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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Latin Catholic diocese of Philadelphia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphiamap

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia (Latin: Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Philadelphiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States.

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Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Archidiœcesis Metropolitae Philadelphiensis
Catholic
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Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia
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Coat of arms
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Flag
Location
Country United States
TerritoryPhiladelphia and the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia
Ecclesiastical provinceMetropolitan Province of Philadelphia
Headquarters222 North 17th St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates39°57′26″N 75°10′04″W
Statistics
Area2,183 sq mi (5,650 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2019)
4,119,268
1,437,400 (34.9%)
Parishes214
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 8, 1808; 216 years ago (1808-04-08)
CathedralCathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
Patron saint
Secular priests274
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
Metropolitan ArchbishopNelson J. Perez
Auxiliary Bishops
Bishops emeritus
Map
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Location of the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania
Website
archphila.org Edit this at Wikidata
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The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Delaware, along with seven counties and parts of three counties in New Jersey. The diocese was raised to an archdiocese in 1875.

In 2012, diocese priest William Lynn became the first Catholic official to be convicted in the United States of covering up abuses by other priests in his charge. In 2020, the ongoing sexual abuse scandal in the archdiocese was expected to result in payment of $126 million to victims.

The seat of the archbishop is the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. As of 2024, Nelson J. Pérez is the archbishop of Philadelphia.[2]

Territory

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia covers five Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia.

The archdiocese includes the following suffragan dioceses:

History

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Archdiocesan Pastoral Center

The history of the Catholic Church in the area dates back to William Penn when Mass was said publicly as early as 1707.[3]

19th century

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the suffragan dioceses of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Bardstown, Kentucky, from the territory of the Diocese of Baltimore.[4] The pope appointed Reverend Michael Francis Egan as the first bishop of Philadelphia.[5]

In 1868, the Vatican erected the dioceses of Harrisburg, Scranton, and Wilmington, taking their territory from the Diocese of Philadelphia.[3]

The Vatican elevated the Diocese of Philadelphia to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on February 12, 1875.[3]

20th century

In 1961, Pope John XXIII erected the Diocese of Allentown, taking several northern counties from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.[6]

By 1969, the archdiocese had grown to 1,351,704 parishioners, 1,096 diocesan priests, 676 priests of religious institutes and 6,622 religious women.[3]

21st century

In February 2012, the diocese announced the largest reorganization of their elementary and high school education system, with numerous recommended school closings or mergers.

In August 2012, the archdiocese announced that the Faith in the Future Foundation would assume management of the 17 archdiocesan high schools and the four special education schools.[7]

Bishops

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Archbishop Nelson J. Perez

Bishops of Philadelphia

  1. Michael Francis Egan, O.F.M. (1808–1814)[8]
    (Ambrose Maréchal, P.S.S. appointed in 1816; did not take effect.)[9]
  2. Henry Conwell (1819–1841)[10]
  3. Francis Patrick Kenrick (1842–1851; coadjutor bishop 1830–1842), appointed Archbishop of Baltimore[11]
  4. John Nepomucene Neumann (1852–1860)[12]
  5. James Frederick Wood (1860–1875; coadjutor bishop 1857–1860), elevated to archbishop[13]

Archbishops of Philadelphia

  1. James Frederick Wood (1875–1883)
  2. Patrick John Ryan (1884–1911)
  3. Edmond Francis Prendergast (1911–1918)
  4. Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty (1918–1951)
  5. Cardinal John Francis O'Hara, C.S.C. (1951–1960)
  6. Cardinal John Joseph Krol (1961–1988)
  7. Cardinal Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (1988–2003)
  8. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali (2003–2011)
  9. Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. (2011–2020)
  10. Nelson J. Perez (2020–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

Former auxiliary bishops

Other living priests of this diocese who became bishops

Note: Year range in parentheses indicates the time of service as a priest of the (Arch)diocese of Philadelphia, prior to appointment to the episcopacy.

Other deceased priests of this diocese who became bishops

Note: Year range in parentheses indicates the time of service as a priest of the (Arch)diocese of Philadelphia, prior to appointment to the episcopacy.

Churches

Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Educational institutions

Main article: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Circa 1912 there were about 68,000 students in Catholic schools within the archdiocesan territory. This increased to 250,000 in 1961, but the figures decreased after that year. Enrollment was down to 68,000 in 2012.[16] There were about 50,000 students in Catholic schools in the city of Philadelphia in 2000, and this figure decreased to 30,000 in 2010. In that span one Catholic high school and 23 Catholic elementary schools closed or merged, and the proliferation of charter schools in that period meant that the number of students combined in that type of school outnumbered that of the remaining Philadelphia Catholic schools.[17]

In 2012 the archdiocese proposed closing or merging 18 schools in Philadelphia and 31 schools outside of Philadelphia; the Philadelphia Inquirer stated this would further weaken Philadelphia's middle class.[18] The proposal would affect 24% and 29% of the senior high and K-8 schools, respectively.[19]

Elementary schools

See also: Category:Catholic elementary schools in Philadelphia

(this category only includes schools notable enough for their own Wikipedia articles)

The first Catholic school established in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was at St. Mary Parish in Philadelphia during the late eighteenth century. During the nineteenth century, Bishop Kenrick encouraged the establishment of Catholic schools. Subsequently, John Neumann (1851–1860) made the establishment of parish elementary schools a priority and by 1860 there were seventeen parish elementary schools in Philadelphia. Between 1900 and 1930, Catholic elementary schools increased to 124 schools in Philadelphia and 78 schools in the four suburban counties. Between 1945 and 1965, 62 new Catholic elementary schools were established.

In 2012, about 25% of the students in Philadelphia Catholic elementary schools were not Catholic.[17] In 2010 South Philadelphia Catholic elementary schools had 2,572 students, a decline by 27% from the 2006 figure.[16]

Special needs schools

With the foundation of Archbishop Ryan School for Children with Deafness in 1912, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia school system began serving families of children with special needs. St. Katherine Day School and Our Lady of Confidence School, serving students with mental retardation, were opened in 1953 and 1954, respectively, after parent petitions to John Cardinal O'Hara. St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairment followed in 1955. Queen of the Universe Day Center was added in 1980 to serve students with mental retardation in Bucks County. These five schools are supported by the Catholic Charities Appeal.

High schools within the archdiocese

See also: Category:Roman Catholic secondary schools in Philadelphia

Diocesan high schools

Leadership within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia envisioned a continued comprehensive education for secondary students.

The first free Catholic high school in the United States was the "Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia", founded for the education of boys in 1890. (It is often referred to as "Roman Catholic", occasionally as "Catholic High", and most commonly as "Roman".) The "Catholic Girls High School" was founded in 1912. Mary McMichan, one of the school's founders, requested in her last will that the school be renamed in honor of her brother. The school became "John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School" after her death. Both schools are still in existence.

Between 1916 and 1927 West Catholic Boys and Girls and Northeast Catholic were opened. Despite the economic hardships of the 1930s and 1940s, seven more diocesan high schools were founded. Between 1945 and 1967, fifteen high schools were opened.

As of 2023, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has 15 diocesan high schools.

Seminaries

Colleges and universities within the archdiocese

Note: Each Catholic college and university within the archdiocese is affiliated with a religious institute, rather than the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Catholic Social Services

The archdiocese has had a foster care agency for more than 100 years. It sued Philadelphia after the city stopped referring foster care cases to the agency after it refused to use same-sex couples to foster children.[20] The case went to the Supreme Court with the name Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Pa.[21]

Controversies

Sexual abuse scandals

Main article: Sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

The Philadelphia abuses were substantially revealed through a grand jury investigation in 2005. Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali adopted the policy of laicizing those who were accused and confirmed by investigations. A second grand jury in 2011 said that as many as 37 priests were credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors. In 2012, a guilty plea by priest Edward Avery and the related trial and conviction of William Lynn and mistrial on charges against James J. Brennan followed from the grand jury's investigations. In 2013, Charles Engelhardt and teacher Bernard Shero were tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. Lynn was the first official to be convicted in the United States of covering up abuses by other priests in his charge and other senior church officials have been extensively criticized for their management of the issue in the archdiocese.

On March 12, 2020, a new trial date was set for Lynn, who was released in 2016 and ordered to be retried after serving 33 months of his sentence. Jury selection was to start on March 16, 2020.[22] However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced Lynn's retrial to be delayed until January 2021.[23][24] Following his release from prison in 2016, Lynn was ordered to remain on supervised parole until his retrial.[25] In 2019, it was reported that the 2011 grand jury report also resulted in Lynn being suspended from ministry.[26] IN 2023 he was sentenced to 37 months in prison.[27]

On May 5, 2020, Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that it now expected to pay $126 million in reparations.[28] The archdiocese also said its Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program, which was established in 2018, has received a total of 615 claims, and had settled 208 of them for $43.8 million as of April 22, 2020.[28] That averages out to about $211,000 per claim, which is in line with what other dioceses have been paying under similar programs.[28] The same day, however, the total amount of money which the Archdiocese of Philadelphia expected to pay in sex abuse settlements was revised to $130 million by Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson J. Perez.[29] On August 14, 2020, it was revealed that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its suffragan dioceses of Pittsburgh, Allentown and Scranton were enduring the bulk of 150 new lawsuits filed against all eight Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses.[30]

On December 3, 2020, William McCandless, a member of the Wilmington-based religious order Oblates de St. Francis De Sales who was formerly assigned to DeSales University in Lehigh County, was charged in Philadelphia for possession of child pornography.[31] Much of McCandless' child pornography was imported from overseas.[32] McCandless has been ordered to remain under house arrest until the outcome of his trial.[33]

Firing of Margie Winters for same-sex marriage

In 2015, it was reported that the school's director of religious education, Margie Winters, had been fired from the Waldron Mercy Academy after a parent had reported her directly to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for marrying her long-term lesbian partner in a civil ceremony in 2007. Winters had been upfront with school administrators at the time of her hiring and was advised to keep a low profile which she says she did. Many parents expressed anger and concern over the school's decision. Principal Nell Stetser justified the decision by arguing that "many of us accept life choices that contradict current Church teachings, but to continue as a Catholic school, Waldron Mercy must comply with those teachings." But she called for "an open and honest discussion about this and other divisive issues at the intersection of our society and our Church." The Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, called the dismissal "common sense."[34][35]

Saints of Philadelphia

Shrines of Philadelphia

See also: List of shrines § United States

Publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links

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