Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo
Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Michigan, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Diocese of Kalamazoo (Latin: Dioecesis Kalamazuensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwestern Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit.
Diocese of Kalamazoo Dioecesis Kalamazuensis | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral of Saint Augustine | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Counties of Allegan, Barry, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, and Branch |
| Ecclesiastical province | Detroit |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 5,337 sq mi (13,820 km2) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 46 (+13 missions) |
| Schools | 22
• Three high schools • Two middle schools • 17 elementary schools • Two stand-alone preschools |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | December 19, 1970 (54 years ago)[1] |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint Augustine |
| Patron saint | St. Augustine of Hippo |
| Secular priests | 75 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Sede vacante |
| Bishop | Edward M. Lohse |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Allen Vigneron |
| Vicar General | Rev. Fabio Garzon |
| Bishops emeritus | Paul Joseph Bradley |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| diokzoo.org | |
The mother church of the Diocese of Kalamazoo is the Cathedral of Saint Augustine in Kalamazoo.
The current bishop is Edward M. Lohse.
Territory
The Diocese of Kalamazoo encompasses Allegan, Van Buren, Berrien, Cass, Saint Joseph, Kalamazoo, Branch, Calhoun, and Barry Counties.
History
Summarize
Perspective
1700 to 1800
During the 17th century, the territory of modern Michigan was part of the French colony of New France, and subject to the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Quebec. In 1763, the territory of modern Michigan became part of the British Province of Quebec, and settlement by American colonists was forbidden. After the American Revolution, the territory became part of the new United States, and the territory was now subject to the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which comprised the whole nation.
1800 to 1970
In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky and placed the newly organized Territory of Michigan under its jurisdiction. In 1821 he erected the Diocese of Cincinnati and transferred jurisdiction of the Territory from the Diocese of Bardstown to the Diocese of Cincinnati.[2]
Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Detroit in 1833 and transferred jurisdiction of the whole Territory of Michigan to it. Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of Grand Rapids out of the territory of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1882, transferring jurisdiction of the region of Kalamazoo to the former. The region of Kalamazoo remained part of the Diocese of Grand Rapids for the following 88 years.
The first Catholic church in Kalamazoo, St. Augustine, was dedicated in 1852.[3] St. Philip, the first Catholic Church in Battle Creek, was dedicated by Bishop Caspar H. Borgess of Detroit in 1879.[4] In 1913, Nazareth College opened as a Catholic academy in Nazareth, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
1970 to present
On December 19, 1970, the Diocese of Kalamazoo was erected by Pope Saint Paul VI and Saint Augustine Church was designated as its cathedral. The Pope named Reverend Paul V. Donovan of the Diocese of Lansing as the first bishop of Kalamazoo. Bishop Donovan resigned in 1994 after serving for 23 years.
In 1994, Pope Saint John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Alfred J. Markiewicz from the Diocese of Rockville Centre as the second bishop of Kalamazoo.[5] He died in 1997 after only three years in office. That same year, John Paul II named Reverend James A. Murray of the Diocese of Lansing to replace Bishop Markiewicz. in 2006, Bishop Murray released the “Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Latino Ministry.” He also established the diocesan Trauma Recovery Program for victims of childhood trauma. He resigned in 2009.
Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 named Auxiliary Bishop Paul J. Bradley of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as the next bishop of Kalamazoo.[6] In May 2017, Reverend Richard Fritz was accused of embezzling $100,000 from two parishes, reportedly to purchase lottery tickets.[7] However, the charges were dismissed in July 2017.[8] Fritz retired in 2015.
Bishop Bradley resigned in May 2023. His successor is Reverend Edward M. Lohse from the Diocese of Erie, who was installed on July 25, 2023.
Sexual abuse
In 2018, Bishop Bradley proposed a ten-step plan for overhauling church policies on the reporting of sexual abuse allegations.[9] In January 2019, Bradley assigned Archbishop Emeritus John Nienstedt, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, to assist for several months at a parish in Battle Creek. Many parishioners in Battle Creek did not want Nienstadt due to his failure to report sexual abuse claims as archbishop. After two weeks, Nienstadt left the parish.[10]
In May 2019, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that Reverend Jacob Vellian had been indicted on two charges of rape. He was accused of sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl between 1973 and 1974 at St. John the Evangelist church. As Vellian was living in India, prosecutors were attempting to extradite him to the United States.[11]
In February 2020, the diocese announced that an individual was claiming that Reverend Richard Fritz, who faced embezzlement charges in 2017, had sexually abused them during the late 1970s and early 1980s.[12] In March 2020, the diocese determined that the allegations against Fritz were credible.[13]
Statistics
The Diocese of Kalamazoo consists of 46 parishes and 13 missions, with 75 priests, and 36 deacons. The diocese operates three high schools, two middle schools and 17 grade schools, serving more than 3,000 students. The diocese also has two parish-run preschools.
Bishops of Kalamazoo
- Paul Vincent Donovan (1971–1994)
- Alfred John Markiewicz (1995–1997)
- James Albert Murray (1998–2009)
- Paul Joseph Bradley (2009–2023)
- Edward Mark Lohse (2023–present)
Coat of arms
Summarize
Perspective
The coat of arms of the diocese of Kalamazoo has the following elements.
- A red field representing the Native American peoples of the diocese
- A silver wavy band representing the Kalamazoo River; Kalamazoo was a Native American word for "boiling pot."
- Blue annulets representing bubbles in the river
- A Native American peace pipe with gold feathers, called a "calumet" by French explorers
The coat of arms also contains an open book displaying the Latin phrase Tolle Lege (Take and Read). The book represents the bible and the quote comes from a story by Augustine of Hippo, patron saint of the diocesan cathedral. According to Augustine, he was meditating on the bible under a tree when he was a young man, He heard a small child tell him "Tolle lege.". Opening the bible to the Epistle to the Romans 13:13, Augustine read the following passage:
"Let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Believing that God had spoken to him, Augustine decided to enter the priesthood. He eventually became the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa.[14]
Churches
Schools
| name | location | 2014-15 enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| High Schools | ||
| Hackett Catholic Prep | Kalamazoo | 274 |
| Lake Michigan Catholic High School | St. Joseph | 139 |
| St. Philip Catholic Central High School | Battle Creek | 145 |
See also
References
External links
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