Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington

Originally Vermont was included within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Baltimore, established in 1789. The bishops of Quebec continued, as they had in the past, to look after the spiritual interests of the Catholic settlers and Indians. When the Diocese of Boston was formed in 1810 Vermont became part of its territory.

In 1801, Bishop John Carroll of the Diocese of Baltimore accepted the offer of Bishop Denault of the Diocese of Quebec to care for French-speaking Catholics in Vermont.

In the early years of the nineteenth century, there were no priests residing in Vermont. Father Matignon, of Boston, visited Burlington in 1815 and counted about 100 Catholic Canadians. About 1818 Father Migneault from Chambly, Quebec, looked after the spiritual needs of the settlers on the shores of Lake Champlain for several years. He was appointed vicar-general of this part of the diocese by the Bishop of Boston and continued in that capacity until 1853.

Father Fitton, of Boston, came to Burlington for a short time in the summer of 1829. Bishop Fenwick, second Bishop of Boston, visited Windsor in 1826. The first resident priest in Vermont was Rev. Jeremiah O'Callaghan from 1830 until 1847. He was sent by Fenwick to Vermont, and visited successively Wallingford, Pittsford, Vergennes, and Burlington. He settled at Burlington, where he ministered for nearly a quarter of a century. His field of labor extended from Rutland to the Canadian line, a distance of about 100 miles (160 km), and from the shores of Lake Champlain to the Connecticut River.

Fenwick made his first pastoral visit, as Bishop of Boston, to Vermont in 1830, and in 1832 he dedicated the first church built in Vermont in the nineteenth century. This was erected at Burlington under the supervision of Father O'Callaghan.

In 1837 Rev. John Daley came to the southern part of the state. He is described as an "eccentric, but very learned man". During the time of his zealous labors in Vermont, he had no particular home. He usually made his headquarters at Rutland or Middlebury. He acted as a missionary, traveling from place to place wherever there were Catholics, and stopping wherever night overtook him. He remained in the state until 1854 and died in New York in 1870.

A census of the Catholic population of Vermont, taken in 1843, showed the total number to be 4940. At about this time emigration from European countries, particularly from Ireland, increased. The Catholic population increased.

During 1837 to 1854, Father John B. Daly performed missionary work in southern Vermont.

In 1852 a meeting of the bishops of the province of New York decided to ask the Holy See to erect Vermont into a diocese, with Burlington as the see city. Bishop Fitzpatrick of Boston proposed for Bishop of Burlington, Louis de Goesbriand, Vicar-General of Cleveland, Ohio. On 29 July 1853, the Diocese of Burlington was created and Father De Goesbriand named as bishop. He was consecrated at New York by the apostolic delegate,[2] Mgr Bedini, on October 30, 1853. On November 5, he arrived at Burlington. He was installed the following day by Bishop Fitzpatrick. Bishop De Goesbriand visited the entire diocese. He found about 20,000 Catholics scattered throughout Vermont. In 1855 he visited France and Ireland for the purpose of securing priests for the Diocese of Vermont. He brought to the diocese in the succeeding years, several priests who helped build the Church in Vermont.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1867-1972)

The first diocesan synod was held at Burlington, October 4, 1855. Rev. Thomas Lynch was appointed vicar-general in 1858. The gothic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built in Burlington starting in 1861 under the supervision of Bishop De Goesbriand. It was completed and dedicated on December 8, 1867. By 1881 DeGoesbriand had a dozen priests to serve 6,000 congregants scattered throughout the state.[3]

In the 1870s, the diocese bought about 25 acres (10 ha) of land on North Avenue from a former Burlington Free Press editor. It built a Victorian house there, where it maintained an orphanage for nearly a century. In 1945, it bought about 7 acres (2.8 ha) adjacent and created the Don Bosco School for delinquent boys. After the school and orphanage closed, the diocese moved its headquarters there. Decades later, former residents filed complaints of physical and sexual abuse by former clergy. Attempting to meet a settlement of $30 million, the diocese sold the property to Burlington College for $10 million in 2010.[4] The Diocese's St. Joseph Orphanage, which as numerous sex abuse allegations,[5] would be sold in as well.[5]

In 1891, the ratio of French priests to francophone parishioners was the highest in New England in the diocese of Burlington (1:1610).[6]

Bishop De Goesbriand served for thirty-eight years. In 1892, because of his advancing years and failing health, he requested the appointment of a coadjutor. Rev. J. S. Michaud, then pastor of Bennington, Vermont, was appointed. Bishop De Goesbriand retired to the orphanage, which he himself had founded.

Michaud completed the Cathedral Church, built the Fanny Allen Hospital and staffed it with the Religious Hospitalers of St. Joseph. The Sisters of Charity of Providence operated another new hospital in St. Johnsbury; the Loretto Home for the Aged in Rutland was served by the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1904, the Bishop invited the dedicated Society of Saint Edmund to establish Saint Michael's College at Winooski Park. In 1905, the Daughters of Charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus came to Newport where they opened a mission to serve as teachers, nurses and catechists for the Northeast Kingdom.[7]

During his tenure, Michaud expanded the number of churches in Vermont from 72 to 94. There were 75,000 Catholics, 102 priests, 286 religious sisters, and 20 parochial schools serving some 7000 students.

Bishop Michaud died on December 22, 1908. Rev. J.J. Rice, D.D., then pastor of St. Peter's Church, Northbridge, Massachusetts, was selected as his successor. Bishop Rice was consecrated on 14 April 1910.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1977-2018)

In March 1972, an arsonist burned the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to the ground. A modern cathedral with the same name was erected on the same site in 1977.[8][9][10]

Catholic schools experienced a 24% drop in enrollment between 1998 and 2008 - from 3,190 to 2,431.[11]

In 1999 Saint Joseph Church in Burlington was elevated as the co-cathedral of the diocese.[12] Burlington became one of only four American dioceses to have two active cathedral parishes in the same city—the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Diocese of Honolulu, and the Diocese of Brooklyn are the other three.[13]

In 2010, the diocese ordained four priests, the highest number in decades.[14]

On December 22, 2014, Pope Francis appointed the Most Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, formerly the Auxiliary Bishop of Indianapolis, as the next diocesan bishop, replacing the Most Rev. Salvatore Ronald Matano, who was appointed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester. Bishop Coyne's installation took place on January 29, 2015, at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph.

On October 11, 2018, the Diocese of Burlington announced that the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception would be sold following a long period of low attendance and that its members would be transferred to St. Joseph's, which became the sole cathedral.[15]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Diocese of Burlington". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

There are twelve deaneries in the diocese.

1. Addison
2. Bennington
3. Burlington
4. Caledonia
5. Capitol
6. Franklin
7. Orleans
8. Rutland
9. South Burlington
10. Windham
11. Windsor
12. Winooski

Lisa Lorenz is the superintendent of schools.[19]

There are fifteen Catholic schools in Vermont.[20][21]

4 secondary/high schools:

• Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Rutland
• Rice Memorial High School, South Burlington
• St. Michael's Catholic High School, Brattleboro
• St. Terese Digital Catholic Academy (online)

11 parochial/parish elementary/middle schools:[22]

• St Monica St Michael School, formerly Central Vermont Catholic School (formerly St. Monica), Barre
• St. Paul's Catholic School, Barton
• Sacred Heart School, Bennington
• St. Michael School, Brattleboro
• Christ the King School, Burlington
• Mater Christi School (private), Burlington
• Bishop John A. Marshall (private), Morrisville
• Sacred Heart, Newport
• Christ the King School, Rutland
• Good Shepherd, St. Johnsbury
• St. Francis Xavier, Winooski[23]

Student enrollment dropped 24% from 3,190 to 2,431 from 1999 to 2008.[24]

In 2005, the Vermont diocese had net assets of $5,679,217. This figure includes assets acquired "at cost."[25] An insurance company has estimated that it would cost $400 million to replace the physical assets of the diocese, including churches, schools, and nursing homes.[26]

The Vermont Catholic Charities had total net assets of $3,874,935.[27]

• In 1808 Fanny Allen, daughter of General Ethan Allen, converted to the Catholic faith, and entered the novitiate of Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, where she was received as a member of the order.
• Orestes Brownson, the noted Catholic author and philosopher, was a native of the state. He was born in Stockbridge in 1803.

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington Official Site
• Vermont Catholic Tribune