Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Diocese of Albany
Dioecesis Albanensis
Basic information
Location Albany, New York, United States
Territory Counties of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington, New York
Population 360,000 Catholics
Rite Roman Rite
Ecclesiastical province Archdiocese of New York
Established April 23, 1847
Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Bishop Bishop of Albany
Website Diocese of Albany
Current leadership
Pope Benedict XVI
Metropolitan Edward Michael Egan

Archbishop of New York
Diocesan Bishop Howard J. Hubbard

Bishop of Albany

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany (Latin: Dioecesis Albanensis) covers 14 counties in Eastern New York (Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington). Its motherchurch is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the City of Albany.

Contents

[edit] History

Initially the diocese was part of the Archdiocese of New York, but was established as a diocese on April 23, 1847. The present-day diocese was formed when territory was taken by the erection of the Dioceses of Ogdensburg and Syracuse.

[edit] Ordinaries

The following is a list of the Roman Catholic Bishops of the Diocese of Albany (and their terms of service)

  • Bishop John McCloskey (1847-1865) (later the Archbishop of New York and first American Cardinal)
  • Bishop John J. Conroy (1865-1877)
  • Bishop Francis McNierney (1877-1894)
  • Bishop Thomas Burke (1894-1915)
  • Bishop Thomas Cusack (1915-1918)
  • Bishop Edmund Gibbons (1919-1954)
  • Bishop William Scully (1954-1969)
  • Bishop Edwin Broderick (1969-1976)
  • Bishop Howard J. Hubbard (1977-present)

During their terms as bishops of Albany, the first 5 bishops of Albany were called "Right Reverend" because the American church was still considered a province. From Bishop Gibbons on, they are called "Most Reverend". Of course, John McCloskey was "Most Reverend" after his move to New York, where he later became "His Eminence". 6 of Albany's deceased Bishops are buried in a crypt beneath the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. John McCloskey is enterred beneath St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and Bishop Broderick is buried in a family plot in Westchester County.

[edit] The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Image:Splitsection.svg
 It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss)


The cathedral, located on Madison Avenue at Eagle Street in Albany, was completed in 1852 and consecrated by the Most Reverend John Hughes, Archbishop of New York. The first bishop, John McCloskey, was coadjutor bishop of New York with succession rights. This is why he left upon Archbishop Hughes' death in 1865. The Cathedral has a stone exterior and appears to have a stone interior, but does not. The inside of the Cathedral is actually plaster and lath, but was painted to look like stone. This was really a way to save time, as McCloskey wanted to get the Cathedral finished to prove that the Catholic Church in America was permanent. Originally, there was a flat wall at the back of the Cathedral, where the Lady window was. This window, which depicts scenes in the life of the Virgin Mary, was later moved to the North transept when the semicircular sanctuary was added.

The crypt underneath the cathedral has reportedly never been visited by Bishop Hubbard, but it contains six of his predecessors. There is a door in the ceiling of the crypt so that the coffins may be lowered directly into it after the Solemn Requiem of the Bishop. This door, however, was not quite big enough for the ornate, modern coffin that contained Bishop Scully. As a result, they wound up having to take him out of the coffin, carry him down the stairs, take the coffin apart to feed it through the door, and then reassemle it and put him back in. The crypt cannot be detected from above because some of the floor tiles have to be removed to get coffins into it.

The Cathedral is currently undergoing a $30M restoration project. The exterior renovation is well underway, and the interior is starting this year. It started in 2000 and is expected to be finished, if they can keep up the funds, by 2009.

Tours are offered of the Cathedral. [1]

[edit] High schools

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of New York
Languages