The Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Ioannis Terrae Novae) is a
Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...
ecclesiastical territory or
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It is the
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
of an
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
with two
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...
s: Grand Falls, and Corner Brook and Labrador. The current archbishop is Peter Hundt. The Archdiocese of St. John's is the oldest Roman Catholic
ecclesiastical jurisdiction
Ecclesiastical jurisdiction signifies jurisdiction by church leaders over other church leaders and over the laity.
Jurisdiction is a word borrowed from the legal system which has acquired a wide extension in theology, wherein, for example, it is ...
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of the archdiocese. The building sits within the
St. John's Ecclesiastical District
St. John's Ecclesiastical District is a formally-recognized heritage precinct, located in the central part of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is composed of separate nodes containing buildings and spaces associated with the Roman Catho ...
, a National Historic District of Canada.
History
The future Archdiocese of St. John's was established 30 May 1784 as Catholics in Newfoundland gradually gained religious liberty, made explicit by a public declaration by Governor John Campbell. After a request from Irish merchants in St. John's to Bishop William Egan,
Bishop of Waterford and Lismore
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore, County Waterford, Lismore in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland ...
,
James Louis O'Donel
James Louis O'Donel (1737, Knocklofty, County Tipperary, Ireland – April 1, 1811, Waterford, Ireland) was the first Roman Catholic bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland.
Life
O'Donel was born into a prosperous family and received a class ...
was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Newfoundland, as a pre-diocesan jurisdiction entitled to a titular bishop and exempt, ''i.e.'', directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province. In addition to O'Donel's personal popularity, one of his qualifications for the position was an ability to preach in
Newfoundland Irish
The Irish language was once widely spoken on the island of Newfoundland before largely disappearing there by the early 20th century.sell off assets in order to compensate victims of the Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal.
Sex abuse scandals
For decades, the Archdiocese of St. John's has been tied to sex abuse scandals. In July 2020, Rev. Peter Power, who was originally from the
Archdiocese of Toronto
The Archdiocese of Toronto ( la, Archidioecesis Torontina) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the ecclesiastical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines ...
, was charged with charges of sexual touching, sexual assault and committing an indecent act involving two teenaged boys, aged 18 and 16 years old at a residence in a small Newfoundland community earlier in the year. Though officially retired, Power was still occasionally active in Catholic ministry when he relocated to Newfoundland. The same month, the
Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador is at the top of the hierarchy of courts for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Court of Appeal derives its powers and jurisdiction from the Court of Appeal Act.
The independe ...
unanimously reversed a 2018 Canadian Supreme ruling and ruled that the Archdiocese of St. John's was liable for the sexual abuse committed at the
Mount Cashel Orphanage
The Mount Cashel Orphanage, known locally as the Mount Cashel Boys' Home, was a boys' orphanage located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The orphanage was operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, and became infamous for ...
in the 1950s and 1960s.
Bishops
Prefecture Apostolic of Newfoundland
Vicariate Apostolic of Newfoundland
Diocese of Newfoundland
Diocese of St. John's, Newfoundland
Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland
Coadjutor bishops
* Patrick Lambert, O.F.M. Ref. (1805-1807) as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic
*
Thomas Scallan
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
, O.F.M. Ref.(1815-1816) as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic
*
Michael Anthony Fleming
Michael Anthony Fleming, O.S.F. ( – July 14, 1850) was an Irish-born Friar Minor who served as the Roman Catholic Church bishop of the Diocese of St. John's, Newfoundland. He was principally responsible for changing a small mission wit ...
, O.F.M. Ref. (1829-1830) as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic
*
John Thomas Mullock
John Thomas Mullock (September 27, 1807 – March 26, 1869) was Roman Catholic bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Colony of Newfoundland, Newfoundland and did much to establish and develop the church in the region.
Bo ...
, O.F.M. Ref. (1847-1850)
* Thomas John Flynn (1945-1949), did not succeed to the see
Auxiliary bishop
*
Thomas Francis Brennan
Thomas Francis Brennan (October 10, 1855 – March 20, 1916) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Dallas in Texas from 1891 to 1892 before serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Dioce ...
Michael Fintan Power
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
, appointed Bishop of Saint George's, Newfoundland in 1911
* Henry Thomas Renouf, appointed Bishop of Saint George's, Newfoundland in 1920
* Raymond John Lahey, appointed Bishop of Saint George's, Newfoundland in 1986