The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) 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 ...

located in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

region of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of Essex County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, and Suffolk County, and also all of Plymouth County except the towns of

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

, Mattapoisett, and Wareham in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It is led by a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

who serves as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metro ...

, Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End of Boston. The Archdiocese of Boston is a

metropolitan see 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 t ...

with six

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: the Dioceses of

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

Fall River Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, Portland in Maine, Springfield in Massachusetts, and

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

. As of 2018, there are 284

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es in the archdiocese, 617

diocesan priests In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...

, and 275

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

s. In 2018, the archdiocese estimated that more than 1.9 million Catholics were in its territory.

History

Early history

New England's first settlers were Congregationalists and, in Rhode Island, Baptists who were disappointed that Protestant reforms in the Church of England did not go far enough. These dissenters followed Luther and Calvin in rejecting the selling of indulgences, the celebration of Mass in Latin, the doctrine of

transubstantiation Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of th ...

, and papal authority. Several of the colonies thus enacted anti-Catholic statutes, banning Catholic worship and Massachusetts even made it a crime, with a potential sentence of imprisonment for life, for a Catholic priest to reside the colony."Freedom of Religion comes to Boston" on Web Site of Archdiocese of Boston.
/ref> The political necessity of the Revolutionary War drove a change in popular attitudes. The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, written by John Adams and ratified in 1780, established religious freedom in the new state—and, being the first state constitution, its framework of government became a model for the constitutions of other states and, eventually, for the federal constitution. On November 2, 1788, the Abbé de la Poterie, a former French naval chaplain serving Boston, celebrated the city's first public Mass in a converted Huguenot chapel located at 24 School Street in Boston, which he named Holy Cross Church. Two refugees from the French Revolution ministering to Boston's Catholic population at the turn of the century, Fr. Francis Anthony Matignon and Fr. Jean Louis Lefebvre, raised the funds to build a larger building, the Church of the Holy Cross. These buildings no longer exist, but they were the foundation of the Catholic Church in Massachusetts.

Formation

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

erected the Diocese of Boston April 8, 1808, taking the territory of the states of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

(the territory of which included the present state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

at that time),

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, and

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

from the Diocese of Baltimore. He simultaneously erected the Diocese of New York, the

Diocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as ...

, and the

Diocese of Bardstown The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bardstown was a Catholic diocese in the United States established in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 8, 1808, along with the Diocese of Boston, Diocese of New York, and Diocese of Philadelphia, comprising the former t ...

(Kentucky), also taking their territory from the Diocese of Baltimore, and elevated the Diocese of Baltimore to a

metropolitan archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

, designating all four new dioceses as its suffragans.

Exponential growth Exponential growth is a process that increases quantity over time. It occurs when the instantaneous rate of change (that is, the derivative) of a quantity with respect to time is proportional to the quantity itself. Described as a function, a q ...

of the Catholic Church in New England through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to gradual reconfiguration of the ecclesiastical structure of the original territory of the Diocese of Boston. * On 20 November 1843,

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...

erected the Diocese of Hartford, taking the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island and

Barnstable County Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 228,996. Its shire town is Barnstable. The county consists of Cape Cod and associated islands (some adjacent islands are in Duk ...

, Bristol County,

Dukes County Dukes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,600, making it the second-least populous county in Massachusetts. Its county seat is Edgartown. Dukes County comprises the Viney ...

Nantucket County Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

and the towns of

, Mattapoisett, and Wareham along the south coast of Plymouth County of Massachusetts from the Diocese of Boston and making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.Page on Archdiocese of Boston on ''Catholic Hierarchy'' web site.
/ref> * On 19 July 1850,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

elevated the Diocese of New York to a metropolitan archdiocese, assigning the Diocese of Boston, the Diocese of Hartford, the Diocese of Albany, and the Diocese of Buffalo as its initial suffragan sees. * On 29 July 1853, Pope Pius IX erected the

Diocese of Burlington The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington ( la, Dioecesis Burlingtonensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States, comprising the entire state of Vermont. The Diocese of Burlington was canonically e ...

, taking the State of Vermont from the Diocese of Boston, and the

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, is the Cat ...

, taking the states of Maine and New Hampshire from the Diocese of Boston. He designated both new dioceses as suffragans of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. (The title of the Diocese of Portland formally became Diocese of Portland in Maine when

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

transferred the see of the

Archdiocese of Oregon City The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the s ...

to Portland, Oregon, thus changing the title of the latter to Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, on 26 September 1928.) * On 14 June 1870, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Springfield, taking

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

, Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, and Worcester County from the Diocese of Boston and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. This action reduced the territory of the Diocese of Boston to that of the present metropolitan archdiocese. (The title of the Diocese of Springfield formally became Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts when

moved the see of the Diocese of Alton to Springfield, Illinois, thus changing the title of the latter to Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, on 26 October 1923.) * On 16 February 1872, Pope Pius IX erected the

Diocese of Providence The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence ( la, Dioecesis Providentiensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872 and originally comprised the entire state of Rhode ...

, taking the State of Rhode Island and the region of southeastern Massachusetts had been part of the Diocese of Hartford from the latter and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. * On 12 February 1875, Pope Pius IX elevated the Diocese of Boston to a metropolitan archdiocese, designating the Diocese of Burlington, the Diocese of Hartford, the Diocese of Portland, the Diocese of Providence, and the Diocese of Springfield as the initial suffragans of the new metropolitan see. The new metropolitan province thus encompassed the original territory of the Diocese of Boston. * On 15 April 1884,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

erected the Diocese of Manchester, taking the State of New Hampshire from the Diocese of Portland and making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Boston. * On 12 March 1904,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

erected the

Diocese of Fall River The Diocese of Fall River ( la, Dioecesis Riverormensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church spanning Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoise ...

, taking the region of southeastern Massachusetts that were then part of the Diocese of Providence from that diocese and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. * On 14 January 1950,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

erected the Diocese of Worcester, taking Worcester County from the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. * On 6 August 1953, Pope Pius XII erected the

Diocese of Bridgeport The Diocese of Bridgeport is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the southwestern part of the state of Connecticut, and its boundaries are the same as that of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Ther ...

and the

Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Church of England that forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. History It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of the Bishop of the East A ...

, taking the respective territory thereof from the Diocese of Hartford. He simultaneously elevated the Diocese of Hartford to a metropolitan archdiocese, designating the Diocese of Bridgeport, the Diocese of Norwich, and the Diocese of Providence as its suffragans. This action established the present territory and configuration of both the Metropolitan Province of Boston, spanning the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, and the Metropolitan Province of Hartford, spanning the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Diocesan offices

In the 1920s, Cardinal William O'Connell moved the chancery from offices near Holy Cross Cathedral in the South End to 127 Lake Street in the

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

neighborhood of Boston.Changes come to Lake Street
''The Boston Globe'', May 24, 2007 "Lake Street" was a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for the Bishop and the office of the Archdiocese. In June 2004, the archdiocese sold the archbishop's residence and the chancery and surrounding lands in Brighton to

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, in part to defray costs associated with numerous cases of sexual abuse by clergy of the Archdiocese (see below). The offices of the Archdiocese moved to an office building that previously housed the Internet-only stock brokerage E*Trade in

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree (), officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a towBraintree is a city, with a mayor-council government, mayor-council form of government, and i ...

. The archdiocesan seminary, Saint John's Seminary, remains on the property in Brighton.

Clergy sexual abuse scandal and settlements

At the beginning of the 21st century the archdiocese was shaken by accusations of sexual abuse by clergy that culminated in the resignation of its archbishop, Cardinal

Bernard Francis Law Bernard Francis Law (November 4, 1931 – December 20, 2017) was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, known largely for covering up the serial rape of children by Catholic priests. He served as Archbishop of Boston, archpr ...

, on December 13, 2002. In September 2003, the archdiocese settled over 500 abuse-related claims for $85 million. Victims received an average of $92,000 each and the perpetrators included 140 priests and two others.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Archdiocese, shown in the information box to the right at the top of this article, has a blue shield with a gold cross and a gold "trimount" over a silver and blue "Barry-wavy" at the base of the shield. The "trimount" of three ''coupreaux'' represents the City of Boston, the original name of which was Trimountaine in reference to the three hills on which the city's original settlement stood. The cross, ''fleurettée'', honors the Cathedral of the Holy Cross while also serving as a reminder that the first bishop of Boston and other early ecclesiastics were natives of France. The "Barry-wavy" is a symbol of the sea, alluding to Boston's role as a major seaport whose first non-indigenous settlers came from across the sea.

Communications media

The diocesan newspaper ''

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

'' has been published in Boston since 1829. The Archdiocese's ''Catholic Television Center'', founded in 1955, produces programs and operates the cable television network

CatholicTV The CatholicTV Network, commonly known as CatholicTV, is a Catholic television network based in Watertown, Massachusetts. CatholicTV first launched locally in Boston in 1955, making it the oldest Catholic television network in the United States. ...

. From 1964 to 1966, it owned and operated a broadcast television station under the call letters WIHS-TV.

Ecclesiastical province

The Archdiocese of Boston is also metropolitan see for the

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 ...

of Boston. This means that the archbishop of Boston is the metropolitan for the province. The

s in the province are the

, Diocese of Manchester,

Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts The Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts ( la, Diœcesis Campifontis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Ha ...

, and the Diocese of Worcester.

Pastoral regions

The Archdiocese of Boston is divided into five pastoral regions, each headed by an

episcopal vicar Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

Bishops

The following are lists of the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

s and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s of Boston, Coadjutors and Auxiliaries of Boston, and their years of service. Also included are other priests of this diocese who served elsewhere as bishop.

Bishops of Boston

Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus Jean-Louis Anne Madelain Lefebvre de Cheverus (also known as John Cheverus) (28 January 1768 – 19 July 1836) was a French Roman Catholic bishop and later cardinal. He was the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boston, Massachusetts ...

(1808–1823) appointed

Bishop of Montauban The Roman Catholic Diocese of Montauban (Latin: ''Dioecesis Montis Albani''; French: ''Diocèse de Montauban'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese is coextensive with Tarn-et-Garonne, and is current ...

and later

Archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

(elevated to

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

in 1836) #

Benedict Joseph Fenwick Benedict Joseph Fenwick (September 3, 1782 – August 11, 1846) was an American Catholic prelate, Jesuit, and educator who served as the Bishop of Boston from 1825 until his death in 1846. In 1843, he founded the College of the Holy Cross in ...

, S.J. (1825–1846) #

John Bernard Fitzpatrick John Bernard Fitzpatrick (November 1, 1812 – February 13, 1866) was an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Boston from 1846 until his death in 1866. Early life and education Fitzpatrick was born in Boston, Ma ...

(1846–1866;

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

1843–1846) #

John Joseph Williams John Joseph Williams was an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fourth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, serving between 1866 and his death in 1907. Early life and education Williams was born in Bosto ...

(1866–1875; coadjutor bishop 1866); elevated to

Archbishops of Boston

# John Joseph Williams (1875–1907) # Cardinal

William Henry O'Connell William Henry O'Connell (December 8, 1859 – April 22, 1944) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911. Early life William O'Connell wa ...

(1907–1944) # Cardinal Richard James Cushing (1944–1970) # Cardinal

Humberto Sousa Medeiros Humberto Sousa Medeiros, GCIH (October 6, 1915 – September 17, 1983) was a Portuguese-American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1970 until his death in 1983, and was created a cardinal in 1973. ...

(1970–1983) # Cardinal

(1984–2002), resigned; later appointed

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

of the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

# Cardinal

Seán Patrick O'Malley Seán Patrick O'Malley (born June 29, 1944) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church serving as the archbishop of Boston. He is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2006. Since its ...

, O.F.M.Cap. (2003–present)

Current Auxiliary Bishops of Boston

Robert Francis Hennessey Robert Francis Hennessey (born April 20, 1952) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. On October 12, 2006 he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts. Biography Robert Hennessey was born i ...

(2006–present) *

Peter John Uglietto Peter John Uglietto, (September 24, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts since 2010 and as vicar general since 2014. Biography Early life ...

(2010–present) * Mark William O'Connell (2016–present) * Robert P. Reed (2016–present)

Former Auxiliary Bishops of Boston

* John Brady (1891–1910) *

Joseph Gaudentius Anderson Joseph Gaudentius Anderson (September 30, 1865 – July 2, 1927) was an American Roman Catholic bishop. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 30, 1865, Anderson was ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bost ...

(1909–1927) *

John Bertram Peterson John Bertram Peterson (July 15, 1871 – March 15, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1932 until his death in 1944. He previously served as an aux ...

(1927–1932), appointed

Bishop of Manchester The Bishop of Manchester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.'' Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 (100th edition)'', Church House Publishing (). The current bishop is David Walker who ...

Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...

(1932–1939), appointed

Archbishop of New York The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan bishop, metropolitan see of the ecclesiastic ...

(

in 1946) * Richard J. Cushing (1939–1944), appointed Archbishop here (Cardinal in 1958) *

Louis Francis Kelleher Louis Francis Kelleher (August 4, 1889 – November 26, 1946) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Kelleher was ordained to the priesthood on April 3, 1915. On April 21, 1945, he was appointed titular bishop of ''Thena ...

(1945–1946) * John Wright (1947–1950), appointed Bishop of Worcester, then Bishop of Pittsburgh, then

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regardin ...

(elevated to

in 1969) *

Thomas Francis Markham Thomas Francis Markham (March 22, 1891 – June 9, 1952) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Markham was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1917, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Bos ...

(1950–1952) *

Eric Francis MacKenzie Eric Francis MacKenzie (December 6, 1893 – August 20, 1969) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, MacKenzie was ordained to the priesthood on October 20, 1918, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. He earned a ...

(1950–1969) *

Jeremiah Francis Minihan Jeremiah Francis Minihan (July 21, 1903 – August 14, 1973) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1954 until his death in 1973. Biography Early life and educ ...

(1954–1973) *

Thomas Joseph Riley Thomas Joseph Riley (November 30, 1900 – August 17, 1977) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1959 to 1976. Biography Thomas Riley was born in Waltham, M ...

(1959–1976) *

Daniel A. Cronin Daniel Anthony Cronin (born November 14, 1927) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Fall River in Massachusetts from 1970 to 1992, and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connect ...

(1968–1970), appointed Bishop of Fall River and later Archbishop of Hartford *

Joseph Francis Maguire Joseph Francis Maguire (September 4, 1919 – November 23, 2014) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1977 to 1991. He previously serve as an auxili ...

(1971–1976), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts and subsequently succeeded to that see *

Lawrence Joseph Riley Lawrence Joseph Riley (September 6, 1914 – December 2, 2001) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Riley was ordained to the priesthood on September 21, 1940, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdioc ...

(1971–1990) *

Joseph John Ruocco Joseph John Ruocco (April 22, 1922 – July 26, 1980) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Ruocco was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœc ...

(1974–1980) *

Thomas Vose Daily Thomas Vose Daily (September 23, 1927 – May 14, 2017) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York from 1990 to 2003. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Be ...

(1974–1984), appointed Bishop of Palm Beach and later

Bishop of Brooklyn The Diocese of Brooklyn is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. ...

John Joseph Mulcahy John Joseph Mulcahy (June 26, 1922 – April 29, 1994) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mulcahy was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1947, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. On December 28, 1974, M ...

(1974–1992) *

John Michael D'Arcy John Michael D'Arcy (August 18, 1932 – February 3, 2013) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the eighth diocesan bishop, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Diocese of Fort Wayne-Sout ...

(1975–1985), appointed Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend *

Daniel Anthony Hart Daniel Anthony Hart (August 24, 1927 – January 14, 2008) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich from 1995 to 2003. Biography Daniel Hart was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the third son of John and Su ...

(1976–1995), appointed

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in the ...

Alfred C. Hughes Alfred Clifton Hughes, KCHS (born December 2, 1932) is a retired American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the 13th archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in Louisiana from 2002 to 2009. Hughes previously served as bisho ...

(1981–1993), appointed Bishop of Baton Rouge and later

Archbishop of New Orleans The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans ( la, Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, french: Archidiocèse de la Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleans) is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church spanning Jeffers ...

* Robert J. Banks (1985–1990), appointed Bishop of Green Bay *

Roberto Octavio González Nieves The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, O.F.M. (1988–1995), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Corpus Christi and subsequently succeeded to that see, and later Archbishop of San Juan in Puerto Rico *

John R. McNamara Chaplain (Rear Admiral (United States), Rear Admiral) John Richard McNamara, United States Navy, USN (September 4, 1927 – April 16, 2001) was an American Navy officer who served as the 17th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy from 1 ...

(1992–1999) *

John P. Boles John Patrick Boles (January 21, 1930 – October 9, 2014) was an American Roman Catholic titular bishop of Nova Sparsa and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts. Life Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Boles was ordained a ...

(1992–2006) *

John Brendan McCormack John Brendan McCormack (August 12, 1935 – September 21, 2021) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester from 1998 until 2011. Biography Early life and education John Mc ...

(1995–1998), appointed

* William F. Murphy (1995–2001), appointed Bishop of Rockville Centre *

Francis Xavier Irwin Francis Xavier Irwin (January 9, 1934 – October 30, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1996 to 2009. Biography Irwin was born in Medford, Massachu ...

(1996–2009) * Emilio S. Allué, S.D.B. (1996–2010) *

Richard Joseph Malone Richard Joseph Malone (born March 19, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York, from 2012 to 2019. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Portland in Maine f ...

(2000–2004), appointed Bishop of Portland and later

Bishop of Buffalo The Diocese of Buffalo is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Buffalo, New York, United States. It is a suffragan diocese within the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York. The Diocese of Buffalo inclu ...

Richard Lennon Richard Gerard Lennon (March 26, 1947 – October 29, 2019) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 2006 to 2016. ...

(2001–2006), appointed

Bishop of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in ter ...

Walter James Edyvean Walter James Edyvean (October 18, 1938 – February 2, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston who served from 2001 to 2014. Early life and career Bishop Edyvean wa ...

(2001–2014) * John Anthony Dooher (2006–2018) * Arthur L. Kennedy (2010–2017) * Robert P. Deeley (2012–2013), appointed Bishop of Portland

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* William Barber Tyler, appointed

Bishop of Hartford The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in the U.S. State of Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 470,000 Catholics, more ...

in 1843 *

Patrick Thomas O'Reilly Patrick Thomas O'Reilly (December 24, 1833 – May 28, 1892) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1870 to 1892. Biography Early life P ...

, appointed Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts in 1870 *

James Augustine Healy James Augustine Healy (April 6, 1830 – August 5, 1900) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first African American to serve as a Catholic priest or bishop. With his predominantly European ancestry, Healy passed for a ...

, appointed Bishop of Portland in 1875 *

Lawrence Stephen McMahon Lawrence Stephen McMahon (December 26, 1835 – August 21, 1893) was a Canadian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hartford from 1879 until his death in 1893. Biography Lawrence McMahon was born in St. John, New Bruns ...

(priest here, 1860–1872), appointed

in 1879 *

Matthew Harkins Matthew A. Harkins (November 17, 1845 – May 25, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second Bishop of Providence from 1887 until his death in 1921. Biography Matthew A. Harkins was born in Boston, M ...

, appointed Bishop of Providence in 1887 *

Edward Patrick Allen Edward Patrick Allen (March 17, 1853 – October 21, 1926) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Mobile from 1897 until his death in 1926. Biography Edward Allen was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to John ...

, appointed Bishop of Mobile in 1897 *

Louis Sebastian Walsh Louis Sebastian Walsh (January 22, 1858 – May 12, 1924) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Portland in Maine from 1906 until his death in 1924. Biography Early life Louis Walsh was ...

, appointed Bishop of Portland in 1906 *

John Joseph Nilan John Joseph Nilan (August 1, 1855 – April 13, 1934) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hartford from 1910 until his death in 1934. Biography John Nilan was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and r ...

, appointed

in 1910 *

James Anthony Walsh James Anthony Walsh (February 24, 1867 – April 14, 1936) was the co-founder of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Background The son of James Walsh and Hanna Shea, James Anthony was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After completing his ...

, elected Superior General of

Maryknoll Maryknoll is a name shared by a number of related Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (also known as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America or the Maryknoll Society), the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Mary ...

and consecrated

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

in 1933 *

Edward Francis Ryan Edward Francis Ryan (March 10, 1879 – November 3, 1956) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont from 1945 until his death in 1956. Biography Early life Edward Ryan was bo ...

, appointed Bishop of Burlington in 1944 *

John Joseph Glynn John Joseph Glynn (August 6, 1926 – August 23, 2004) was a Catholic American bishop who served the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston on Apr ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Military Services, USA in 1991 *

, appointed Bishop of Portland in 2002 and later

in 2012 *

Christopher J. Coyne Christopher James Coyne (born June 17, 1958) is an Americans, American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2015, he has been bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Diocese of Burlington in Vermont. Coyne previously serve ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Indianapolis in 2011 and later Bishop of Burlington *

Paul Fitzpatrick Russell Paul Fitzpatrick Russell (born May 2, 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in May 2022. He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Azerbai ...

, appointed

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

to Turkey and Turkmenistan and

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

in 2016

Churches

Seminaries

* Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, Weston * St. John's Seminary, Brighton * Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, Brookline

Education

As of 2018, the archdiocese had 112 schools with about 34,000 students in pre-kindergarten through high school. In 1993 the archdiocese had 53,569 students in 195 archdiocesan parochial schools.

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

had the largest number of parochial schools: 48 schools with a combined total of about 16,000 students.

Superintendents

* Msgr. Albert W. Low (1961–1972) * Br. Bartholomew Varden, CFX (1972–1975) * Eugene F. Sullivan (1978–1984) * Sr. Kathleen Carr, CSJ (1990–2006) * Mary Grassa O'Neill (2008–2014) * Mary E. Moran (2013–2014) * Kathleen Powers Mears (2014–2019) *Thomas W. Carroll (2019–present)

Colleges and universities

, Chestnut Hill *

Emmanuel College, Boston Emmanuel College is a private Roman Catholic college in Boston, Massachusetts. The college was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as the first women's Catholic college in New England in 1919. In 2001, the college officially became a ...

Marian Court College Marian Court College was a four-year college in Swampscott, Massachusetts. It was a Roman Catholic institution founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, originally as a secretarial college. The college opened in 1964 and closed on June 30, 20 ...

, Swampscott *

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. Its campus has grown to a campus with nearly 40 bu ...

, North Andover * Regis College, Weston

Primary and secondary schools

; Former high schools

Other facilities

The archdiocese previously used a headquarters facility in

but sold it to

in 2004 for $107,400,000.

Steward Health Care System Steward Health Care is the largest physician-owned private for-profit health care network in the United States and attends to 2.2 million people during more than twelve million physician and hospital visits annually. Headquartered in Dallas, Stewa ...

operates the former archdiocesan hospitals of

Caritas Christi Health Care Caritas Christi Health Care was a non-profit Catholic healthcare system in the New England region of the United States. It was established in 1985 and was the second largest healthcare system in New England. In 2010, Caritas Christi was sold to t ...

References

External links

* **
Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Archdiocese of Boston''Boston Globe'' / Spotlight / Abuse in the Catholic ChurchBoston Catholic Insider (critical blog)Boston Catholic Schools
{{Coord, 42, 12, 47, N, 71, 02, 29, W, type:city_source:kolossus-plwiki, display=title Culture of Boston Catholic Church in Massachusetts

1808 establishments in Massachusetts Christianity in Boston