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Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse

Coordinates: 43°02′45.7″N 76°08′58.7″W / 43.046028°N 76.149639°W / 43.046028; -76.149639
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This article is about the diocese in the American state of New York. For the diocese in Italy, see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Siracusa.
Diocese of Syracuse

Diœcesis Syracusensis
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
Territory5,479 square miles (14,190 km2) in Central New York (Counties of Onondaga, Oneida, Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, and Oswego, New York)
MetropolitanArchdiocese of New York
Statistics
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2020)
1,186,894
342,361[1] (28.8%)
Parishes116
Schools21
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedNovember 26, 1886; 138 years ago (1886-11-26)
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Patron saintOur Lady of the Immaculate Conception[2]
Secular priests180
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopDouglas Lucia
Metropolitan ArchbishopTimothy M. Dolan
Vicar GeneralJohn J. Kurgan
Bishops emeritusRobert J. Cunningham
Map
Website
syracusediocese.org
Historic Old St. John's in Utica

The Diocese of Syracuse (Latin: Diœcesis Syracusensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Upstate New York in the United States. Its episcopal see is located in Syracuse. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York.

On June 4, 2019, Pope Francis appointed Douglas Lucia to be the next Bishop of Syracuse.[3] Lucia was consecrated to the episcopacy and installed as bishop on August 8, 2019.

Territory

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The Diocese of Syracuse includes seven counties:

History

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1600 to 1700

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The first Catholic missionary, Simon Le Moyne, traveled to central New York in 1654 during a brief truce between the French and the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy. He was well suited for the expedition given his fluency in both the Huron (Wyandot) and Haudenosaunee languages. He left Quebec City in the French colony of New France to travel to the upper Mohawk Valley. During his 1654 visit, Onondaga Native Americans showed Le Moyne a spring that they believed to be cursed; he immediately recognized as a harmless salt spring.[4]

In another visit to the area in 1656, Reverend Pierre-Joseph-Marie Chaumonot and Reverend Claude Dablon laid the groundwork to build Sainte Marie among the Iroquois near present-day Syracuse. It was a sizable mission, housing about seven Jesuit priests. and 50 French workmen.

In 1658, the French were forced to abandon Sainte Marie due to fears of an attacks by Mohawk/Haudenosaunee tribesmen. Additional missions in the area were undertaken later by both Jesuit and Sulpicians missionaries.

After the Dutch ceded their colony of New Amsterdam (New York) to the British in 1667, political tensions started rising in central New York. The British and French began disputing the territory, leading them to incite their allies, the French-allied Wyandot and the British allied Haudenosaunee, to fight each other. This situation led to rivalries, atrocities, and reprisals between the two Native American nations. This situation made it difficult for missionaries to safely maintain and continue their missions.

1700 to 1800

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Just before the year 1700, the colonial legislature under Governor Bellomont passed laws banning Catholics in the British Province of New York, which included all of Upstate New York. One law mandated a life sentence to any Catholic priest. The penalty for harboring a Catholic was a £250 fine plus three days in the pillory. As a result, Catholic missionaries left the province. The last Jesuit missionary to the Iroquois surrendered at Albany in 1709.[5] Great Britain gained full legal control over this territory with the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1763) at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War.

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.

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] An early Catholic in the central New Region was Dominick Lynch, the founder of Rome. Lynch signed an address of congratulations by American Catholics to George Washington upon his election as American president in 1789.[7]

1800 to 1886

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On April 8, 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of New York, taking all of New York State from the Diocese of Baltimore.

It took many decades before Catholics in central New York were able to build churches again. Catholic churches would be built in central New York. There were very few Catholics settled there, and only a small number of them could make the journey to Albany or New York City to attend mass. John C. Devereux, the first mayor of Utica, was a board member of St. Mary's Church in Albany.

The population of Catholics swelled when teams of Irish Catholics arrived to construct the Erie Canal, and also when the opening of the canal increased trade, commerce, and additional immigration. Reverend Paul McQuade, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Albany from 1813 to 1815, frequently visited Utica, and probably celebrated Masses there in private homes. The first public mass in Utica was celebrated in the courthouse on January 10, 1819.[7] The first new Catholic church in the region, St. John's, was constructed in Utica in 1821. With the advent of railroads in the region, even more Catholic immigrants started moving there.

In 1847, recognizing the population growth in Upstate New York, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Albany, including all of the current territory of the Diocese of Syracuse.

1886 to 1923

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In 1886, Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of Syracuse, taking its territory from the Diocese of Albany. The pope named Monsignor Patrick Ludden of Albany as the first bishop of Syracuse.[8] St. John the Evangelist Church was selected to serve as the first cathedral. At the time of Ludden's arrival, the diocese contained 70,000 Catholics, 74 priests, 46 parishes, 20 mission churches, and 16 parochial schools.[9][7] He selected St. Mary's Church in Syracuse as his new cathedral in 1903, and dedicated it in September 1910.[7] In 1909, Reverend John Grimes of Albany was appointed as coadjutor bishop of the diocese by Pope Pius X to assist Ludden.[7]

By the time of Ludden's death in 1912, the diocese had a Catholic population over 150,000, with 129 priests, 80 parishes, 36 mission churches, and 21 parochial schools.[9] Grimes automatically became the second bishop of Syracuse after Ludden died. Grimes served in Syracuse until his death in 1922.[10]

1923 to 1970

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Daniel Curley of the Archdiocese of New York was the next bishop of Syracuse, appointed by Pope Pius XI in 1923. During Curley's tenure, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 173,200 to 201,152.[11] He established a Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 28 parishes, 18 schools, the Loretto Rest facility, and Lourdes Hospital. At his invitation, the Sisters of Perpetual Rosary opened the first home for cloistered nuns in Syracuse.[12] Curley died in 1932.

In 1933, Monsignor John A. Duffy of the Diocese of Newark was appointed the fourth bishop of Syracuse by Pius XI. In 1934, when fan dancer Sally Rand was scheduled to appear in Syracuse, Duffy commented, "I must regard the presence of the Rand woman on the stage as an act of public defiance of the Catholic people of Syracuse."[13] Four years later in 1937, Pius XI named Duffy as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo.

To replace Duffy, Pius IX named Monsignor Walter Foery of the Diocese of Rochester as the next bishop of Syracuse in 1937. In 1959, he expressed "shock and deep regret" that the Syracuse Metropolitan Health Council had admitted Planned Parenthood.[14] After 33 years as bishop, Foery retired in 1970.

1970 to present

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Auxiliary David Cunningham of Syracuse replaced Foery in 1970, named by Pope Paul VI. Cunningham retired six years later and Paul VI named Auxiliary Bishop Francis Harrison of Syracuse to replace him. Harrison practiced a collegial manner of governing, and worked to include laity and especially women in the diocesan affairs.[15] He launched diocesan programs for African Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans, and the disabled.[16] He once played a game of golf with comedian Bob Hope, who later recorded a radio ad for the diocese's first HOPE Appeal, an annual fundraiser Harrison started in 1978.[17] Harrison resigned in 1987.

Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph O'Keefe of the Archdiocese of New York as the next bishop of Syracuse. O'Keefe served in Syracuse until his retirement in 1995. The same pope then selected Monsignor James Moynihan of the Diocese of Rochester to succeed O'Keefe as bishop. In 1998, Moynihan removed Reverend Richard McBrien as a columnist for the diocesan newspaper, replacing him with writer George Weigel; this action dismayed some members of the diocesan clergy.[18] In November 2001 he released a pastoral letter to the people of Syracuse entitled: Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry. Moynihan was a founding member of the Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation, named after Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

After Moynihan retired in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI selected Bishop Robert J. Cunningham of the Diocese of Ogdensburg as the next bishop of Syracuse. He retired in 2018.

The current bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse is Douglas Lucia, formerly a priest of the Diocese of Ogdensburg. He was named by Pope Francis in 2019.[19][20][21]

Sex abuse scandals and bankruptcy

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In a 2011 legal deposition, Bishop Cunningham made statements about the victims of sex abuse describing them as "culpable" and "accomplices".[22] In 2015, when those statements became public, Cunningham made this comment:

"It is obvious that my choice of words should have been better. Bottom line is, I cannot go back and change my words but I can assure you that I did not believe the individual involved in the case was at fault." He also repeatedly reiterated that he doesn't believe children are responsible for being abused.[23]

In June 2020, Bishop Lucia announced that the diocese had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due the cost of lawsuits from hundreds of sexual abuse cases.. Lucia said he decided on bankruptcy to keep the diocese solvent and ensure that all the alleged victims got something for their lawsuits.[24] Just days before the bankruptcy filing, 38 plaintiffs filed new sex abuse lawsuits under the New York Child Victims Act.[25]

In December 2024, priest Nathan Brooks, who once served at parishes in Cortland County, New York, pled guilty to Endangering the Welfare of a Child and was sentenced in Homer Town Court to a term of probation supervision, counseling, and a full stay-away order; Brooks also faced a charge of forcible touching a minor over several years, but the family said it was satisfied with the resolution on the endangering charge.[26][27][28] Cortland County District Attorney Patrick noted that in addition to violating the law, Brooks violated the policies of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.[28]

Bishops

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Bishops of Syracuse

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  1. Patrick Anthony Ludden (1886–1912)[29]
  2. John Grimes (1912–1922)
  3. Daniel Joseph Curley (1923–1932)
  4. John A. Duffy (1933–1937), appointed Bishop of Buffalo
  5. Walter Andrew Foery (1937–1970)
  6. David Frederick Cunningham (1970–1975)
  7. Francis James Harrison (1977–1987)
  8. Joseph Thomas O'Keefe (1987–1995)
  9. James Michael Moynihan (1995–2009)
  10. Robert J. Cunningham (2009–2019)
  11. Douglas Lucia (2019–present)

Former auxiliary bishops

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Thomas Joseph Costello (1978–2004)

High schools

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See also

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Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1886
Escutcheon
The diocesan arms consists of a blue field with a gold (yellow) Latin cross. Entwined around the cross is a silver (white) dolphin. To the upper left is a silver (white) crescent.
Symbolism
The blue field with the gold cross represents the quality of faith. The dolphin comes from a coin minted in the ancient Greek city of Syracuse in Sicily. The crescent honors Mary, mother of Jesus, in her title of the Immaculate Conception.

References

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  1. ^ "Congregational Membership Reports | US Religion". www.thearda.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  2. ^ "Episcopal Arms". The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "News » Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse". Archived from the original on 2019-06-04.
  4. ^ "Le Moyne, Simon". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  5. ^ "Mareuil, Pierre de". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  6. ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Archdiocese of New York". New Advent. Archived from the original on 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2006-01-21.
  7. ^ a b c d e Lynch, James (1912). "Syracuse". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ "Bishop Patrick Anthony Ludden". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2023-04-09.[self-published source]
  9. ^ a b Historical Records and Studies. United States Catholic Historical Society. 1899.
  10. ^ "Bishop Grimes". The Catholic Telegraph. Vol. LXXXXI, no. 32. 10 August 1922 – via The Catholic News Archive.
  11. ^ "Bishop Curley Of Syracuse Is Dead". The Catholic Transcript. Vol. XXXV, no. 10. 11 August 1932 – via The Catholic News Archive.
  12. ^ "Most Rev. Daniel Joseph Curley". Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse. Archived from the original on 2009-06-09.
  13. ^ "Legion of Decency (Cont'd)". TIME Magazine. 1934-07-12. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008.
  14. ^ "BISHOP WALTER FOERY, 87, LED DIOCESE OF SYRACUSE". The New York Times. 1978-05-11.
  15. ^ Gadoua, Renee K. (2004-05-08). "850 Bid Goodbye To Bishop". The Post-Standard.
  16. ^ Gadoua, Renee K. (2004-05-02). "Retired Bishop Harrison Dies". The Post-Standard.
  17. ^ Gadoua, Renee K. (2004-05-03). "Bishop Fondly Remembered". The Post-Standard.
  18. ^ Lefevere, Patricia (February 13, 1998). "Bishop sacks liberal column, diocesan priests fight back". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 2007-06-23.
  19. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 04.06.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. June 4, 2019. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  20. ^ "Pope Francis Names Rev. Douglas Lucia as New Bishop of Syracuse; Accepts the Resignation of Bishop Robert Cunningham". Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "Pope Francis Appoints New Bishop For Syracuse". Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  22. ^ O'Brien, John (September 13, 2015). "Child victims partly to blame in priest sex-abuse cases, Syracuse bishop testified". Syracuse, NY: Syracuse.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  23. ^ "Bishop Cunningham clarifies remarks about victims of sexual abuse by priests". Syracuse, NY: Local SYR. September 13, 2015. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Syracuse Catholic Diocese's move shifts sex abuse claims against priests to bankruptcy court". Syracuse.com. June 19, 2020. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  25. ^ McMahon, Julie (June 19, 2020). "Syracuse Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy". Syracuse.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  26. ^ "Syracuse Catholic Diocese priest charged with forcibly touching minor over several years," Syracuse.com.
  27. ^ "Priest sentenced after plea in Homer sex abuse case," Cortland Standard.
  28. ^ a b "Priest pleads guilty to Endangering the Welfare of a Child in Cortland County," CNY Central.
  29. ^ History of the Diocese of Syracuse. 1909. p. 25. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29.
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43°02′45.7″N 76°08′58.7″W / 43.046028°N 76.149639°W / 43.046028; -76.149639

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