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Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River

(Redirected from Diocese of Fall River, MA)

The Diocese of Fall River (Latin: Dioecesis Riverormensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston.

Diocese of Fall River

Dioecesis Riverormenensis
Catholic
Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
Territory Massachusetts counties of Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham on the south coast of Plymouth County[1]
Episcopal conferenceUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Ecclesiastical regionRegion I
Ecclesiastical provinceBoston
MetropolitanBoston
Coordinates41°42′39″N 71°08′50″W / 41.71083°N 71.14722°W / 41.71083; -71.14722
Statistics
Area3,107 km2 (1,200 sq mi)[1]
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2021)
825,540[a]
275,290[a] (33.3%)
Parishes78[a]
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedMarch 12, 1904
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
Patron saintSaint Mary of the Assumption[3]
Secular priests123 plus 63 religious priests[1]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopEdgar Moreira da Cunha
Metropolitan ArchbishopSeán Patrick O'Malley
Map
Website
www.fallriverdiocese.org

The mother church of the diocese is St. Mary's Cathedral in Fall River. The patron saint of the diocese is Mary, mother of Jesus. The current bishop as of 2023 is Edgar Moreira da Cunha.

Diocesan statistics

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The Diocese of Fall River spans Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, and Nantucket Counties. It also includes the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham along the coast of Plymouth County. The diocese covers Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The diocese in 2013 included 147 parish priests, 90 permanent deacons, 16 religious brothers and 295 religious sisters. It had 96 parishes, 11 missions, a health care center, and five nursing homes. The total Catholic population of the diocese was approximately 313,115.[2]

History

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1700 to 1808

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Before the American Revolution, the British Province of Massachusetts Bay, which included southern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, had enacted laws prohibiting the practice of Catholicism in the colony. It was even illegal for a priest to reside there. To gain the support of Massachusetts Catholics to fight against the British, revolutionary leaders were forced to enact religious freedom for Catholics in 1780.[4]

After the 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. Pius VI created the Diocese of Baltimore, the first diocese in the United States, to replace the prefecture apostolic in 1789.[5]

1808 to 1900

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Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Boston on April 8, 1808, including all of New England in its jurisdiction.[6] Bishop Jean-Louis de Cheverus of Boston established St Lawrence's Church, the first Catholic church in New Bedford and in 1821 with the assistance of Portuguese sailors and Irish laborers.[7] The first Catholic church on Cape Cod was St. Peter's, constructed in Sandwich in 1830. Fall River received it first Catholic church in 1837 when St. John the Baptist was completed.[7] In 1869, the first Portuguese language parish in the country was started in Fall River.

The Diocese of Providence was erected by Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872. The pope removed the counties of Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket in Massachusetts from the Archdiocese of Boston. The present day Diocese of Fall River area would remain part of the Diocese of Providence for the next 32 years.

1900 to 1950

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Pope Pius X erected the Diocese of Fall River on March 12, 1904. He took all of the Massachusetts counties from Diocese of Providence for the new diocese, making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Boston. He appointed William Stang of Providence as the first bishop of Fall River. At the time of his appointment, the new diocese had 44 parishes serving 130,000 Catholics.[7]

On May 8, 1904, St. Mary's Cathedral was packed with worshipers for Stang's first mass, with police detachments controlling the crowd, estimated at 25,000 people, on the street outside the building.[8][9] During his tenue, Stang established eleven parishes and founded Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River. One of the new parishes was St. Boniface, a German parish in New Bedford.[10]

After Stang's death in 1907, Pius X appointed Daniel Feehan from the Diocese of Springfield as the second bishop of Fall River that same year. During his 27-year tenure, Feehan became known as the "Benevolent Bishop", establishing 36 parishes. To assist Feehan, Pope Pius IX named Auxiliary Bishop James Cassidy as coadjutor bishop of the diocese in 1934. Feehan died in office later that year and Cassidy automatically succeeded him as bishop. Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro was named in his honor.

1950 to 1970

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As bishop, Cassidy founded several homes for senior citizens.[11] In 1945, Pope Pius XII appointed James Connolly from the Diocese of Providence to serve as coadjutor bishop to assist Cassidy. In 1948, the Congregation of Holy Cross founded Stonehill College in Easton. In early 1951, Cassidy published a pastoral letter forbidding girls cheerleading at Catholic high schools in the diocese, citing what he termed the indecency of their outfits. He also banned football games at night.[12]

Following Cassidy's death in 1951, Connolly automatically became the new bishop. Bishop Cassidy High School in Taunton, later renamed Coyle and Cassidy High School following its merger with the all male Monsignor Coyle High School, was named in Cassidy's honor. As bishop, one of Connolly's special concerns was with providing secondary education in the four urban areas of the diocese. He constructed four Catholic high schools during his tenure. Bishop Connolly High School[13] was dedicated to him in 1967. He also founded the diocesan newspaper, The Anchor.[14]

1970 to 2002

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After Connolly retired in 1970, Pope Paul VI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Cronin of the Archdiocese of Boston as the fifth bishop of Fall River. Cronin continued the work of implementing the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and supported liturgical renewal, continuing education of the clergy and the restoration of the permanent diaconate. He expanded Catholic Counseling and Social Services as well as the Family Life Ministry.[15] Late in 1991, Pope John Paul II appointed Cronin as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford.

To replace Cronin, John Paul II appointed Bishop Seán O'Malley of the Diocese of St. Thomas in 1992 as the new bishop of Fall River. His main challenge was to settle the sexual abuse scandal in the Diocese of Fall River. He established an office for AIDS Ministry and two new residences for women, fostered vocations to the priesthood and reorganized the diocesan curia or administration. O’Malley created the Office of Pastoral Planning to assist him on merging parishes and assigning priests.[7]

2002 to present

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In 2002, John Paul II named O'Malley as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach and appointed George Coleman as his successor. In 2007, Coleman opened Pope John Paul II High School in Hyannis, the first Catholic high school on Cape Cod. He also created a directorship of Faith Formation, a youth ministry and a Marriage and Family Ministry.[7] Coleman retired in 2014.

On July 3, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Auxiliary Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha from the Archdiocese of Newark as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Fall River.[16][17][18] Da Cunha is the current bishop of Fall River.

Sexual abuse

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Main article: Sexual abuse scandal in Fall River diocese

In the early 1990s, revelations surfaced about how the Diocese of Fall River protected James Porter from charges of sexual abuse between 1960 and 1964. In 1960, Porter was assigned to St. Mary's grammar school, where he was charged with managing the school's altar boys. Parents soon started filing complaints against Porter with the diocese. However, the diocese took no action against him until 1963; by that time, at least four parents had complained about Porter's inappropriate behavior with their children. The diocese then moved Porter to a parish in Fall River without notifying police or the new parish about the allegations. More complaints were made against Porter.[19] In 1964, Porter was arrested on sex abuse charges.[20] However, he was only sent out for inpatient hospital treatment. He left the priesthood in 1974 and started a family. In 1987, he served four months in jail in Minnesota for molesting his children's sitter.[21]

Porter was arrested in Massachusetts in 1993. He was accused of abusing over 60 children in North Attleboro and nearly 100 children elsewhere in the diocese.[22] Porter pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after six years. In December 1993, Bishop O'Malley acknowledged the diocese's protection of Porter and apologized.[23] Denied parole throughout his sentence, Porter completed his prison sentence in 2004. However, he was not released pending a civil commitment hearing. Porter died in prison in 2005.[19]

A lawsuit was filed in 2014 against Archbishop Cronin of Hartford by two men who claimed they were sexually abused as young boys by Maurice Souza, a priest in East Falmouth. The plaintiffs claimed that Cronin, then bishop of Fall River, failed to properly supervise Souza, who allegedly molested the boys during the 1980's in East Falmouth and on athletic trips out of town.[24] In January 2019, Cronin and the two men reached a settlement, with each man to receive $200,000.[25]

In December 2020, a grand jury at Barnstable Superior Court indicted Mark R. Hession, also known as "Father Mark", on two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14, and one count of intimidation of a witness.[26] Hession was known to many locals because of his past work at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville. Hession also worked closely with the Kennedy family and even delivered the homily at Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral in 2009.[26]

The diocese in May 2023 settled a lawsuit brought by Jason Medeiros. Three years early, Medeiros had alleged that Richard DeGagne had sexually assaulted him when he was 12 and 13 in the 1980's at St Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford. The diocese suspended DeGagne in 2019[27]

Bishops

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Bishops of Fall River

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  1. William Stang (1904–1907)
  2. Daniel Francis Feehan (1907–1934)
  3. James Edwin Cassidy (1934–1951; coadjutor bishop 1934)
  4. James Louis Connolly (1951–1970; coadjutor bishop 1945–1951)
  5. Daniel Anthony Cronin (1970–1992), appointed Archbishop of Hartford
  6. Seán Patrick O'Malley (1992–2002), appointed Bishop of Palm Beach and later Archbishop of Boston (created Cardinal in 2006)
  7. George William Coleman (2003–2014)
  8. Edgar Moreira da Cunha (2014–present)

Auxiliary Bishops of Fall River

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  • James Edwin Cassidy (1930–1934), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Fall River (see above)
  • James Joseph Gerrard (1959–1976)

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

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Education

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Schools

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Closed

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Colleges

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Stonehill College – Easton

Superintendents

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The current Superintendent of Schools is Daniel S. Roy.[28] The following is a list of superintendents:

  • George A. Milot, PhD (2001–2011)[29]
  • Michael S. Griffin (2011–2016)
  • Stephen Perla (2016–2020)[30]
  • Daniel S. Roy (2020–present)[28]

Landmarks

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In addition to St. Mary's Cathedral, two other major churches in the diocese are St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, Santo Christo Church and Shrine, and St. Anne's both in Fall River.

The Diocese of Fall River is also home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, owned and operated by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette.

Suppressed parishes

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Year Parish City/Town Notes Ref.
1966 Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish New Bedford [31][32]
1977 St. Hyacinth Parish New Bedford [33]
1982 St. Roch's Parish Fall River [34]
1987 St. Boniface Parish New Bedford [35]
1987 Sacred Hearts Parish Fairhaven [36]
1989 St. Mathieu's Parish Fall River [37]
1997 Holy Cross Parish Fall River Merged with SS. Peter & Paul Parish in 1997 to become SS. Peter & Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church; the parish merged again with St. Mary's Cathedral in 2013. [38]
1999 St. Therese Parish New Bedford [39]
2000 St. Casimir Parish New Bedford [40]
2000 St. Elizabeth's Parish Fall River Merged with St. Jean Baptiste Parish and St. William's Parish to form Parish of the Holy Trinity. [41]
2000 St. Jean Baptiste Parish Fall River Merged with St. Elizabeth's Parish and St. William's Parish to form Parish of the Holy Trinity. [42]
2000 St. Louis Parish Fall River Merged with St. Mary's Cathedral effective August 1, 2000. [43]
2000 St. William's Parish Fall River Merged with St. Jean Baptiste Parish and St. Elizabeth's Parish to form Parish of the Holy Trinity. [44]
2000 Sacred Heart Parish Taunton Merged with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish to form Annunciation of the Lord Parish at the former Sacred Heart Church.
2000 Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Taunton Merged with Sacred Heart Parish to form Annunciation of the Lord Parish at the former Sacred Heart Church. [45]
2004 St. Anne Parish New Bedford [46]
2004 St. Hedwig Parish New Bedford [47]
2007 Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish Taunton [48]
2007 St. Jacques Parish Taunton [49]
2008 St. Joseph Parish Taunton
2008 St. Paul Parish Taunton
2008 St. Peter Parish Dighton Merged with St. Joseph Parish (Dighton) to form St. Nicholas of Myra Parish. [50]
2008 St. Joseph Parish Dighton Merged with St. Peter Parish to form St. Nicholas of Myra Parish. [50]
2010 St. Stephen's Parish Attleboro Merged with St. Mary's Parish in Seekonk to form Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish. [51]
2012 St. John the Baptist Parish New Bedford [52]
2012 Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish Fall River Merged with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish to form St. Bernadette's Parish. [53]
2012 Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish Fall River Merged with Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish to form St. Bernadette's Parish. Immaculate Conception church building demolished in February 2019. [53][54]
2013 Holy Ghost Parish Attleboro [55]
2013 St. Joseph's Parish Attleboro [55]
2015 St. Killian Parish New Bedford Merged into St. Anthony of Padua Parish [56]
2018 St. Bernadette's Parish Fall River
2018 St. Anne's Parish Fall River Church building reopened under laity-led St. Anne Shrine Preservation Society as a shrine in 2019 [57]
2020 St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish North Attleborough Merged with Sacred Heart Parish in North Attleborough and St. Mark Parish in Attleborough Falls to form Transfiguration of the Lord Parish. [58]
2020 Sacred Heart Parish North Attleborough Merged with St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in North Attleborough and St. Mark's Parish in Attleborough Falls to form Transfiguration of the Lord Parish. [58]
2020 St. Mark's Parish Attleborough Falls Merged with St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish and Sacred Heart Parish, both in North Attleborough, to form Transfiguration of the Lord Parish. [58]
2021 St. Anthony Parish East Falmouth Merged with St. Patrick Parish in Falmouth and St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in North Falmouth to form St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish. [59]
2021 St. Patrick Parish Falmouth Merged with St. Anthony Parish in East Falmouth and St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in North Falmouth to form St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish. [59]
2021 St. Elizabeth Seton Parish North Falmouth Merged with St. Patrick Parish in Falmouth and St. Anthony Parish in East Falmouth to form St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish. [59]
2021 St. Mary Parish New Bedford Merged with Our Lady of Fatima Parish and St. Joseph-St. Therese Parish to form St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish at the former St. Mary's Church. [60]
2021 Our Lady of Fatima New Bedford Merged with St. Mary Parish and St. Joseph-St. Therese Parish to form St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish at the former St. Mary's Church. [60]
2021 St. Joseph-St. Therese Parish New Bedford Merged with St. Mary Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Parish to form St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish at the former St. Mary's Church. [60]
2022 St. Vincent de Paul Parish Attleboro Merged into St. John the Evangelist Parish. [51]
2022 Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish New Bedford Merged into St. Anthony of Padua Parish. [61]

Province of Boston

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Further information: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States § Province of Boston

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Annuario Pontificio (2022) via Catholic-Hierarchy.org[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Diocese of Fall River". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "A Look at the Diocese". Diocese of Fall River. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  3. ^ "St. Mary's Cathedral".
  4. ^ "Freedom of Religion Comes to Boston | Archdiocese of Boston". www.bostoncatholic.org. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  5. ^ "Our History". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
  6. ^ Page on Archdiocese of Baltimore on Catholic Hierarchy web site.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Our History". Fall River Diocese. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  8. ^ "OVATION FOR BISHOP STANG.; Crowds Gather for the Celebration of His First Mass". The New York Times. 1904-05-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  9. ^ Conley, Patrick T. (2019). "Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame". Leaders of Rhode Island's Golden Age, The. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-4148-2.
  10. ^ "Bishop William Stang – Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame". Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  11. ^ "Our History". Diocese of Fall River. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05.
  12. ^ "Fall River Bishop Bars Girls as Cheerleaders". The New York Times. 1950-01-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  13. ^ "History". Bishop Connolly High School. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  14. ^ "About The Anchor". The Anchor. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  15. ^ "Our History". Diocese of Fall River. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  16. ^ "Pope Francis appoints new bishop for Fall River Diocese". Taunton Daily Gazette. Taunton, Mass. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  17. ^ Allard, Deborah (July 4, 2014). "Da Cunha named new bishop of Fall River diocese". Taunton Daily Gazette. Taunton, Mass. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  18. ^ "Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha". Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Pedophile priest James Porter dies at 70". NBC News. New York City: NBCUniversal. Associated Press. February 11, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  20. ^ Kurkjian, Stephen; Matchan, Linda (July 24, 1992). "Other abuse by Porter alleged in N.M." Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  21. ^ "Boston Globe / Spotlight / Abuse in the Catholic Church". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  22. ^ Matchan, Linda (August 29, 1993). "Abuse in the Catholic Church: Town secret". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  23. ^ "Bishop Apologizes for Cartoon Lampooning Priest Sex Abuse Victims". Associated Press.
  24. ^ "Lawsuit filed against former Bishop Cronin, Diocese of Fall River". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  25. ^ "Settlements Reached in Two Clergy Sex Abuse Cases on Cape Cod". 1420 WBSM. Associated Press. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  26. ^ a b Bastile, Robert (December 11, 2020). "BREAKING HN VIDEO: Priest who delivered homily at Senator Kennedy's funeral indicted on rape charges". Hyannis News. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  27. ^ "Diocese of Fall River and priest reach settlement with sexual abuse victim". NBC 10 News. WJAR. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  28. ^ a b da Cunha, Edgar M. (21 July 2020). "New Superintendent Named for Diocesan Schools". Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  29. ^ "Former Principal Milot to Return as Bishop Feehan Principal | Patch". Foxborough, MA Patch. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  30. ^ "Leadership Team – CS Alliance". www.catholicschoolsalliance.org. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  31. ^ "Diocese Suppresses New Bedford French-Language Holy Rosary Church". The Anchor. Fall River. April 14, 1966. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  32. ^ "Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish, New Bedford". The Anchor. Fall River. September 12, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  33. ^ "St. Hyacinth Parish, New Bedford". The Anchor. Fall River. May 16, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  34. ^ "St. Roch's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. June 13, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  35. ^ "St. Boniface Parish, New Bedford". The Anchor. Fall River. September 5, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  36. ^ "Sacred Hearts Parish, Fairhaven". The Anchor. Fall River. September 12, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  37. ^ "St. Mathieu's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. May 9, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  38. ^ Fraga, Brian (21 July 2013). "As churches merge, diocese and parishioners struggle with transitions". The Herald News. Fall River. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  39. ^ Thomas, Sarah (20 November 1999). "A tender farewell at St. Therese". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  40. ^ Barcellos, Robert J. "St. Casimir's priest retires". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  41. ^ "St. Elizabeth's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. October 24, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  42. ^ "St. Jean Baptiste Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. May 30, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  43. ^ "Decree". The Anchor. Fall River. 28 July 2000. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  44. ^ "St. Williams's Parish, Fall River". The Anchor. Fall River. August 15, 2003. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  45. ^ Dion, Marc Monroe (8 April 2012). "Fall River, Greater Taunton churches see downsizing, transitions". Taunton Daily Gazette. tauntongazette.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  46. ^ Spillane, Jack (26 February 2004). "Diocese to merge four New Bedford Parishes". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  47. ^ Spillane, Jack (29 February 2004). "Parish merger a unilateral decision". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. p. A1. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  48. ^ "Whittenton churches merge into new parish". wickedlocal.com. GateHouse News Service. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  49. ^ Lopes, Ashley (21 June 2007). "Two churches merge to create new parish". Taunton Daily Gazette. tauntongazette.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  50. ^ a b Tuoti, Gerry (8 April 2012). "FEWER BUT STRONGER: Diocese hopes Greater Taunton church consolidations result in 'stronger parish community'". Taunton Daily Gazette. tauntongazette.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  51. ^ a b "St. Vincent de Paul Parish will close but church will become chapel of St. John's in Attleboro". The Sun Chronicle. Attleboro. December 10, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  52. ^ Phillips, Jim (4 November 2012). "Parishioners Saddened As St. John The Baptist Closes In New Bedford". WBSM News. wbsm.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  53. ^ a b "Flint Parishes to merge". The Standard-Times. New Bedford: southcoasttoday.com. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  54. ^ "Demolition of Fall River's Immaculate Conception Church begins". The Herald News. Fall River. February 5, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  55. ^ a b "Home Page | The Anchor". Anchornews.org. 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  56. ^ "New Bedford's St. Kilian Church to hold final Mass in September". The Standard-Times. New Bedford. August 4, 2015. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  57. ^ "The last Mass at St. Anne's ends a long-time legacy in community". The Herald News. Fall River. November 25, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  58. ^ a b c "Decrees and Appointments". The Anchor. Fall River. December 2, 2019. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  59. ^ a b c "Decrees and Appointments". The Anchor. Fall River. May 19, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  60. ^ a b c "The Fall River diocese is closing two churches in New Bedford. Here's what will change". The New Bedford Standard-Times. New Bedford. October 7, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  61. ^ "Another Catholic church in New Bedford closing. This time it's Our Lady of Perpetual Help". The New Bedford Standard-Times. New Bedford. January 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
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Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Diocese of Fall River.
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