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Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

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The Diocese of San Diego (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Didaci) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Southern California, United States. Its ecclesiastical territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial counties.

Diocese of San Diego

Dioecesis Sancti Didaci

Diócesis de San Diego
St. Joseph Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryCounties of San Diego, Imperial
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Los Angeles
Statistics
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2017[1])
3,484,311
1,391,278 (39.9%)
Parishes98
Schools89
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJuly 11, 1936[2]
CathedralSt. Joseph Cathedral
Patron saintSt. Didacus of Alcalá
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopRobert W. Cardinal McElroy
Metropolitan ArchbishopJosé Gómez
Auxiliary BishopsRamon Bejarano
Michael Phạm Minh Cường
Felipe Pulido
Map
Website
sdcatholic.org
Mission San Diego

The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Its mother church is St. Joseph Cathedral in San Diego.

History

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1700 to 1840

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The first Roman Catholic churches in the current territory of the Diocese of San Diego were two of the twenty-one "California Missions" (Mission San Diego de Alcala and Mission San Luis Rey de Francia).

During the 18th century, the San Bernardino and Riverside areas were part of the province of Las Californias in the Spanish colony of New Spain.

  • Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded in 1769 by Reverend Junipero Serra in present day San Diego.[3]
  • The Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was established in present day Oceanside by Reverend Fermín de Lasuén in 1798.[4]

In 1804, the Spanish split the Province of California into two territories:

After the Mexican War of Independence ended in 1821, Alta California became part of Mexico. The Mexican Government in 1835 secularized all the Catholic missions in Alta California, including the Mission San Luis Rey and Mission San Diego.

1840 to 1936

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In 1840, Pope Gregory XVI set up the Diocese of California.[5] The new diocese included both Alta California and Baja California. Gregory XVI set the episcopal see at San Diego in Alta California. The first bishop of the new diocese was Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno. Moreno designated the Mission Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara as his pro-cathedral.

After ceding Alta California to the United States at the close of the Mexican–American War in 1848, the government of Mexico objected to San Diego, a see city now located in the United States, having jurisdiction over Mexican parishes. In response, the Vatican divided the Diocese of California into American and Mexican sections in 1849. The American section became the Diocese of Monterey; the see city was moved to Monterey because of its more central location. The Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey became the cathedral of the new American diocese.[5]

In 1859, Pius IX renamed the Diocese of Monterey as the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles to recognize the growth of Los Angeles; the see was transferred to Los Angeles in 1876.[5] In 1922, the Vatican divided the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, , with the southern portion becoming the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego.[6]

1936 to 1969

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The Diocese of San Diego was erected on July 11, 1936, by Pope Pius X, taking San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties from the new Archdiocese of Los Angeles.[6] The pope named Reverend Charles F. Buddy from the Diocese of Saint Joseph as the first bishop of San Diego.

Buddy was close friends with Auxiliary Bishop William O'Brien, director of the Catholic Church Extension Society of Chicago. The Society donated money to the new diocese for the construction of churches and the financial support of priests.[7] Buddy co-founded the University of San Diego in 1949, serving as its first president from 1950 to 1966.[8]Pope Paul VI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Francis Furey from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as coadjutor bishop of San Diego in 1963 to assist Buddy.[9]

After Buddy died in 1966, Furey automatically succeed him as bishop of San Diego. Three years later, in 1969, Furey became archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.[9] To replace Furey in San Diego, Paul VI that same year appointed Bishop Leo Maher from the Diocese of Santa Rosa.[10]

1969 to 1990

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At the time of Maher's arrival, the diocese was about $15 million in debt, which Maher fully retired by 1980.[11] He presided over the second diocesan synod from 1973 to 1976, revising the statutes and guidelines of the diocese to implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.[12] In 1976, Maher created the first Diocesan Pastoral Council.[12] He ended the official relationship between the diocese and the University of San Diego, establishing the school as a separate corporation.[11]

Maher was a strong supporter of the ecumenical movement, co-founding the San Diego County Ecumenical Conference and issuing joint statements on morality with non-Catholic religious leaders.[13] He also supported workers' rights to organize into unions, but pledged an official neutrality in a farm labor dispute in 1971.[14] That same year, he suspended Reverend Victor Salandini, a San Diego priest and ally of labor organizer César Chávez, for wearing a serape with the black eagle symbol of the United Farm Workers instead of proper vestments and for using corn tortillas instead of sacramental bread during his masses.[14] In 1975, Maher prohibited Catholics who are members of pro-choice organizations from receiving communion or serving as lectors, specifically citing the National Organization for Women for its "shameless agitation."[15]

In 1978, Pope John Paul II erected the Diocese of San Bernardino, removing Riverside and San Bernardino Counties from the Diocese of San Diego.[6]

In 1980, Maher issued a public condemnation of the Ku Klux Klan, saying that knowingly voting for a racist or a Klan member may constitute a sin.[16] He prohibited priests from celebrating Mass for Dignity, a pro-LGBTQ+ Catholic organization, but once celebrated a mass himself for HIV/AIDS patients at St. Joseph's Cathedral.[16] In 1989, John Paul II appointed Bishop Robert Brom from the Diocese of Duluth as coadjutor bishop to assist Maher.[17]

1990 to present

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After Maher retired in 1990, Brom automatically succeeded him as bishop of San Diego. Brom was responsible for the creation of two Catholic high schools:

Brom also created a pastoral center in San Diego after selling the former chancery building to the University of San Diego. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Auxiliary Bishop Cirilo Flores from the Diocese of Orange as coadjutor bishop in San Diego. When Brom retired in 2013, Flores became the next bishop of San Diego.[18] However, Flores died from a stroke and cancer in September 2014.[19]

In March 2015, Pope Francis appointed Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy from the Archdiocese of San Francisco as bishop of San Diego.[20] The pope named McElroy cardinal in May 2022.[21]

Clergy sexual abuse cases

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A 16 year old boy in 1977 filed a complaint of sexual assault against Reverend John Daly with the Holtville police. The boy said that Daly picked up him and a companion while hitchhiking and offered to let them stay for the night at St. Joseph Church. The boy awoke in the middle of the night to find Daly performing oral sex on him. Three days after Daly's arrest, the local district attorney told police that the diocese would send Daly away for treatment and that it was dropping charges. In 2002, the 1977 complainant sued the diocese.[22]

Reverend Edward Rodrigue pleaded no contest in 1979 of sexually abusing an 11 year old developmentally disabled boy in Highland. The diocese removed him from ministry and sent him for 11 months of treatment at a center in Azusa. He was laicized in 1992.[23] After being arrested in 1997 for child abuse, Rodrigue admitted to sexually abusing dozens of children during his time as a priest. Rodrigue was sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing children in 1998. By the end of 2004, 15 men had sued the diocese, claiming they were sexually abused by Rodrigue.[24]

Five women sued the diocese in 2003, claiming that they had been sexually assaulted as minors by Reverend Franz Robier during the 1950s. The victims included four orphans from Europe living at a facility in the diocese. Records showed that Bishop Buddy sent Robier away for treatment after receiving complaints, then allowed him later to resume ministry.[25][26]

In February 2007, the diocese filed for bankruptcy protection after the diocese was unable to reach a settlement agreement with numerous plaintiffs suing over sexual abuse by clergy.[27] In September 2007, the diocese agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of child sexual abuse by clergy, the 2nd-largest settlement payment by a Roman Catholic diocese in U.S. history.[28] Perpetrators included 48 priests and one lay coordinator of altar boys.[29] In September 2018, the diocese added eight more priests to its list of clergy with credible accusations of abuse.[30]

In December 2018, Reverend Juan Garcia Castillo from St. Patrick Parish in Carlsbad was convicted of sexual battery. An adult seminarian had accused Castillo of sexually assaulting him while dining at a restaurant with another seminarian. When the accuser was in the men's room, Castillo grabbed his genitals.[31][32] Castillo was sentenced to 60 years in jail and three years of probation.[33]

On December 11, 2019, it was announced that four victims of convicted, and now deceased, sexual abuser Anthony Edward Rodrigue would sue the Diocese of San Diego.[34][35] Their lawsuit began on January 2, 2020, along with 5 lawsuits targeting 5 other priests accused of child molestation and rape.[34][36][35] Due to all these more recent allegations, the Diocese of San Diego and five other California dioceses established in 2019 a fund for clergy sex-abuse victims; by September 2021 this compensation program had already paid another $24 million in claims.[37]

In June 2024, the diocese announced that they would be preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time to settle with the hundreds of sex abuse lawsuits. The bankruptcy documents will be filed by no later than June 17. All parishes, charities and schools owned by the diocese will remain open during the proceedings.[38] The diocese declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 17, 2024, receiving negative response by citizens, who protested the bankruptcy filing.[39]

Statistics

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As of 2023, the Diocese of San Diego included 96 parishes and 14 missions, serving a Catholic population of 1,386,368 in San Diego County and Imperial County. The diocese has 130 active priests and 60 retired priests, along with 122 permanent deacons, 163 religious sisters and 29 religious brothers.[40]

Bishops

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Bishops of San Diego

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  1. Charles Francis Buddy (1936–1966)
  2. Francis James Furey (1966–1969, coadjutor bishop 1963–1966), appointed Archbishop of San Antonio
  3. Leo Thomas Maher (1969–1990)
  4. Robert Henry Brom (1990–2013, coadjutor bishop 1989–1990)
  5. Cirilo Flores (2013–2014, coadjutor bishop 2012–2013)
  6. Cardinal Robert W. McElroy (2015–present)

Auxiliary bishops

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Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

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Phillip Francis Straling, appointed Bishop of San Bernardino in 1978

Churches

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Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

Education

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See also: List of schools of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

As of 2023, the Diocese of San Diego had approximately 15,000 students in 43 elementary schools and six high schools.[41]

High schools

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Diocese of San Diego, Usa". GCatholic.org.
  2. ^ "Diocese of San Diego, Statistical Overview". Archived from the original on April 11, 2003. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  3. ^ "About 1". Mission San Diego History. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "San Luis Rey de Francia". California Missions. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Monterey in California (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "San Diego (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nuestra Señora De Guadalupe: The Mexican Catholic Experience in San Diego". The Journal of San Diego History.
  8. ^ "History of USD". University of San Diego. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Archbishop Francis James Furey". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
  10. ^ "Bishop Leo Thomas Maher". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  11. ^ a b Gillmon, Rita (February 24, 1991). "Death takes Bishop Leo T. Maher, 75 Led diocese from 1969 to 1990 during a time of rapid change". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  12. ^ a b "A Brief History of the Diocese of San Diego". Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Archived from the original on April 20, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Gillmon, Rita (February 24, 1991). "Death takes Bishop Leo T. Maher, 75 Led diocese from 1969 to 1990 during a time of rapid change". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  14. ^ a b "Tortilla Fiat". TIME Magazine. July 26, 1971. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008.
  15. ^ "Saying No to NOW". TIME Magazine. April 28, 1975. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010.
  16. ^ a b Gillmon, Rita (February 24, 1991). "Death takes Bishop Leo T. Maher, 75 Led diocese from 1969 to 1990 during a time of rapid change". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  17. ^ "Bishop Robert Henry Brom [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Robert Brom of San Diego; Co-Adjutor Bishop Cirilo Flores Succeeds Him". usccb.org. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "San Diego Catholic bishop dies after battle with cancer". Los Angeles Times. September 7, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "U.S. Watch". Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  21. ^ O'Connell, Gerard (May 29, 2022). "Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego". America.
  22. ^ "Men Sue 2 Ex-Priests, San Diego Diocese; Accusers Claim They Were Molested As Boys, by Sandi Dolbee and Susan Gembrowski, San Diego Union-Tribune, August 16, 2002". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  23. ^ "Ex-Priest Sent to Prison for Molestation 4 or 5 Boys Targeted Ever Year, Say Police, by David Kelly, Press Enterprise [Riverside CA], January 21, 1998". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  24. ^ "Diocese Accused of Ignoring Victims Sex Abuse: Church Officials Defend Response to Admitted Molestations by a Former Inland Priest". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "Suit Filed Alleging Sex Abuse by Priest; Incidents Began in 1950s, Women Say, by Sandi Dolbee, San Diego Union-Tribune, December 11, 2003". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  26. ^ "November Trials for 5 Priest Lawsuits, by Mark Sauer, Union-Tribune [California], June 22, 2006". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  27. ^ Mark Sauer (February 28, 2007). "S.D. Catholic diocese files for bankruptcy". Union Tribune.
  28. ^ Allison Hoffman (September 8, 2007). "Diocese settles abuse claims for $198M". USA Today.
  29. ^ "Largest sexual abuse settlements by Roman Catholic institutions in the U.S."
  30. ^ "San Diego's Catholic diocese adds eight priests to list of sexual predators". San Diego Union-Tribune. September 14, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  31. ^ "California priest convicted of sexually assaulting San Diego seminarian". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  32. ^ "California priest convicted of sexually assaulting San Diego seminarian". Crux. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  33. ^ Staff • •, NBC 7 (January 19, 2019). "Ex-Carlsbad Priest Sentenced to Jail for Groping Seminary Student". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved August 7, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ a b "Local Victims Join Civil Lawsuit Against San Diego Catholic Diocese". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Child sexual abuse lawsuit to be filed next year against San Diego Diocese". fox5sandiego.com. December 12, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  36. ^ Hope, Heather (January 2, 2020). "Lawsuits filed against Catholic Diocese of San Diego on behalf of alleged sex assault victims". CBS News 8.
  37. ^ "Fund for Clergy Sex-Abuse Victims in San Diego, 5 Other Counties, Paid $24M in Claims". Times of San Diego. September 2, 2021.
  38. ^ Quezada, Jeanette (June 16, 2024). "San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese to file for bankruptcy". NBC San Diego. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  39. ^ Miskell, Dani (June 17, 2024). "Catholic Diocese of San Diego files for bankruptcy amid controversy". 10News. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  40. ^ "A Brief History of The Diocese of San Diego". The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  41. ^ by, Created (October 14, 2022). "Home". San Diego Catholic Schools & Imperial Valley Catholic Schools. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
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32°46′00″N 117°07′59″W / 32.7667°N 117.1330°W / 32.7667; -117.1330

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