Archdiocese of Baltimore Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis | |
|---|---|
| Catholic | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Territory | The city ofBaltimore and nine counties in central and western Maryland |
| Ecclesiastical province | Baltimore |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 12,340 km2 (4,760 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 137 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | November 6, 1789; 236 years ago (1789-11-06) |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Mary Our Queen |
| Patron saint | Immaculate Conception[citation needed] St. Ignatius of Loyola[1] |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Archbishop | William E. Lori |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Adam J. Parker |
| Episcopal Vicars | Adam Parker |
| Bishops emeritus | Edwin Frederick O'Brien Denis J. Madden |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
www | |
TheArchdiocese of Baltimore (Latin:Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the archdiocese of theLatin Church of theCatholic Church in northern andwesternMaryland in the United States. It is themetropolitan see of theEcclesiastical Province of Baltimore.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the oldest diocese and oldest archdiocese in the United States. Soon after the American Revolution, the diocese was erected to cover the United States, before the establishment of additional dioceses. The Vatican granted the archbishop of Baltimore the right ofprecedence in the nation at liturgies, meetings, andPlenary Councils in 1859.[2] It is the premier episcopal see of the Catholic Church in the United States of America, as "prerogative of place".
As of 2020, the archdiocese had an estimated Catholic population of 525,000 with 198 diocesan priests, 193 religious priests and 169 permanent deacons in 139 parishes.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has two major seminaries:St. Mary's Seminary and University inBaltimore andMount St. Mary's Seminary inEmmitsburg.[3][4]
It was revealed in late 2016 that the Archdiocese of Baltimore had paid off numerous settlements since 2011 for abuse victims.[5]
The Archdiocese of Baltimore comprises theCity of Baltimore and nine Maryland counties:Allegany,Anne Arundel,Baltimore,Carroll,Frederick,Garrett–Harford,Howard, andWashington.
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The first Catholic presence in the original British colonies in the United States was the proprietary colony of Maryland, established byCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore in 1634. A Catholic himself, Calvert intended the colony to be open to English Catholics facing persecution at home.
In 1689, members of the growingPuritan population in Maryland staged atakeover of the colonial government and effectively outlawed Catholicism.[6][7] In 1691, alarmed at the violent conflicts in Maryland, the British Crown took over the colony from the Calvert family.
The new royal governor in Maryland imposed less sweeping restrictions on Catholics than those of the Puritan regime. These restrictions would stay in place until after the end of theAmerican Revolution.
During the British colonial period, the small Catholic communities in the American colonies were under theecclesiastical jurisdiction of theApostolic Vicariate of the London District in England.[8] The first Catholic church in Baltimore, St. Peter's, was dedicated in 1770.[9]
In November 1783, after the end of the Revolution, the Catholic clergy in Maryland petitioned the Vatican for permission to nominate a priest assuperior of the missions for the United States. The superior would have some of the powers of abishop and be in charge of the American Catholic Church. After receiving papal approval, the clergy nominated ReverendJohn Carroll to become superior.Pope Pius VI in June 1784 confirmed Carroll as superior of the missions. This papal act established an Americanhierarchy, removing the American Catholic Church from the authority of the British Catholic Church
In November 1784, Pius VI erected thePrefecture Apostolic of the United States encompassing the entire country. Since Maryland had the largest Catholic population,Pope Pius VI placed the prefecture see in Baltimore and appointed Carroll as its first prefect apostolic.
Four years later, Pius VI elevated the prefecture into the Diocese of Baltimore, making it the first diocese solely within the United States.[10] St. Peter's, the only Catholic church in Baltimore, was designated as thepro-cathedral (temporary cathedral). The new Diocese of Baltimore covered the entire nation.
To train priests for his new diocese, Carroll asked theFathers of the Company of Saint Sulpice to come to Baltimore. They arrived in 1791 and started the nucleus ofSt. Mary's College and Seminary in that city.[11] Also in 1791, Carroll convened the first diocesansynod in the United States. Twenty-two priests attended the synod, setting national policies forbaptism, confirmation,penance, the celebration of theliturgy in themass,anointing of the sick, and mixed marriages.[12]
The Vatican in 1795 appointed ReverendLeonard Neale ascoadjutor bishop in Baltimore to assist Carroll.[13] In 1798, Carroll won a civil case in Pennsylvania that acknowledged his position as leader of the American church.[11] Carroll gave his approval to the founding of theOrder of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who in 1799 established Visitation Academy in Georgetown.[14][15]
Carroll ordained the first American-born Catholic priest, ReverendWilliam Matthews, atSt. Peter's Pro-Cathedral in Baltimore in 1800.[16] In 1806, Carroll started construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Baltimore[17] As the Catholic population of the United States grew, the Vatican saw the need to create more dioceses. In 1808,Pope Pius VII erected four new dioceses from what now became the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The pope named Carroll as the first archbishop of Baltimore.[10]
| Name of new diocese | Territory taken from archdiocese in 1808 |
|---|---|
| Diocese of Boston | Massachusetts,New Hampshire,Rhode Island,Connecticut, andVermont |
| Diocese of New York | State ofNew York and seven counties fromNew Jersey |
| Diocese of Philadelphia | Pennsylvania,Delaware, and seven counties from New Jersey |
| Diocese of Bardstown | Kentucky,Tennessee,Ohio, and the Old Northwest Territory |
After Carroll died in 1815, Neale automatically succeeded him as archbishop of Baltimore. However, due to Neale's bad health,Pope Pius VII in 1816 appointed ReverendAmbrose Maréchal ascoadjutor archbishop. When Neale died in 1817,Maréchal succeeded him as archbishop of Baltimore.[13][18]
Maréchal believed that his most pressing problem was a shortage of priests. It was aggravated by parish trustees who thought they had the power to assign these priests.[19] In some Irish parishes, the trustees would demand Irish priests, even if they were not qualified.[20] In 1820, BishopFlaget of Bardstown warned Maréchal about a man claiming to be a priest who wanted to practice in the archdiocese. This individual produced positive letters of introduction from his bishop. However, when he was observed celebrating mass, it became clear that the so-called priest was incompetent. Maréchal later advised the Propaganda Fide (now theCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) in Rome about this problem.[21]
Maréchal dedicated the incomplete Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in May 1821.[18] Later in 1821, Maréchal went toRome on archdiocese business. One problem he had faced in Maryland was the disputed ownership of theWhite Marsh plantation inBowie. The Order of Jesus had received the plantation as a gift in 1728 and claimed it as their property. Maréchal said that the plantation actually belonged to the archdiocese. The Vatican gave the archdiocese ownership of White Marsh.[22][18]
On January 8, 1828, ReverendJames Whitfield of Baltimore was appointedcoadjutor archbishop of the archdiocese byPope Leo XII. Before Whitfield could be consecrated as coadjutor, Maréchal died on January 29, 1828. Whitfield was finally consecrated as archbishop in June 1828.[23] He convened asynod for the diocesan clergy in 1831 and theSecond Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1833.[24] Throughout his tenure, Whitfield worked for the welfare of theAfrican American community.[24] He authorized the foundation of theOblate Sisters of Providence, the first religious order of African-American women in the United States. Whitfield talked about how he would have liked to evangelize the hundreds of thousands of enslaved African-Americans in Virginia.[25]
Pope Gregory XVI in March 1834 appointed ReverendSamuel Eccleston as coadjutor archbishop to assist Whitfield. When Whitfield died in October 1834, Eccleston automatically succeeded him as archbishop.[26] Eccleston encouraged religious orders to establishmother houses in his diocese, particularly those orders that could provide social services to the growing number of Catholic immigrants in the industrializing cities. TheSisters of the Visitation increased the number of their academies in the city and the archdiocese, theBrothers of St. Patrick opened atrade school near Baltimore, and theRedemptorists provided services forGerman-speaking immigrants. TheBrothers of the Christian Schools foundedCalvert Hall School in 1845 in Baltimore.
In 1847, Eccleston was planning to disband the Oblate Sisters of Providence, but was dissuaded by Redemptorist Father Thaddeus Anwander.[27]St. Charles College was established in 1848 inHoward County on land donated by the planterCharles Carroll.[28] Between 1837 and 1849, Eccleston held fiveprovincial councils in Baltimore.[29] He also started several new parishes during his administration.[30] Eccleston died in 1851.
The Vatican continued to erect new dioceses and vicariates out of the Archdiocese of Baltimore through the 19th century as the church evolved and grew in the United States.[31]
| Name of new diocese | Date of new diocese | Territory taken from archdiocese |
|---|---|---|
| Diocese of Charleston | 1820 | North Carolina,South Carolina, andGeorgia |
| Diocese of Richmond | 1820 | Most ofVirginia |
| Vicariate Apostolic of Mississippi and Alabama | 1822 | Mississippi andAlabama |
| Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory[31] | 1843 | FromCalifornia toAlaska and from theRocky Mountains to thePacific Ocean |
| Diocese of Richmond | 1858 | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Diocese of Wilmington | 1868 | Maryland eastern shore and the remainingVirginia counties |
Following the death of Eccleston, BishopFrancis Kenrick of Philadelphia was named the sixth archbishop of Baltimore byPope Pius IX in 1851.[32] He presided over theFirst Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1852.[33] As archbishop, Kenrick expanded parochial schools throughout the archdiocese. Under his tenure, parochial schools were free for all students, and were supported directly by the parishes.[34] Kenrick died in 1863. The next archbishop of Baltimore was BishopMartin Spalding from theDiocese of Louisville, appointed byPope Pius IX.[35]
In 1866, Spalding foundedSt. Mary's Industrial School inBaltimore, a boysreformatory.[36][37] Spalding conducted a visitation of the archdiocese, during which he reportedly administeredconfirmation to 8,000 people.[38] Spalding recruited priests for the archdiocese fromAll Hallows College in Ireland and theAmerican College at Louvain in Belgium[30] He also organized theSociety of Saint Vincent de Paul as well as the Association of St. Joseph, a society for the care of impoverished girls.[39]
After the end of theAmerican Civil War in 1865, Spalding raised $10,000 in the archdiocese for relief efforts in the formerConfederate States of America. He also took a special interest in the spiritual welfare of the African-Americans who had just been freed from slavery. Writing to ArchbishopJohn McCloskey, Spalding said, "Four million of these unfortunates are thrown on our charity, and they silently but eloquently appeal to us for help."[36] He invited ReverendHerbert Vaughan and theMill Hill Fathers from England to minister exclusively among freedmen. In October 1866, Spalding presided over theSecond Plenary Council of Baltimore.[39][40]
After Spalding died in 1871, Pius IX appointed bishopJames Bayley from theDiocese of Newark as the next archbishop of Baltimore in 1872.[41] He convened the Eighth Provincial Synod in 1875 and enacted new regulations on clerical dress, mixed marriages, and church music. Bayley consecrated the cathedral in 1876 and retired a large amount of archdiocesan debt. In May 1877, Pius IX selected BishopJames Gibbons of Richmond as coadjutor archbishop to assist the sick Bayley. After Bayley died in October 1877, Gibbons succeeded him as archbishop of Baltimore.[42] In 1884, Gibbons founded the House of the Good Shepherd in Baltimore, a reformatory for female criminals.[43]
After the end ofWorld War I in 1919, Gibbons supported American participation in the newLeague of Nations. He was initially opposed to thewomen's suffrage movement in the United States. However, when thenineteenth amendment to theUS Constitution passed in 1920, allowing women to vote, Gibbons urged women to exercise that right, describing it "...not only as a right but as a strict social duty."[44] Gibbons died in 1921
BishopMichael Curley of the Diocese of Saint Augustine was the next archbishop of Baltimore, named byPope Benedict XV in 1921.[45] His arrival in his new city was described in the press as "one of the greatest welcomes ever tendered a new citizen of Baltimore."[46] During his tenure in Baltimore, Curley established 66 schools, placing the importance of constructing schools over churches.[47] In 1926, he declared, "I defy any system of grammar school education in the United States to prove itself superior to the system that is being maintained in the Archdiocese of Baltimore."[48] He also established diocesan offices forCatholic Charities in 1923 and for theSociety for the Propagation of the Faith in 1925.[48]
In 1939,Pope Pius XII erected theArchdiocese of Washington, taking theDistrict of Columbia and five nearby Maryland counties from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.[49] The pope selected Curley to serve as archbishop of Washington. The two archdioceses now shared the same archbishop.[50] Curley used the title of Archbishop of Baltimore-Washington during this period, although the two archdioceses were separate entities.[51]
After Curley died in 1947, Pius XII appointed MonsignorPatrick A. O'Boyle as archbishop of Washington and BishopFrancis Keough of theDiocese of Providence as archbishop of Baltimore.[49][50] During the 14 years of Keough's administration, the Catholic population of the archdiocese grew from 265,000 to 400,000. Keough dedicated the newCathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore in 1959; he also built many new schools, homes, and orphanages.[52]
In July 1961,Pope John XXIII named BishopLawrence Shehan of theDiocese of Bridgeport to assist Keough as coadjutor archbishop. When Keough died in December 1961, Shehan automatically succeeded him as archbishop of Baltimore.[53] Shehan was a strong supporter of theAmerican Civil Rights movement. He bannedracial segregation in all of the archdiocesan institutions in 1962[54] and participated in the 1963March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[55] Shehan also maintained good relations with the Jewish andEastern Orthodox communities in the archdiocese.[55] Shehan worked with his friendHarry Lee Doll, Episcopal Bishop of Maryland, on both civil rights andecumenical issues. Along with the president ofSt. Mary's Seminary and University, Shehan and Doll in 1968 founded the Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary's.[56]
Following Shehan's retirement in 1974, Pope Paul VI named BishopWilliam Borders of theDiocese of Orlando as the 13th archbishop of Baltimore that same year.[57]
During his 15-year tenure in Baltimore, Borders divided the archdiocese into threevicariates and appointed hisauxiliary bishops as vicars over them. He reorganized the Archdiocesan Central Services, naming cabinet-level secretaries to carry out the administrative work of the archdiocese.[58] Borders clarified and strengthened the role of the archdiocesan pastoral council, and combined the board of consultors and the priests senate to form the priests' council.[59] He initiated a Department of Pastoral Planning and Management, an Office of Fund Development and an evangelization effort.[58] Instead of residing at an apartment at theBasilica of the Assumption, Borders lived alone at the former sexton's lodge.[60][61] Borders became whatBaltimore Magazine called the "king of thesoup kitchens". While he was archbishop, the budget forCatholic Charities grew from $2.5 million a year to $33 million a year, and its staff expanded from 200 to over 1,000.[62] Borders retired in 1989.
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Pope John Paul II appointed BishopWilliam H. Keeler from theDiocese of Harrisburg as the next archbishop of Baltimore in 1989.[63] Keeler was responsible for the restoration of theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.[64]
After Keeler retired in 2006, John Paul II replaced him with ArchbishopEdwin O'Brien from theArchdiocese for the Military Services, USA.[65] In 2008, O'Brien dedicated the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden in Baltimore, which he called a "sanctuary in a suffering city."[66] In 2011, he became grand master of theEquestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in Rome.
In 2012, BishopWilliam E. Lori of Bridgeport was appointed archbishop of Baltimore byPope Benedict XVI. In 2019, Lori released “The Journey to Racial Justice: Repentance, Healing and Action.” The document acknowledgedracism in the Catholic Church and suggested measures to combat it. That same year, Lori instituted an initiative for reporting allegations against any bishop in the archdiocese. The policy was drafted by the archdiocesan independent review board.
As of 2023, Lori is the current archbishop of Baltimore.
ThePlenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of American Catholic bishops in the 19th century.
In July 1995, John Merzbacher, a teacher at Catholic Community Middle School in south Baltimore, received four life sentences after being convicted of raping Elizabeth Ann Murphy at the school in the 1970s.[67] At the time, prosecutors also found evidence that Marzbacher sexually abused 13 other male and female students when he taught there.[68][67] Merzbacher died in prison in May 2023.[68]
In 2016, the archdiocese confirmed that it had paid a total of $472,000 to settlements to 16 former students of Archbishop Keough High School. The plaintiffs claimed to have beensexually abused as children by ReverendA. Joseph Maskell from 1967 to 1975.[69][70][71] After the archdiocese removed Maskell from ministry in 1994, he fled to Ireland.[72] He was never charged with any crimes."[73]
The archdiocese was featured in the 2017Netflix documentaryThe Keepers, investigated sexual abuse by clergy atArchbishop Keough High School and the murder of SisterCatherine Cesnik in 1969.
A report released by Pennsylvania Attorney GeneralJosh Shapiro in August 2018, singled out CardinalWilliam Keeler for criticism. When Keeler was archbishop of Baltimore, he allowed Reverend Arthur Long to transfer from the Diocese of Harrisburg to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.[74] Long had been accused of sexually abusing children during his time in Harrisburg when Keeler was bishop there .[74][75] After the grand jury report was released, the archdiocese canceled plans to named a new elementary school after Keeler.[76]
In February 2019, Maryland Attorney GeneralBrian Frosh launched an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against the archdiocese.[77] Archbishop Lori provided Frosh with over 50,000 pages of internal documents dating back to 1965.[78]
In March 2019, Lori banned former Auxiliary BishopGordon Bennett, then residing in the archdiocese, from practicing any form of ministry in the archdiocese or the suffraganDiocese of Wheeling–Charleston. Bennett had been accused of sexual abuse in 2006.[79][80][81] In April 2019, the archdiocese added the names of 23 deceased clergy to a list of accused clergy which the archdiocese published in 2002.[82][83] Long, a Jesuit, was among those added to the list.[82][83]
The State of Maryland investigation concluded in November 2022,[84] and its report was released in April 2023.[85][86][68] The report named 156 archdiocesan employees and clergy as having credible accusations of sexually abusing more that 600 children between 1940 and 2002.[85][68][87] At the same time as the release of the report, theMaryland General Assembly passed a bill to end a statute of limitations on abuse-related civil lawsuits.[88] This bill was signed into law by GovernorWes Moore in April 2023.[89]
On September 29, 2023, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore in the US filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy to evade large anticipated financial losses in upcoming lawsuits permitted by theMaryland Child Victims Act starting on October 1.[90][91][92]
In 1858, theSacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide), with the approval of Pius IX, conferred "Prerogative of Place" on the Archdiocese of Baltimore. This decree gave the archbishop of Baltimoreprecedence over all other American archbishops incouncils, gatherings, and meetings. It did not matter if another archbishop had been elevated sooner or had been serving long. However, a cardinal still had precedence over the archbishop of Baltimore.[15]
The first cathedral for the archdiocese wasSt. Peter's Pro-Cathedral, which is no longer standing. Today, like only a few other archdioceses in the United States, the Archdiocese of Baltimore has two cathedrals, both in Baltimore: theCathedral of Mary Our Queen and theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.[93] The archbishop is considered the pastor of both co-cathedrals, appointing rectors to operate them.
St. Peters served as the base for the archbishop of Baltimore from 1790 to 1821. Since it never met the physical criteria for a proper cathedral and was always considered temporary, St. Peter's was termed apro-cathedral. The building was razed in 1841.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was constructed between 1806 and 1821. It was the first cathedral in the newly independent United States and is considered themother church of the country. It is a co-cathedral of the archdiocese.
Mary Our Queen was started in 1954 and completed in 1959. It is a co-cathedral of the archdiocese.
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John Carroll (1784–1789), appointed first diocesan bishop with erection of diocese[94]
Dominic Laurence Grässel appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Baltimore in 1793 but the notice arrived after his death
As of 2023, the Archdiocese of Baltimore had 40 elementary and middle schools and 18 high schools with a total student enrollment of approximately 24,000.[98]
| School | Location | Gender | Diocesan or independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archbishop Curley High School | Baltimore | Boys | Diocesan |
| Archbishop Spalding High School | Severn | Coed | Diocesan |
| Bishop Walsh School | Cumberland | Coed | Diocesan |
| Calvert Hall College | Baltimore /Towson | Boys | Independent |
| Cristo Rey Jesuit High School | Baltimore | Coed | Independent |
| Loyola Blakefield | Baltimore / Towson | Boys | Independent |
| Maryvale Preparatory School | Brooklandville | Girls | Independent |
| Mercy High School | Baltimore | Girls | Independent |
| Mount de Sales Academy | Baltimore /Catonsville | Girls | Independent |
| Mount Saint Joseph College | Baltimore /Irvington | Boys | Independent |
| Notre Dame Preparatory School | Baltimore / Towson | Girls | Independent |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School | Baltimore | Coed | Diocesan |
| St. Frances Academy | Baltimore | Coed | Diocesan |
| St. John's Catholic Preparatory | Buckeystown/Frederick County | Coed | Independent |
| St. Mary's High School | Annapolis | Coed | Parish |
| The Catholic High School of Baltimore | Baltimore | Girls | Independent |
| The John Carroll School | Bel Air | Coed | Independent |
The archdiocese began to publish its diocesan newspaper,The Baltimore Catholic Review in 1913 as the successor to the earlier diocesan publicationThe Catholic Mirror, published 1833 to 1908. The name has since been shortened toThe Catholic Review. It changed from weekly to biweekly publication in 2012 and transformed again to a monthly magazine in December 2015.[101]
When the Archdiocese of Baltimore was erected in 1808, itsecclesiastical province covered the entire nation. In 1847, with the erected of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the ecclesiastical province of Baltimore shrank.[15] It shrank again with the creation of the Archdioceses ofCincinnati, New Orleans, New York, and thePortland in Oregon in 1850. The province currently contains the following suffragan dioceses:
st mary's industrial school.
Media related toRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore at Wikimedia Commons
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