. Sarah Peter, a prominent Catholic convert and philanthropist, helped finance the relocation of many religious sisters from Europe to Cincinnati during the 19th century.{{Cite web |title=The Mother of the Church in Cincinnati {{!}} Archdiocese of Cincinnati |url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/96853/the-mother-of-the-church-in-cincinnati/ |access-date=2020-10-07 |website=www.catholiccincinnati.org}}
These are the women's religious orders:
- Sisters of Charity
- Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
- Precious Blood Sisters
- Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
- Sisters of Mercy
- Little Sisters of the Poor
- Ursulines
- Sisters of St. Joseph
These are the men's congregations and religious orders:
Churches
{{Main|List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati}}
Bishops
=Bishops of Cincinnati=
- Edward Fenwick (1822–1832)
- John Baptist Purcell (1833–1850), elevated to Archbishop
=Metropolitan Archbishops of Cincinnati=
- John Baptist Purcell (1850–1883)
- William Henry Elder (1883–1903; coadjutor archbishop 1880–1883)
- Henry K. Moeller (1903–1925; coadjutor archbishop 1903)
- Joseph Chartrand (Appointed 1925, did not take effect) - John Timothy McNicholas (1925–1950)
- Karl Joseph Alter (1950–1969)
- Paul Francis Leibold (1969–1972)
- Joseph Bernardin (1972–1982), appointed Archbishop of Chicago (Cardinal in 1983)
- Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1982–2009)
- Dennis Marion Schnurr (2009–2025; coadjutor archbishop 2008–2009)
- Robert Gerald Casey (2025-present)
=Former auxiliary bishops=
- Sylvester Horton Rosecrans (1861–1868), appointed Bishop of Columbus
- Joseph H. Albers (1929–1937), appointed Bishop of Lansing
- George John Rehring (1937–1950), appointed Bishop of Toledo
- Clarence George Issenmann (1954–1957), appointed Bishop of Columbus
- Paul Francis Leibold (1958–1966), appointed Bishop of Evansville and later Archbishop of Cincinnati (see above)
- Edward Anthony McCarthy (1965–1969), appointed Bishop of Phoenix and later Coadjutor Archbishop and Archbishop of Miami
- Nicholas Thomas Elko (1970–1985)
- Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1974–1982) appointed Archbishop of Cincinnati (see above)
- James Henry Garland (1984–1992) appointed Bishop of Marquette
- Carl Kevin Moeddel (1993–2007)
- Joseph R. Binzer (2011–2020)
=Other diocesan priests who became bishops=
- John Martin Henni, Bishop and later Archbishop of Milwaukee (1829–1843)
- Henry Damian Juncker, Bishop of Alton (1834–1857)
- Joshua Maria Young, Bishop of Erie (1838–1853)
- John Baptist Lamy, Vicar Apostolic of New Mexico and later Bishop and Archbishop of Santa Fe (1838–1850)
- James Frederick Bryan Wood, Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop and Archbishop of Philadelphia (1844–1857)
- John Henry Luers, Bishop of Fort Wayne (1846–1857)
- Caspar Henry Borgess, Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of Detroit (1848–1870)
- Richard Gilmour, Bishop of Cleveland (1852–1872)
- John Quinlan, Bishop of Mobile (1852–1859)
- Augustus Toebbe, Bishop of Covington (1854–1869)
- Joseph Gregory Dwenger, Bishop of Fort Wayne (1859–1867)
- Henry Richter, Bishop of Grand Rapids (1865–1883)
- Francis Beckman, appointed Bishop of Lincoln and later Archbishop of Dubuque (1902–1923)
- Urban John Vehr, Bishop and later Archbishop of Denver (1915–1931)
- Francis Augustine Thill, Bishop of Salina (1920–1938) (He became Bishop of Concordia in 1938, and was still in office there when the diocese name was changed from Concordia to Salina in 1944.)
- Anthony John King Mussio, Bishop of Steubenville (1935–1945)
- Christopher Cardone, Bishop of Auki later Archbishop of Honiara (1986–1988)
- John Joseph Kaising, Auxiliary Bishop for the Military Services, USA (1962–2000)
- Robert Daniel Conlon, Bishop of Steubenville and later Bishop of Joliet (1977–2002)
- Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus (2022–present)
Education
The archdiocese administers 110 associated parochial schools and diocesan elementary schools.{{cite web |title=A Portrait and A History |url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/about-us-2/a-protrait/ |access-date=2016-03-04 |publisher=Archdiocese of Cincinnati}}{{cite web |title=Did You Know? |url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/about-us-2/did-you-know/ |access-date=2016-03-04 |publisher=Archdiocese of Cincinnati}}
As of 2021, over 73,000 students were enrolled in the archdiocese's 115 schools, making it the sixth largest Catholic school system in the United States.{{cite web |date=2011-09-13 |title=Initial Assessment Report |url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CN_Final%20Report_Public_092311.pdf |access-date=2011-10-28 |work=Lighting the Way: A Vision for Catholic School Education for Catholic Schools |publisher=ACE Consulting, University of Notre Dame |page=36 |quote= |ref={{sfnref|ACE Consulting|2011}}}}{{cite news |last=Amos |first=Denise Smith |date=7 October 2011 |title=Catholic schools seek to add pupils |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111006/NEWS0102/110070364/Catholic-schools-seek-add-pupils |access-date=2011-10-28 |quote=}}{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Website |url=https://catholicaoc.org/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Archdiocese of Cincinnati |language=en-US}} In Hamilton County, where most private schools were run by the archdiocese, nearly a quarter of students (36,684 as of 2007) attended private schools, a rate only second to St. Louis County in Missouri.{{cite news| title=Tristaters put stock in private schools| first=Ken| last=Alltucker|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=2002-10-20| page=A1| access-date=2007-10-21| url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/10/20/loc_privschool20coming.html}}
The 23 Catholic high schools in the region operated under varying degrees of archdiocesan control. Several were owned and operated by the archdiocese, while other interparochial schools were run by groups of parishes under archdiocesan supervision. Most of the interparochial and non-archdiocesan high schools were operated by religious institutes.{{cite news |last=Amos |first=Denise Smith |date=2011-03-11 |title=Q&A with James Rigg, superintendent of schools |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110310/NEWS0102/103110359/1058/NEWS0102/Questions-surround-Archdiocese-schools-plan |access-date=2011-03-18 |quote=}}
Most of the schools' athletic teams belonged to the Greater Catholic League, which consisted of a co-ed division, the Girls Greater Cincinnati League, and a division for all-male schools.{{cite news| title=GCL formally announces new 18-school alignment| first=Rick| last=Cassano| work=Dayton Daily News| date=August 12, 2013| access-date=August 16, 2013| url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/sports/gcl-formally-announces-new-18-school-alignment/nZMfb/}}
The archdiocese also included 92 parochial and diocesan elementary schools, with a combined enrollment of 30,312, as of 2011 {{harv|ACE Consulting|2011|p=91}}. These schools were in the urban and suburban areas of Cincinnati and Dayton, as well as some of the smaller towns within the archdiocesan boundaries. Each parochial school is owned and operated by its parish, rather than by the archdiocese's Catholic Schools Office.
In March 2011, the archdiocese announced its intention of eventually unifying the schools under one school system.{{cite news |last=Amos |first=Denise Smith |date=2011-03-10 |title=Archdiocese moves to unify 113 schools |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110309/NEWS0102/103100332/ |access-date=2011-03-18 |quote=}} {{As of|2015}}, the interim superintendent of Catholic Schools was Susie Gibbons.{{cite news| title=Archdiocese announces interim superintendent| work=The Catholic Telegraph| date=September 2, 2015| access-date=October 12, 2015| url=http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/archdiocese-announces-interim-superintendent/26339}}
The archdiocese sponsors the Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West seminary in Cincinnati.
= Superintendents =
- Carl J. Ryan (1941–1964){{cite news| title=The First Six Years Are Important| work=Ocala Star-Banner All Florida Magazine| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19580323&id=JLBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6QQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3576,903104&hl=en| date=March 23, 1958| first=Marion| last=Rubinstein| volume=6| number=10| page=3| access-date=2016-03-03}}{{cite news| title=School Overflow Big Problem| last=Ford| first=Harvey| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19641006&id=3SoNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g2wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7517,707532&hl=en| work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| page=5| date=6 October 1964| access-date=2016-03-04}}
- Herman H. Kenning (1970–1974){{cite press release| title=Former School Superintendent, Chaplain Dead At 90| publisher=Archdiocese of Cincinnati| url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/news/press-release-archives/2008-press-releases/may-2008/former-school-superintendent-chaplain-dead-at-90/| date=9 May 2008| access-date=2016-03-04}}
- Kathryn Ann Connelly (1983–2002){{cite news| title=Nun to Head schools in Cincinnati Diocese| date=19 May 1983| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19830519&id=ekdPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JwMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5961,5985241&hl=en| work=Toledo Blade| agency=Associated Press| access-date=2016-03-04}}{{cite web| title=Features: Meet Our Sisters - S. Kathryn Ann Connelly| publisher=Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati| url=http://www.srcharitycinti.org/news_events/meet_connelly.htm| author=S. Mary Bodde| access-date=2016-03-04}}
- Joseph Kamis (2002–2010){{cite press release| title=Catholic School Chief to Leave Post| url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/news/press-release-archives/2009-press-releases/november-2009/catholic-school-chief-to-leave-post/| date=13 November 2009| publisher=Archdiocese of Cincinnati| access-date=2016-03-04}}
- Jim Riggs (2010–2015){{cite press release| title=Dr. Jim Rigg Leaving as School Superintendent| publisher=Archdiocese of Cincinnati| url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/news/press-releases/august-2015/dr-jim-rigg-leaving-as-school-superintendent/| date=27 August 2015| access-date=2016-03-04}}
- Susie Gibbons (2015–2023)
- Matthew J. Daniels (2024-Present)
Media
=Publications=
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati publishes a monthly magazine, The Catholic Telegraph. Founded as a weekly newspaper in 1831, it is the oldest diocesan newspaper and second oldest Catholic newspaper in the United States. The Telegraph converted to a magazine format in 2020. Its defunct sister newspaper, Der Wahrheitsfreund, was the first German Catholic newspaper in the country.
The national magazine St. Anthony Messenger is published in Cincinnati by the Franciscan Friars with the archdiocese's ecclesiastical approval.
=Radio stations=
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2019}}
Several area Catholic radio stations, owned by separate entities, serve the archdiocese:
- WNOP 740 AM Licensed to Newport, Kentucky. "Sacred Heart Radio" plus a sister station
- WHSS 89.5 FM in Hamilton, a repeater of WNOP.
- WULM 1600 AM located in Springfield "Radio Maria" (based at KJMJ in Alexandria, Louisiana) serving portions of the Dayton area: a fifty-mile radius in the daytime. (ten mile radius at night) plus a sister station:
- WHJM 88.7 FM licensed in Anna, transmitting from Botkins with a live studio located in Minster. It serves a forty-mile radius within the Upper Miami Valley and southern portions of the Lima area. Radio Maria also streams on the internet
- WLRU-LP 106.9 FM in Hillsboro.
Other stations reach into portions of the archdiocese:
- WVSG 820 AM located in Columbus "St. Gabriel Radio" (the former WOSU (AM)).
- WRDF 106.3 FM licensed in Columbia City, Indiana with studio in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as "Redeemer Radio" plus an audio stream.
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://catholicaoc.org/ Archdiocese of Cincinnati Official Site]
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati}}
{{Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati}}
{{R-C provinces in the United States}}{{Authority control}}
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