Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Diocese of Rochester Dioecesis Roffensis
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Counties of Monroe, Cayuga, Livingston, Wayne, Tioga, Tompkins, Ontario, Seneca, Schuyler, Yates, Steuben and Chemung, New York
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of New York
Metropolitan	1150 Buffalo Road Rochester, New York 14624
Statistics
Area	8,772 sq mi (22,720 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2014) 1,570,000 350,000 (23%%)
Parishes	106
Churches	172
Congregations	172
Schools	27
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	March 3, 1868
Cathedral	Sacred Heart Cathedral
Patron saint	St. John Fisher
Secular priests	251
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Salvatore Ronald Matano
Metropolitan Archbishop	Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York
Vicar General	Very Rev. Paul J. Tomasso
Emeritus Bishops	Matthew H. Clark
Map
Website
www.dor.org

Sacred Heart Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the Greater Rochester region of New York State in the United States. The region that the Diocese comprises extends from its northern border on the south shore of Lake Ontario through the Finger Lakes region to its southern border at the New York-Pennsylvania border. The Diocese of Rochester comprises 12 counties in New York, with approximately 350,000 Catholics and over 125 faith communities (parishes and chapels), 22 diocesan elementary schools and 7 independent parochial high schools. The metropolitan for the diocese is the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, currently Timothy Cardinal Dolan. The cathedral parish for the diocese is Sacred Heart Cathedral.

History

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester began on March 3, 1868, when Pope Pius IX entrusted eight counties (Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Cayuga, Yates, and Tompkins) within the Diocese of Buffalo to Bernard J. McQuaid, the first bishop of Rochester. The new diocese had about 54,500 Catholics in 35 parish churches and 29 mission churches.

In 1896, the counties of Schuyler, Tioga, Chemung, and Steuben were added to the Diocese of Rochester from the Diocese of Buffalo, forming the current boundaries.

The diocese grew as Catholic immigrants came to western New York, peaking in the 1960s. Since then, the Catholic population has stabilized while the numbers of ordained presbyters (priests) and women religious (sisters) has fallen.^[1]

• In 1909, there were 121,000 Catholics in 93 parishes, 36 missions and 53 parish schools with 18,000 pupils. There were 164 priests and more than 500 sisters.
• In 1938, there were 223,657 Catholics in 129 parishes, 36 missions and 72 parish schools serving 23,796 pupils. There were 289 active diocesan priests.
• In 1966, there were 361,790 Catholics in 155 parishes, 36 mission churches and 99 elementary parish schools serving 45,540 pupils. There were 371 active diocesan priests and 1,549 sisters.
• In 1978, there were 358,850 Catholics in 161 parishes, 29 mission churches and 75 schools serving 19,526 pupils. There were 311 active diocesan priests and 1,095 women religious.
• In 1992, there were 361,384 Catholics in 162 parishes and 58 elementary schools serving 11,992 pupils. There were 208 active diocesan priests and 842 sisters.

Ordinaries

The following are lists of ordinaries and their years of service:

Bishops

1. Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid (1868 - 1909) Died
2. Bishop Thomas Francis Hickey (1909 - 1928)
3. Bishop John Francis O'Hern (1929 - 1933) Died
4. Bishop (later Cardinal) Edward Mooney (1933 - 1937) Transfer to Archdiocese of Detroit
5. Bishop James E. Kearney (1937 - 1966)
6. Bishop (later Archbishop) Fulton J. Sheen (1966 - 1969) Retired and appointed to titular see of Newport, Wales
7. Bishop Joseph Lloyd Hogan (1969 - 1978) Retired due to health
8. Bishop Matthew H. Clark (1979 - 2012) Retired at age 75
9. Bishop Salvatore Ronald Matano (2014–present)

Coadjutor Bishop

1. Bishop Thomas Francis Hickey (1905 - 1909)

Auxiliary Bishops

1. Bishop Lawrence B. Casey (1953 - 1966)
2. Bishop John Edgar McCafferty (1968 - 1980)
3. Bishop Dennis Walter Hickey (1968 - 1990)

Schools

Primary schools

Former primary schools

Over the years, as Catholic populations moved to the suburbs, the Diocese has closed parishes and their schools. These include the former Holy Apostles, Holy Redeemer, Holy Rosary, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Victory, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Augustine, St. Casimir, St. Francis Xavier, St. Helen, St. John the Evangelist, St. Joseph, St. Lucy, St. Mary, St. Michael, St. Patrick, Ss. Peter and Paul, St. Stanislaus, and St. Theresa.

In 2008, facing growing deficits and declining enrollments, the Diocese closed the following schools:^[9]

• Holy Family School, Dansville, Livingston County
• All Saints Catholic Academy, Gates
• Catherine McAuley, Greece
• Corpus Christi, Rochester
• Good Shepherd, Henrietta
• Holy Cross, Rochester (reopened in 2011)
• Holy Family, Rochester
• Holy Trinity, Webster
• St. Andrews, Rochester
• St. Boniface, Rochester
• St. John of Rochester, Fairport
• St. John the Evangelist, Spencerport
• St. Margaret Mary, Irondequoit
• St. Monica, Rochester

High schools

There remain five traditionally Catholic high schools (or combined junior/senior high schools) in the diocese. These schools were founded by various Roman Catholic religious orders and operate independently of the diocese itself.

Former high schools

• Academy of the Sacred Heart, Rochester, Monroe County, 1855–1969
• Cardinal Mooney High School, Greece, Monroe County, 1962–1989
• DeSales High School, Geneva, Ontario County, 1912–2012
• Nazareth Academy, Rochester, Monroe County, 1871–2010
• St. Agnes High School, Rochester, Monroe County, 1954–1982

King's Preparatory, Rochester, Monroe County, 1967-1970

Former seminaries

• St. Andrew's Preparatory Seminary, 1870–1967
• Saint Bernard's Seminary, 1893–1981

Former liberal arts colleges

• Nazareth College for Women, became independent in the 1970s
• St. John Fisher College for Men, became independent in 1968

Former charitable institutions

• St. Ann's Home (now St. Ann's Community)
• St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum (now St. Joseph's Villa)^[10]
• St. Mary's Boys' Home
• St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, Monroe County
• St. Patrick's Girls' Home

Counties

This is a list of the counties in New York State that fall into the Diocese of Rochester:

• Monroe
• Livingston
• Wayne
• Ontario
• Seneca
• Cayuga
• Yates
• Tompkins
• Schuyler (added in 1896)
• Tioga (added in 1896)
• Chemung (added in 1896)
• Steuben (added in 1896)

Arms

Arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected. It was designed in the 1930s by Pierre LaRose Adopted 1868 Escutcheon The arms of the diocese are composed of a saltire with a crescent in the center. Symbolism The St. Andrew's Cross (saltire) was taken from the coat of arms of the original Diocese of Rochester in England (now an Anglican diocese). The new design is distinguished from the original, by changing a scallop shell in the center to the crescent symbol of the Immaculate Conception. The cross emphasizes the bishop as the successor to the apostles, and the bishop's charge to preach and live the Word of God faithfully and to witness to the Resurrection.

References

1. ↑ Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester - Diocesan History
2. ↑ "Sr. Roberta Tierney; directed education - Catholic Courier". www.catholiccourier.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25. 
3. ↑ "New schools head brings fresh ideas - Catholic Courier". www.catholiccourier.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25. 
4. 1 2 Cullivan, Rob (May 28, 1992). "Schools superintendent to stress long view" (PDF). Catholic Courier. Retrieved November 25, 2015. 
5. 1 2 "New schools head brings fresh ideas - Catholic Courier". www.catholiccourier.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25. 
6. ↑ "DOR Catholic: Update on Sister Janice Morgan". DOR Catholic. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2015-11-25. 
7. ↑ http://www.dor.org/index.cfm/news/news-docs/new-schools-superintendent-named/
8. ↑ "Discover Our Schools". Catholic Schools Diocese of Rochester. Rochester, New York: Diocese of Rochester. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-02. 
9. ↑ "As Bishop Announces Closures, Catholic High Schools Plan to Expand", Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), 2008-01-19, ISSN 1088-5153, archived from the original on 2008, retrieved 2013-01-02 
10. ↑ "The History of St. Joseph's Villa". Organization website. Rochester, New York: St. Joseph's Villa. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-02. 

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester Official Site
•  "Diocese of Rochester". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 

Diocese of Rochester Ordinaries Bishops Bernard John McQuaid Thomas Francis Hickey John Francis O'Hern Edward Mooney James E. Kearney Fulton J. Sheen Joseph Lloyd Hogan Matthew H. Clark Salvatore Ronald Matano Coadjutor Bishop Thomas Francis Hickey Auxiliary Bishops Lawrence B. Casey John Edgar McCafferty Dennis Walter Hickey Churches Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral, Rochester Parishes Immaculate Conception Church, Rochester Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church, Rochester St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church Complex, Bloomfield Saint George Roman Catholic Lithuanian Church, Rochester St. Mary's Church, Rochester Saint Michael's Church, Rochester St. Rose Roman Catholic Church Complex, Lima Former parishes Our Mother of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church Complex, Greece St. Joseph's Church and Rectory, Rochester Education Seminary St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry, Pittsford Former seminary Saint Bernard's Seminary, Rochester High schools Aquinas Institute, Rochester Bishop Kearney High School, Irondequoit McQuaid Jesuit High School, Brighton Notre Dame High School, Elmira Our Lady of Mercy High School, Brighton Former high schools Cardinal Mooney High School, Greece DeSales High School, Geneva Nazareth Academy, Rochester Catholicism Portal

Coordinates: 43°09′56″N 77°36′41″W / 43.16556°N 77.61139°W / 43.16556; -77.61139