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Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre

Coordinates: 40°39′48″N 73°38′13″W / 40.66333°N 73.63694°W / 40.66333; -73.63694
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Diocese of Rockville Centre

Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa
St. Agnes Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryLong Island, New York
Ecclesiastical provinceNew York
Statistics
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2014)
2,851,977
1,531,445[1] (53.7%)
Parishes134
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 6, 1957
CathedralSt. Agnes Cathedral
Patron saintSaint Agnes[2]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopJohn Barres
Metropolitan ArchbishopTimothy M. Dolan
Auxiliary Bishops
Bishops emeritus
Map
Website
drvc.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre (Latin: Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Long Island region of New York State in the United States. It is asuffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York.

The current bishop is John Barres. The cathedral is St. Agnes Cathedral, in Rockville Centre, New York. Founded in 1957, this diocese was created from territory that once belonged to the Diocese of Brooklyn. It includes all of Nassau and Suffolk counties except for Fishers Island, which is part of the Diocese of Norwich. As of 2005, it the sixth-largest Catholic diocese in the United States, currently serving approximately 1.5 million people in 134 parishes.[3]

History

Early history

During the Dutch and British rule of the Province of New York in the 17th and 18th centuries, Catholics were banned from the colony.[4] Richard Coote, the first colonial governor, passed a law at the end of the 17th century that mandated a life sentence to any Catholic priest. The penalty for harboring a Catholic was a £250 fine plus three days in the pillory. In 1763, Catholic Bishop Richard Challoner of London stated that:

“...in New York, one may find a Catholic here and there, but they have no opportunity of practicing their religion as no priest visits them, and … there is not much likelihood that Catholic priests will be permitted to enter these provinces."[5]

After the approval of the New York Constitution in 1777, freedom of worship for Catholics was guaranteed. This was soon followed by the same guarantee in the US Constitution.

1784 to 1957

On November 26, 1784, Pope Pius VI erected the Apostolic Prefecture of United States of America, including all of the new United States. On November 6, 1789, the same pope raised this prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore.[6] On April 8, 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of New York, taking all of New York State from the Diocese of Baltimore.

Catholic priests started appearing in Long Island in the mid-19th century, founding missions and parishes. The first Catholic Church in Nassau County was St. Brigid in Westbury, founded in 1840.[7] The first resident priest in Suffolk County arrived in Sag Harbor in 1852 to provide support to Irish Catholic families working on the railroads.[8]

The Diocese of Brooklyn was erected by Pope Pius IX in 1853 with territory from the Archdiocese of New York. All of Long Island would remain part of the new diocese for the next 104 years.

1957 to 2000

Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Rockville Centre on April 6, 1957, taking Nassau and Suffolk counties from the Diocese of Brooklyn. The pope named Bishop Walter P. Kellenberg of the Diocese of Ogdensburg as the first bishop of the new diocese. [9] St. Agnes Cathedral was designated as the diocesan cathedral. Kellenberg founded the diocese's Catholic Charities office in 1957.[10] He resigned in 1976.

Kellenberg was followed by Auxiliary Bishop John McGann, named by Pope Paul VI in 1976. In 1984, the diocese closed its minor seminary, St. Pius X Preparatory, in Uniondale. Pope John Paul II in 1999 appointed Bishop James T. McHugh from the Diocese of Camden as a coadjutor bishop in Rockville Centre to assist McGann.

2000 to 2010

After McGann retired in January 2000, McHugh automatically succeeded him as bishop. However, only 11 months later, McHugh died in December 2000. John Paul II then appointed Auxiliary Bishop William Murphy of the Archdiocese of Boston as the next bishop of Rockville Centre.

Soon after Murphy's installation as bishop in 2001, he decided that his private quarters in the cathedral rectory were inadequate. He complained that they lacked privacy and sufficient space to entertain visiting clergy. Murphy decided to use the top floor of an old convent building at the cathedral for a new apartment. The diocese had been planning to create rooms for nuns on that floor, but Murphy asked them to accept different accommodations. The Murphy apartment ended up costing the diocese $800,000.[11] As news of the project cost became public, Murphy invited a Newsday reporter and photographer to tour the apartment. They reported that it included a large suite with a new fireplace with an oak mantel, a temperature-controlled wine storage cabinet, and a marble floored bathroom.[11]

In 2003, 52 priests requested a meeting with Murphy. In a letter, the priests spoke of anger and dissatisfaction within the diocese and "a certain lack of confidence in your pastoral leadership." They also complained about Murphy's management style, the cost of his new apartment, the sexual abuse scandal in Boston[12] and his ban against Long Island Voice of the Faithful.[13][14]

2010 to present

In 2011, Murphy announced the closing of six Catholic elementary schools in the diocese:

In 2012, the Archdiocese of New York and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre merged all their seminary programs. The minor seminary program was to be at the Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Queens and the major seminary program at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. As as result, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harbor closed that year.

Murphy retired in 2016. The current bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre is John Barres, the former bishop of the Diocese of Allentown. He was appointed by Pope Francis on January 31, 2017.

In October 2017, Barres announced the creation of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) for survivors of acts of child sexual abuse committed by clergy in the diocese. That same year, he created a video series on Telecare, the diocesan television network. Targeted to commuters, the series was entitled "The Catholic Spirituality of Commuter Delays."[16]

In June 2020, the diocese, which suffered significant financial damage from the COVID-19 pandemic, filed court documents stating its intention to file for bankruptcy if there was no pause in nearly 100 pending sex abuse lawsuits.[17][18][19][20] On October 1, 2020, Rockville Centre became the fourth diocese in New York State to declare bankruptcy.[21] An April 15, 2021, bankruptcy filing documents allegations against some former priests who hadn’t previously been publicly accused of abuse. In total, the diocese listed 101 accused clergy members, though a committee of unsecured creditors had published a list of 46 more names.[22]

Sex abuse

By August 2019, 68 clergy who served in the Diocese of Rockville Centre were "credibly accused" of committing acts of sex abuse.[23] Some were either convicted for their crimes or agreed to pay financial settlements.[23] Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston was named in a sex abuse lawsuit in New York. He was accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[24]Guglielmone denied the allegations. The diocese investigated the allegation and found it not credible.[25] On December 8, 2020, the Vatican concluded its investigation and determined Guglielmone to be innocent of the charges.[26]

Two unnamed women alleged in 2019 through an attorney that Bishop McGann, along with other clergy and diocesan personnel, of sexually abused them as children in the 1960s and '70s.

On May 8, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the 2019 New York Child Victims Act's statute of limitation deadline to file sex abuse lawsuits from August 14, 2020 to January 14, 2021.[27]On May 13, 2020, a Nassau County Supreme Court justice allowed pending lawsuits against the diocese to proceed. The justice rejected legal claims that the New York Child Victims Act violated due process.[28][29]

Bishops

Bishops of Rockville Centre

  1. Walter P. Kellenberg (1957–1976)
  2. John R. McGann (1976–2000)
  3. James T. McHugh (2000; coadjutor bishop 1998–2000)
  4. William F. Murphy (2001–2017)
  5. John O. Barres (2017–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

Former auxiliary bishops

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

Coat of Arms

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1957
Escutcheon
The arms of the Diocese of Rockville Centre is divided per saltire and is bordered by a bordure composed of wavy lines. The colors of the field within the bordure are gold and blue. Three of the four partitions formed by the saltire are emblazoned with a scallop shell. The top partition is filled with a lamb's head. A black roundel in the center of the shield with the three stones or rocks is present.
Symbolism
The arms is based on the history of Long Island and the etymology of the name Rockville Centre. The colors of the field within the bordure, gold and blue, appears on the coat of arms of King William III of the House of Nassau and on the arms which the county of Suffolk in England has used at times, these arms being those of Ipswich. Although there are more than 12 names for Long Island, the name generally preferred by the Indians of the mainland was Seawanhacky or "Island of Shells." The scallop shell is also truly heraldic, and a symbol which is often used to signify the flowing of water in the Sacrament of Baptism.

The wavy silver bordure is the heraldic equivalent of water and surrounding, as it does, the other charges, signifies the insular nature of the diocese. The lamb's head is the symbol of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr, the titular of the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. St. Agnes has been represented with a lamb, the symbol of innocence..

The black roundel in the center of the shield with the three stones or rocks affords canting arms for Rockville Centre. The black roundel is in the exact center of the shield. The three rocks or stones are derived from the coat of arms of Pope Pius XII, who established the new Diocese of Rockville Centre in April, 1957. The roundel is tinctured in black to represent the seventeenth century name of Brooklyn, from the diocese from which the See of Rockville Centre was separated. The black tincture represents the marshes, which recalled to the Dutch their homeland in Breuckelen in the Province of Utrecht. The Dutch who first settled Brooklyn called it "Breuck-Landt'" meaning "broken land,' or "marshland," inasmuch as a great deal of the land was broken up by patches of water.

Media

Catholic Faith Network, formerly known as "Telecare" was founded in 1969 by Monsignor Thomas Hartman of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York. CFn's programming includes live religious services, talk shows, devotional programs, educational programming, entertainment, and children's programs. It also presents coverage of special events at the Vatican and of papal journeys. It serves subscribers in three states.

In 2012 the diocesan weekly newspaper Long Island Catholic switched to a subscription-based monthly magazine.[30]

Educational institutions

See also: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
Seminary
High schools

As of 2019, there were nine Catholic high schools on Long Island.

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre began operating in 1957. In 1974, they opened a residence for the developmentally disabled in Valley Stream. As of 2019, there were thirteen such residences. A shelter for single mothers opened in 1968 and in 2009 expanded to include transitional housing. Catholic Charities is the one largest provider of affordable senior housing on Long Island, operating over 1,300 units.[31]

Catholic Health

Catholic Health, formerly Catholic Health Services of Long Island, was founded in 1997 and operates under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.[32] CHS operates six hospitals: Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, Saint Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, Saint Francis Hospital and Heart Center in Roslyn, and Saint Joseph Hospital in Bethpage.[33] The health system is the primary clinical affiliate and major teaching site of New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.[34] With 17,000 employees, CHS is the third-largest employer on Long Island.[35] In 2021, CHSLI's name was changed to Catholic Health to reflect an expanded range of services and its connection to the medical school.[36]

Cemeteries

In 2016 the Diocese created a new corporation, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, to assume ownership of its cemeteries.

There are four major cemeteries administered by Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island:[37]

In addition, there are 21 parish churches within the diocese, 6 of which are managed by Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, and the remainder by the individual parishes.[37]

St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries, despite being located in East Farmingdale, is administered by the Diocese of Brooklyn rather than Rockville Centre.

References

  1. ^ Who We Are Archived 2017-03-18 at the Wayback Machine. Diocese of Rockville Centre. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  2. ^ "The Diocese of Rockville Centre Celebrates Patron, St. Agnes | the Diocese of Rockville Centre".
  3. ^ "1010 WINS - On-Air, Online, on Demand - LI Diocese Loses Sex Abuse Suit". Archived from the original on 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2005-12-14.
  4. ^ "Parish History (New)". Church of St. Patrick - Huntington, NY. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  5. ^ "Parish History (New)". Church of St. Patrick - Huntington, NY. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  6. ^ "Catholic Encyclopeida: Archdiocese of New York". New Advent. Archived from the original on 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2006-01-21.
  7. ^ Cipollone, Alex. "A Short History of our Parish". Saint Brigid's Catholic Church. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  8. ^ "The Immigrant Church: St. Patrick's" (PDF). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Church Hierarchy". Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  10. ^ ""Celebrating 60 Years" Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre" (PDF). Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "One bishop's high cost of living". www.natcath.org. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  12. ^ New York Times: "Priests Say Murphy Takes a First Step' January 25, 2004
  13. ^ Voice of the Faithful: Our Request To Bishop Murphy to Resign July 29, 2003
  14. ^ New York Times: "Can a Mediator Heal the Rift in the Diocese?" March 19, 2006
  15. ^ "6 Catholic schools on Long Island to close". The Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. 6 December 2011.
  16. ^ "The Most Reverend John Oliver Barres, S.T.D., J.C.L., D.D.", The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre". January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "Diocese of Rockville Centre threatens bankruptcy if judge doesn't pause child sex abuse suits". longisland.news12.com. June 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "Rockville Centre diocese faces bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits". Catholic News Agency. June 15, 2020.
  19. ^ Nossa, Jill (June 18, 2020). "Diocese of Rockville Centre faces bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits". Herald Community Newspapers.
  20. ^ Boniello, Kathianne (13 June 2020). "Diocese of Rockville Centre threatens bankruptcy in face of child sex-abuse lawsuits".
  21. ^ "Rockville Centre is fourth NY diocese to file for bankruptcy". Catholic World Report. October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  22. ^ Parpan, Grant (28 April 2021). "New Diocese list of abusers includes 16 former local priests". The Suffolk Times.
  23. ^ a b "Database of Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse". app.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  24. ^ Smith, Glenn; Hobbs, Stephen; Moore, Thad. "Bishop of Charleston Diocese accused of sexual abuse in new lawsuit from NY". Post and Courier. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  25. ^ "Bishop of Charleston Diocese accused of sexual abuse in new lawsuit from NY".
  26. ^ CNA. "Charleston Catholic Bishop cleared by Vatican over child sexual abuse claim". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  27. ^ Pozarycki, Robert (May 8, 2020). "Time limit extended for sex abuse victims to file claims under New York Child Victims Act". amNewYork. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  28. ^ Tarinelli, Ryan (May 13, 2020). "Child Victims Act Does Not Violate Diocese's Due Process Right, Nassau Justice Rules". New York Law Journal. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  29. ^ Harris, Cayla (May 13, 2020). "Judge throws out constitutional challenge to Child Victims Act". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  30. ^ "Rockville Centre diocese converts newspaper to monthly magazine". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  31. ^ "About Us". www.catholiccharities.cc. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  32. ^ https://www.chsli.org/about-chs Catholic Health Services of Long Island: About CHS
  33. ^ https://www.chsli.org/hospitals Catholic Health Services of Long Island: Hospitals
  34. ^ "Clinical Education Institutions | College of Osteopathic Medicine | New York Tech". www.nyit.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  35. ^ "Long Island's largest employers". Newsday.
  36. ^ "Catholic Health. Experts in medicine, leaders in care. | CHSLI". www.chsli.org. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  37. ^ a b "Map of Long Island Catholic Cemeteries" (PDF). Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island. Retrieved 2021-07-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

40°39′48″N 73°38′13″W / 40.66333°N 73.63694°W / 40.66333; -73.63694

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