Cleveland
JurisdictionDiocese
LatinDioecesis Clevelandensis
CountryUnited States
TerritoryThe counties of Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne in northeastern Ohio.
ProvinceCincinnati
Area3,414 sq mi
Population2,774,113
Population as of2019
Catholics682,948
Catholics percent24
Parishes185
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 23, 1847 (179 years ago)
CathedralCathedral of St. John the Evangelist
PatronSt. John the Evangelist
BishopEdward Charles Malesic
Metro archbishopRobert Gerald Casey
Auxiliary bishopsMichael G. Woost
Emeritus bishopsRoger William Gries (O.S.B.)[1]
Websitedioceseofcleveland.org

The Diocese of Cleveland (Latin: Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. The bishop is Edward Malesic. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, located in Cleveland, is the mother church.

Territory

The Diocese of Cleveland encompasses the counties of Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, and Wayne.[citation needed]

History

Early history

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, there were 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.[2][3]

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. Pope Pius VII on June 19, 1821, erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking all of Ohio from Bardstown.[4]

Diocese of Cleveland

1840 to 1870

Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Cleveland on April 23, 1847, with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. At that point, the diocese included counties going west to Toledo and south to Youngstown He named Louis Rappe as the first bishop of Cleveland.

When Rappe took office, the diocese contained 42 churches and 21 priests; the first and only Catholic church in Cleveland was St. Mary's on the Flats.[5] He soon established the city's first parochial school, which doubled as a chapel.[6]

Rappe purchased an episcopal residence in 1848. He converted a frame house on the property into St. Mary's Seminary.[7] Rappe also laid the cornerstone of St. John's Cathedral in 1848. In 1849, Rappe went to Europe to recruit clergy for the diocese. He returned in 1850 with four priests, five seminarians, two Sisters of Charity and six Ursuline nuns.[8] The Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary opened St. Mary's Orphan Asylum for Females in 1851. Rappe in 1852 organized the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine, a new religious institute in Cleveland. That same year, the sisters opened St. Joseph's Hospital, the first general hospital in Cleveland[9][10][11]

Rappe consecrated St. John's Cathedral on November 7, 1852. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine opened St. Vincent's Asylum for Boys in 1852.[12] He also introduced the Grey Nuns to the diocese in 1856.

In 1865, Rappe established St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland.[13] He brought in the Good Shepherd Sisters (1869), the Little Sisters of the Poor (1870), the Friars Minor (1867) and the Jesuits (1869)[8][9] Rappe retired in 1870 after 33 years as bishop of Cleveland.

1870 to 1900

In 1872, Pope Pius IX appointed Richard Gilmour as the second bishop of Cleveland. In 1873, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine opened St. Ann's Hospital in Cleveland for maternity patients and newborn babies.[10]

As bishop, Gilmour founded The Catholic Universe newspaper in 1874. In 1877, the Cuyahoga County auditor announced plans to tax Catholic churches and schools. Gilmour fought the auditor in court, winning his case six years later.[14] He was also wary of the public school system.[15] He established St. Ann's Asylum and Maternity Home,[16] St. Michael Hospital,[17] and St. John Hospital.

In 1882, Gilmour condemned the Ladies Land League chapter in Cleveland. Founded in Ireland, the League was a women's organization that assisted tenants facing eviction.[18] After Gilmour died in 1891, Pope Leo XIII named Ignatius Horstmann of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as the new bishop of Cleveland.

Horstmann founded the following institutions in the diocese:

  • Loyola High School in Cleveland (1902),
  • St. John's College in Toledo (1898),
  • St. Anthony Home for Working Boys in Cleveland.
  • The Catherine Horstmann Home in Cleveland for homeless women[19]

In the early 1890s, Horstmann faced a schism within the Diocese of Cleveland. Polish parishioners at St. Stanislaus Parish in Cleveland, led by Anton Kolaszewski, were demanding more control over their parish and more sensitivity to their customs. Despite Horstmann's refusal, Kolaszewski continued to press for independence and accused the bishop of sexual abuse crimes.[20]

In 1892, Horstmann relieved Kolaszewski of his post. When the new pastor arrived at St. Stanislaus Church for his first mass, a brawl broke out among the parishioners. In 1894, a group of parishioners started a new independent parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary, with Kolaszewski as pastor; Horstmann excommunicated all of them. Years later, after the deaths of both men, the diocese accepted the new church.[20]

1900 to 1945

In 1907, Horstmann faced a second schism, this time with Slovenian Catholics. After removing Kasimir Zakrajsek as pastor of St. Vitus Parish in Cleveland, he faced violent protests. After the parish rectory was stoned, the replacement priest was forced to flee. Over 100 people were arrested. On September 22, 1907, 5,000 Polish protesters marched on Horstmann's residence, demanding Zakrajsek's reinstatement and home rule for St. Vitus.[21] Horstmann died in 1908.[22]

Pope Pius IX named John Farrelly of the Diocese of Nashville as bishop of Cleveland in 1909. The next year, Pius IX erected the Diocese of Toledo, removing the Toledo area counties from the Diocese of Cleveland. During his 12-year-long tenure as bishop, Farrelly improved the parochial school system; organized Catholic Charities; and erected 47 churches and schools, including Cathedral Latin High School in Chardon, Ohio.[23]

During World War I, Farrelly was appointed by Cleveland Mayor Harry L. Davis to the Cleveland War Commission.[24] Farrelly also ordered English to be spoken at all German-language churches and schools in the diocese.[25] Farrelly served as bishop until his death in 1921.

Bishop Joseph Schrembs of the Diocese of Toledo was appointed bishop of Cleveland in 1921 by Pope Pius XI. In 1925, the pope presented the relics of St. Christine to Schrembs. Christine, a 13-year-old girl who died for her Catholic faith around 300 AD, was moved from the Roman catacombs to St. John's Cathedral in Cleveland. The diocese had previously donated money to the Vatican for the establishment of the House of Catacombs outside Rome.[26][27][28] During his tenure, Schrembs erected 27 parishes in Cleveland and 35 outside the city. In 1942, as Schrembs' diabetes worsened, Pope Pius XII named Bishop Edward Hoban from the Diocese of Rockford as Schrembs' coadjutor bishop to help him with his duties.[29] In 1943, Pius XII erected the Diocese of Youngstown. taking counties from the Youngstown area away from the Diocese of Cleveland.

1945 to 1980

After Schrembs died in 1945, Hoban automatically succeeded him as bishop of Cleveland. As bishop, Hoban encouraged refugees displaced by World War II to settle in Cleveland.[30] He also established national and ethnic parishes, but insisted that their parochial schools only teach in English.[30] He helped rebuild and remodel St. John's Cathedral, and enlarged St. John's College, both in Cleveland.[31] Hoban centralized Parmadale Family Services, constructed additional nursing homes, and opened Holy Family Cancer Home, a hospice in Parma.[31] Hoban opened a minor seminary and expanded the Newman Apostolate for Catholic students attending public universities and colleges.[31]

During Hoban's 21-year-long tenure, the number of Catholics in the diocese increased from 546,000 to 870,000.[31] Hoban also established 61 parishes, 47 elementary schools, and a dozen high schools.[31] Pope Paul VI appointed Bishop Clarence Issenmann of the Diocese of Columbus as coadjutor bishop of Cleveland on October 7, 1964.[32] When Hoban died in 1966, Issenmann automatically became his replacement in Cleveland.

In November 1968, Issenmann asked all adults attending mass in the diocese to sign petitions of support for Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI's 1969 encyclical against artificial birth control. Issenmann was the only bishop in the country to make that request of parishioners.[33] issenmann retired in 1974 due to poor health. Pope Paul VI in 1974 named Auxiliary Bishop James Hickey of the Diocese of Saginaw as the new bishop of Cleveland. Six years later, in 1980, the pope named him as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.

1980 to present

John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Pilla to replace Hickey as bishop of Cleveland in 1980. In 2005, 36 lay members of the diocese sued Pilla, accusing him of allowing $2 million in diocesan funds to be stolen. The judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that the plaintiffs did not have the legal standing to sue in this case.[34] After 26 years as bishop, Pilla resigned in 2006.

In 2004, Pilla received an anonymous letter accusing Joseph Smith, the assistant treasurer for the diocese, of theft. After meeting with Pilla, the bishop put Smith administrative leave; Smith later resigned his position.[35][34][36] In 2005, 36 parishioners sued the diocese, claiming that Smith and two other diocesan officials had diverted $2 million of diocese funds to their own businesses.

On April 5, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Auxiliary Bishop Richard Lennon of the Archdiocese of Boston as the tenth bishop of Cleveland.

In August 2007, Smith and Anton Zgoznik, a consultant hired by the diocese, were charged with 17 counts of money laundering and tax evasion. Smith steered contracts worth $17.5 to Zgonik, who gave Smith kickbacks of $784,000. Zgoznik was convicted in October 2007 of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud.[37] In December 2008, Smith was acquitted of embezzlement, but convicted of tax evasion; he received one year in federal prison.[38]

In 2009, the diocese announced the closing or merging of 52 parishes, due to the shortage of priests, the migration of Catholics to the suburbs, and the financial difficulties of some parishes.[39] The diocese also closed or merged several number of parish schools.[40] The hardest hit were urban parishes in Cleveland, Akron, Lorain, and Elyria. Parishioners from 13 urban parishes appealed Lennon's action to the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome. In 2012, the Congregation for the Clergy overturned all 13 closings because Lennon did not follow proper procedure or canon law.[41] Lennon resigned in 2016 due to poor health.

Pope Francis in 2017 appointed Auxiliary Bishop Nelson J. Perez of the Diocese of Rockville Centre to replace Lennon. Three years later, the pope name Perez as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. As of 2023, the current bishop of Cleveland is Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the Diocese of Greensburg, named by Francis in 2020.

Reports of sex abuse

In July 2011, an Ohio man sued Pilla and the diocese, saying that their negligence allowed a priest to sexually abuse him when he was a minor.[42] The plaintiff said that Patrick O'Connor, a diocesan priest at St. Jude Parish in Elyria, abused him from 1997 to 1999. Pilla knew that O'Connor had abused a child during the 1980s at St. Joseph Parish in Cuyahoga Falls. The diocese settled with that victim in 2003 and sent O'Connor to another parish Elyria. He resigned from the priesthood in 2008. O'Connor pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor in 2009 and was sentenced to 90 days in prison.[42][43]

In July 2019, the diocese added 22 more names to its list of "credibly accused" clergy.[44] In March 2002, Bishop Pilla published a list of 28 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors. Fifteen of them were active priests, whom Pilla suspended from ministry.[45]

In December 2019, Robert McWilliams was arrested at St. Joseph Parish in Strongsville on four counts of possessing child pornography.[46] Bishop Perez had called for McWilliams's arrest, describing the case as a "painful situation."[47] McWilliams pleaded guilty in July 2021 to sex trafficking of youths, sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. Sentenced to life in prison in November 2021, McWilliams committed suicide in February 2022.[48]

Former priest Luis J. Barajas had been indicted in November 2023 on six counts of gross sexual imposition.[49] He was arrested in October 2023 and released in January 2024 after posting bond.[50] He had also been arrested in 2019 on charges of misconduct with a minor.[50]

Statistics

As of 2023, the Diocese of Cleveland had a population of approximately 613,000 Catholics and contained 185 parishes, three Catholic hospitals, three universities, two shrines (St. Paul Shrine Church and St. Stanislaus Church), and two seminaries (Centers for Pastoral Leadership).[51]

Bishops

Bishops of Cleveland

  1. Louis Amadeus Rappe (1847–1870)
  2. Richard Gilmour (1872–1891)
  3. Ignatius Frederick Horstmann (1891–1908)
  4. John Patrick Farrelly (1909–1921)
  5. Joseph Schrembs (1921–1945), appointed Archbishop ad personam by Pope Pius XII in 1939
  6. Edward Francis Hoban (1945–1966; coadjutor bishop 1942–1945), appointed Archbishop ad personam by Pope Pius XII in 1951
  7. Clarence George Issenmann (1966–1974; coadjutor bishop 1964–1966)
  8. James Aloysius Hickey (1974–1980), appointed Archbishop of Washington (Cardinal in 1988)
  9. Anthony Michael Pilla (1980–2006)
  10. Richard Gerard Lennon (2006–2016)
  11. Nelson Jesus Perez (2017–2020), appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia
  12. Edward Charles Malesic (2020–present)

Auxiliary Bishops of Cleveland

  1. Joseph Maria Koudelka (1907–1911), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee and later Bishop of Superior
  2. James A. McFadden (1922–1943), appointed Bishop of Youngstown
  3. William Michael Cosgrove (1943–1968), appointed Bishop of Belleville
  4. John Raphael Hagan (1946)
  5. Floyd Lawrence Begin (1947–1962), appointed Bishop of Oakland
  6. John Joseph Krol (1953–1961), appointed Archbishop of Philadelphia (Cardinal in 1967)
  7. Clarence Edward Elwell (1962–1968), appointed Bishop of Columbus
  8. John Francis Whealon (1961–1966), appointed Bishop of Erie and later Archbishop of Hartford
  9. Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon (1976–1992), appointed Bishop of Steubenville
  10. Michael Joseph Murphy (1976–1978), appointed Bishop of Erie
  11. James Anthony Griffin (1979–1983), appointed Bishop of Columbus
  12. James Patterson Lyke O.F.M. (1979–1990), appointed Archbishop of Atlanta
  13. Anthony Michael Pilla (1979–1980), appointed Bishop of Cleveland
  14. Anthony Edward Pevec (1982–2001)
  15. Alexander James Quinn (1983–2008)
  16. Martin John Amos (2001–2006), appointed Bishop of Davenport
  17. Roger William Gries, O.S.B. (2001–2013)
  18. Michael Gerard Woost, (2022–present)

Other affiliated bishops

Churches

Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

Education

As of 2025, the Diocese of Cleveland had 20 high schools and 88 elementary schools with a total enrollment exceeding 39,000 students.[52]

In 2023, the diocese stated that students and employees at diocesan schools could not show expressions of LGBTQ identity.[53] Several independent Catholic schools chose not to follow the policy.[54]

High schools

High schoolLocationFoundedGenderAdministered by
Archbishop Hoban High School[55]Akron1953Co-edCongregation of Holy Cross
Beaumont School[56]Cleveland Heights1850GirlsOrder of Saint Ursula
Benedictine High School[57]Cleveland1927BoysBenedictine Order
Cleveland Central Catholic High School[58]Cleveland1968Co-edDiocese of Cleveland
Elyria Catholic High School[59]Elyria1949Co-edDiocese of Cleveland
Gilmour Academy[60]Gates Mills1946Co-edCongregation of the Holy Cross
Holy Name High School[61]Parma Heights1914Co-edDiocese of Cleveland
Lake Catholic High School[62]Mentor1917Co-edDiocese of Cleveland
Magnificat High SchoolRocky River1955GirlsSisters of the Humility of Mary
Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School[63]Chardon1988Co-edSisters of Notre Dame
Our Lady of the Elms School[64]Akron1923GirlsSisters of St. Dominic
Padua Franciscan High School[65]Parma1961Co-edFranciscans
Saint Edward High School[66]Lakewood1949BoysCongregation of Holy Cross
Saint Ignatius High School[67]Cleveland1886BoysSociety of Jesus
Saint Joseph Academy[68]Cleveland1890GirlsCongregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
Saint Martin de Porres High School[69]Cleveland2004Co-edSociety of Jesus, Sisters of the Humility of Mary, Cristo Rey
Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School[70]Akron1972Co-edSociety of Mary
Trinity High School[71]Garfield Heights1973Co-edSisters of Saint Joseph of the Third Order of Saint Francis
Villa Angela-Saint Joseph High School[72]Cleveland1990Co-edDiocese of Cleveland
Walsh Jesuit High School[73]Cuyahoga Falls1964Co-edSociety of Jesus

Closed high schools

References

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