Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston

Archdiocese of Boston
Archidioecesis Bostoniensis

Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Boston
Location
Country  United States
Territory Counties of Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Plymouth (the towns of Mattapoisett, Marion, and Wareham excepted)[1]
Ecclesiastical province Boston
Statistics
Area 2,465 sq mi (6,380 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2015)
4,147,275
1,949,219 (47%)
Parishes 288
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Established April 8, 1808
Cathedral Cathedral of the Holy Cross
Patron saint Saint Patrick
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop Seán Patrick O'Malley
Auxiliary Bishops
Vicar General Peter J. Uglietto
Emeritus Bishops
Map
Website
www.bostoncatholic.org

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston (Latin: Archidioecesis Bostoniensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is led by a prelate archbishop who serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End of Boston.

As of 2017, there are 288 parishes in the archdiocese.[2] In 2007, the archdiocese estimated that 1.8 million Catholics were in the territory, of whom about 315,000 regularly attended Mass.[3]

History

Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston

The original Diocese of Boston was canonically erected on April 8, 1808 by Pope Pius VII. It took its territories from the larger historic Diocese of Baltimore and consisted of the states of Connecticut, (future) Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

In the nineteenth century, as Catholicism grew exponentially in New England, the Diocese of Boston was carved into smaller new dioceses: on November 28, 1843, Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Hartford; Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Burlington and the Diocese of Portland on July 29, 1853, the Diocese of Springfield on June 14, 1870, and the Diocese of Providence on February 16, 1872. On February 12, 1875, Pope Pius IX elevated the diocese to the rank of an archdiocese.

In the 1920s, Cardinal William O'Connell moved the chancery from offices near Holy Cross Cathedral in the South End to 127 Lake Street in Brighton.[4] "Lake Street" became shorthand for the Bishop and the office of the Archdiocese.[4]

At the beginning of the 21st century the archdiocese was shaken by accusations of sexual abuse by clergy that culminated in the resignation of its archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, on December 13, 2002. In September 2003, the Archdiocese settled over 500 abuse-related claims for $85 million.[5]

In June 2004, the archbishop's residence and the chancery in Brighton and surrounding lands were sold to Boston College, in part to defray costs associated with abuse cases.[6][7][8] The offices of the Archdiocese were moved to Braintree, Massachusetts. The diocesan seminary, Saint John's Seminary, remains on the property in Brighton.

Communications media

The diocesan newspaper The Pilot has been published in Boston since 1829.

The Archdiocese's Catholic Television Center, founded in 1955, produces programs and operates the cable television network CatholicTV. From 1964 to 1966, it owned and operated a broadcast television station under the call letters WIHS-TV.

Ecclesiastical province

Ecclesiastical Province of Boston

The Archdiocese of Boston is also metropolitan see for the Ecclesiastical province of Boston. This means that the archbishop of Boston is the metropolitan for the province. The suffragan dioceses in the province are the Diocese of Burlington, Diocese of Fall River, Diocese of Manchester, Diocese of Portland, Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, and the Diocese of Worcester.

Pastoral regions

The Archdiocese of Boston is divided into five pastoral regions, each headed by an episcopal vicar.

Pastoral Region Episcopal vicar Location Parishes Notable parishes Catholic institutions of higher education High schools Elementary schools Cemeteries
Central James Flavin Boston (all neighborhoods), Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Winthrop 64 Cathedral, the Mission Church Boston College, Emmanuel College, Our Lady of Grace Seminary (Boston), St. John's Seminary 6 29 8
Merrimack Robert F. Hennessey Northern Essex County and northern Middlesex County 49 Merrimack College 3 (TBD) 4
North Mark W. O'Connell[9] Southern Essex County and eastern Middlesex County 64 none 4 6 (?) 11
South John Anthony Dooher Plymouth County and eastern Norfolk County 59 Labouré College 3 (TBD) 3
West Robert P. Reed Southern Middlesex County and western Norfolk County 67 Regis College 3 11 7

Bishops

Cardinal Seán O'Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston

The following are lists of the Bishops and Archbishops of Boston, Auxiliaries of Boston, and their years of service. Also included are other priests of this diocese who served elsewhere as bishop.

† = deceased

Bishops of Boston

  1. † Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus (1808–1823) appointed Bishop of Montauban (France); created Cardinal in 1836; died in 1836.
  2. † Benedict Joseph Fenwick, S.J. (1825–1846) died
  3. † John Bernard Fitzpatrick (1846–1866) died

Archbishops of Boston

  1. † John Joseph Williams (1866–1907), elevated to Archbishop when Boston became archdiocese in 1875; died
  2. † Cardinal William Henry O'Connell (1907–1944) died
  3. † Cardinal Richard James Cushing (1944–1970) retired on September 8, 1970; died on November 2, 1970.
  4. † Cardinal Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970–1983) died
  5. Cardinal Bernard Francis Law (1984–2002) resigned; appointed Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in 2004; retired on November 21, 2011.
  6. Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M.Cap. (2003–present)

Auxiliary Bishops

Note: Current auxiliary bishops are in boldface.

Other bishops who once were priests in the diocese

Seminaries

Education

As of 2016, the diocese has 116 schools with about 38,000 students in pre-kindergarten through high school.[11]

In 1993 the archdiocese had 53,569 students in 195 archdiocesean parochial schools. Boston had the largest number of parochial schools: 48 schools with a combined total of about 16,000 students.[12]

Superintendents

Colleges and Universities

High schools

Image School Location Religious order Founded
 Academy of Notre Dame Tyngsboro Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur 1854
Archbishop Williams High School Braintree Sisters of Charity of Nazareth 1949
 Arlington Catholic High School Arlington 1960
Austin Preparatory School Reading Order of Saint Augustine 1961
Bishop Fenwick High School Peabody Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur 1958
 Boston College High School Dorchester Society of Jesus 1863
Cardinal Spellman High School Brockton Sisters of St. Joseph 1958
Cathedral High School Boston Sisters of St. Joseph 1926
 Catholic Memorial School West Roxbury Congregation of Christian Brothers 1957
Central Catholic High School Lawrence Marist Brothers 1935
Cristo Rey Boston High School Dorchester Society of Jesus
Fontbonne Academy Milton Sisters of St. Joseph 1954
Lowell Catholic High School Lowell Xaverian Brothers 1989
Malden Catholic High School Malden
Marian High School Framingham
Matignon High School Cambridge
Mount Alvernia High School Newton
Newton Country Day School Newton Society of the Sacred Heart 1880
Notre Dame Academy Hingham
Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School Lawrence 2004
Pope John XXIII High School Everett
Presentation of Mary Academy Methuen 1958
Sacred Heart High School Kingston Congregation of Divine Providence 1947
Saint Clement High School Medford Sisters of St. Joseph 1925
Saint Joseph Preparatory High School Brighton Sisters of St. Joseph 2012
Saint Sebastian's School Needham 1941
St. John's Preparatory School Danvers Xaverian Brothers 1907
St. Mary's High School Lynn 1881
 Ursuline Academy Dedham Ursuline Sisters 1819
 Xaverian Brothers High School Westwood Xaverian Brothers 1963

Former high schools

School Location Religious order Period
Academy of the Assumption Wellesley
Academy of Notre Dame Boston
Blessed Sacrament High School Jamaica Plain
Boys' Catholic High School Malden Xaverian Brothers 1936–1968
Cardinal Cushing High School South Boston
Cheverus High School Malden
Christopher Columbus High School Boston
Don Bosco Technical High School Boston Salesians of Don Bosco Closed 1998
Elizabeth Seton Academy Boston
Girls' Catholic High School Malden Closed 1992
Holy Trinity High School Roxbury Closed 1966
Hudson Catholic High School Hudson 1959–2009
Keith Academy Lowell Closed 1989
Keith Hall Lowell Closed 1989
Mission Church High School Mission Hill Closed 1992
Monsignor Ryan High School South Boston
Mount Saint Joseph Academy Boston Sisters of St. Joseph 1884–2012
Nazareth High School South Boston
North Cambridge Catholic High School Cambridge 1921–2010
Notre Dame Academy Roxbury
St. Anne's School Arlington
St. Augustine High School South Boston
St. Bernard High School Newton
St. Clare High School Roslindale
St. Joseph Academy Roxbury
St. Joseph's High School for Girls Lowell Closed 1989
St. Louis Academy Lowell Closed 1989
St. Patrick High School Lowell Closed 1989
St. Peter's High School Cambridge
Savio Preparatory High School East Boston Salesians of Don Bosco 1958–2007
Trinity Catholic High School Newton 1894–2012
Our Lady of Nazareth Academy Wakefield Sisters of Charity of Nazareth 1947–2009

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Archdiocese of Boston". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=179672
  3. ↑ Kerber, Ross (January 29, 2007). "Bless you, we take Visa". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  4. 1 2 Changes come to Lake Street. The Boston Globe, May 24, 2007
  5. ↑ Kevin Cullen and Stephen Kurkjian (September 10, 2003). "Church in an $85 million accord". Boston Globe.
  6. ↑ Diocesan headquarters sold to BC The Boston Globe, April 21, 2004.
  7. ↑ Statement of the Archdiocese of Boston and Boston College on sale of part of Brighton campus The Boston Globe, April 20, 2004.]
  8. ↑ Oslin, Reid, "Campus Construction Update: Stokes, Brighton Campus Projects Begin", The Boston College Chronicle, September 9, 2010
  9. ↑ "Most Reverend Mark O'Connell". Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  10. ↑ See: List of Catholic bishops of the United States #American bishops serving outside the United States.
  11. ↑ http://catholicschoolsboston.org
  12. ↑ Nealon, Patricia. "Parochial pupils add X factor to city school-choice equation." Boston Globe. April 28, 1993. Retrieved on September 28, 2013.
  13. ↑ O'Connor, Thomas H. (2004-01-01). Boston's Histories: Essays in Honor of Thomas H. O'Connor. UPNE. ISBN 9781555535827.
  14. ↑ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  15. ↑ "Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  16. ↑ "Sister Kathleen Carr to step down as school superintendent". www.thebostonpilot.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  17. 1 2 3 "Boston Archdiocese appoints career educator as superintendent of Catholic schools - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.

Coordinates: 42°12′47″N 71°02′29″W / 42.21306°N 71.04139°W / 42.21306; -71.04139

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