Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro (Latin: Dioecesis Owensburgensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kentucky that consists of 78 parishes and two Newman Centers in 32 counties of western Kentucky.[1][2]

Diocese of Owensboro

Dioecesis Owensburgensis
St. Stephen Cathedral
Location
Country United States
Territory Western Kentucky
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of Louisville
Statistics
Population
- Catholics (including non-members)
51,780 [1] (6.2%)
Parishes78[2]
Schools19[1]
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedDecember 9, 1937
CathedralSt. Stephen's Cathedral[3]
Patron saintSt. Stephen
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopWilliam Medley
Bishop of Owensboro
Metropolitan ArchbishopJoseph Edward Kurtz
Archbishop of Louisville
Map
Website
rcdok.org
McRaith Catholic Center

The current bishop, William Medley, was the pastor of Saint Bernadette Parish of the Archdiocese of Louisville prior to his consecration which took place February 10, 2010.[1]

History

Pope Pius XI erected the Diocese of Owensboro in territory taken from the Diocese of Louisville on 9 December 1937, simultaneously elevating the latter to a Metropolitan Archdiocese and designating the new diocese as one of its suffragans. The original cathedral for the diocese was to be established in Henderson, Kentucky at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, but was changed to the city of Owensboro. The diocese's cathedral is named after St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church.[3]

Sexual abuse

In April 2019, the Diocese of Owensboro released a list of 15 priests who were accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the diocese.[4][5] Two of these priests, Joseph J. Pilger and Louis Francis Piskula, were convicted, with Pilger receiving a five-year probation sentence in 1995 and Piskula receiving a five-year prison sentence in 2014.[5] Piskula later died in prison in 2018.[5][6] Two other credibly accused priests, Richard M. Powers and Joseph Robert "Bob" Willet, were forced to pay settlements in 1999.[5] Pilger also was ordered to pay a $5.2M settlement to at least 27 accusers in 2003, the same year he was murdered.[5]

In 2018, the diocese removed Gerald Baker from active ministry in the diocese after determining that sexual abuse accusations against him were credible.[6][5] In March 2019, the diocese temporarily suspended Joseph Edward "Ed" Bradley after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor were made.[7] In May 2019, the diocese recommended that Bradley be permanently removed from public service.[8] As of October 2019, the Vatican has not ruled on the recommendation.[9]

Bishops

Bishops of Owensboro
  1. Francis Ridgley Cotton (1937-1961)[1]
  2. Henry Joseph Soenneker (1961-1982)[1]
  3. John Jeremiah McRaith (1982-2009)[1]
  4. William Francis Medley (2009–present)[1]

High schools and university

See also

References
  1. "The Bishop". Diocese of Owensboro. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  2. "Our Diocese". Diocese of Owensboro. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. "About Us". Saint Stephen Cathedral. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. WKYT News Staff (13 April 2019). "Diocese of Owensboro releases names of accused priests". WKYT. WKYT/WFIE. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. "Database of Publicly Accused Priests in the United States". BishopAccountability.org. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  6. "Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse Permanently Suspended". U.S. News. Associated Press. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  7. White and Smith, Douglas and Beth (2 March 2019). "Father Ed Bradley, Rick Pitino's former team chaplain, suspended after sex abuse claim". Courier-Journal. Henderson Gleaner. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  8. "Diocese recommends permanent suspension for accused priest". WBKO. Associated Press. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  9. Zimmer, Jay (2 October 2019). "Permanent Suspension Sought for Father Bradley". WIKY. Retrieved 1 February 2020.


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