The Archdiocese of Omaha ( la, Archidioecesis Omahensis) is

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

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

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 ...

in 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 current archbishop,

George Joseph Lucas George Joseph Lucas (born June 12, 1949) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska since 2009, having previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield i ...

, was installed in Omaha on July 22, 2009. The archdiocese serves more than 230,000 Catholics in approximately 140 parishes and missions. It includes 23 counties in northeast Nebraska: Boyd, Holt, Merrick, Nance, Boone, Antelope, Knox, Pierce, Madison, Platte, Colfax, Stanton, Wayne, Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Thurston, Cuming, Dodge, Burt, Washington, Douglas, and Sarpy.

History

On January 6, 1857

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 ...

established the Apostolic Vicariate of Nebraska from the

Apostolic Vicariate of Indian Territory Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

(East of the Rocky Mountains). The Rev.

James Myles O'Gorman James Myles O'Gorman, O.C.S.O. (October 4, 1804 – July 4, 1874) was an Irish-born bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Nebraska Territory (now known as the Archdiocese of Omaha) from 1859 ...

, O.C.S.O., from New Melleray Monastery near

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, was named the Apostolic Vicar on January 28, 1859. The Vicariate lost territory when the Apostolic Vicariate of Montana was created in 1883. (This later developed as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena.) The Nebraska vicariate was elevated to a diocese and renamed as the Diocese of Omaha by

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 ...

on October 2, 1885. Reverend James O'Connor was appointed as its first bishop. At the time, the diocese included all of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. It lost territory on August 2, 1887 when the dioceses of

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

were established. The diocese lost territory two more times: to the

Diocese of Kearney The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska. The '' cathedra'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in Grand Island, Ne ...

in 1912 when it was created, and again in 1916. Omaha was elevated to an

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 ...

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 ...

on August 10, 1945.

Sexual abuse scandal of 20th and 21st centuries

The Archdiocese of Omaha has been implicated in the widespread scandal of sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic church in the United States and earlier institutional coverups of actions. In 2018, the Archdiocese of Omaha released the names of 38 priests and other clergy members who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct, an action requested by the state’s top prosecutor. At least two men on the list had been convicted and served prison sentences for molesting children. Among those listed was Daniel Herek, a former Omaha priest who was defrocked, convicted and sentenced to prison in 1999 for sexually assaulting and videotaping a 14-year-old boy. He also served jail time several years later for exposing himself in an Omaha parking lot. John Fiala, who left the Omaha Archdiocese in 1996, was among those listed. Fiala died in 2017 in a Texas prison after being convicted of sexually abusing a teenage boy and of trying to hire a hit man to kill the victim. Though the earliest incident of abuse on record was alleged to have happened in 1956, the Archdiocese of Omaha has acknowledged that it did not record reports of sexual abuse until 1978. In a written statement published together with the list of accused clergy, Omaha Archbishop

wrote,

"We acknowledge this report with sorrow, and know that it will cause a great deal of pain.” He continued, "We’re deeply saddened so many innocent minors and young adults were harmed by the church’s ministers. To victims and their families, I am sorry for the pain, betrayal and suffering you have experienced in the church.”

Bishops

Bishops of Omaha

(1859-1874) # James O.Connor (1876–1890) #

Richard Scannell Richard Scannell (May 12, 1845 – January 8, 1916) was an Ireland, Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina, Diocese of Concordia in Kansas (1887–1891) and as bishop of the Ro ...

(1891–1916) #

Jeremiah James Harty Jeremiah James Harty S. J. (November 5, 1853 – October 29, 1927) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the 26th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Manila in the Philippines from 1903 to 1916. He later served as bishop ...

(1916–1927), Archbishop (personal title) #

Joseph Francis Rummel Joseph Francis Rummel (October 14, 1876 – November 8, 1964) was a German-born American Catholic prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Omaha in Nebraska from 1928 to 1935 and as archbishop of the Archdi ...

(1928–1935), appointed

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 ...

Archbishops of Omaha

James Hugh Ryan James Hugh Ryan (December 15, 1886 – November 23, 1947) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as rector of the Catholic University of America (1928–1935) and as bishop and later archbishop of the Archdiocese o ...

(1935–1947) #

Gerald Thomas Bergan Gerald Thomas Bergan (January 26, 1892 – July 12, 1972) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa (1934–1948) and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska ...

(1947–1969) # Daniel E. Sheehan (1969–1993) #

Elden Francis Curtiss Elden Francis Curtiss (born June 16, 1932) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1976 to 1993, and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska from 1993 to 2 ...

(1993–2009) #

(2009–present)

Auxiliary bishops

# Daniel E. Sheehan (1964–1969), appointed Archbishop here # Anthony Michael Milone (1981–1987), appointed Bishop of Great Falls-Billings

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Blase Joseph Cupich Blase Joseph Cupich ( ; March 19, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, a cardinal who serves as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Cupich was ordained a priest there in 1975. He was named ...

, appointed Bishop of Rapid City in 1998; future Cardinal # William Joseph Dendinger, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 2004 # Joseph Gerard Hanefeldt, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 2015 #

Edward Joseph Hunkeler Edward Joseph Hunkeler (January 1, 1894 – October 1, 1970) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Grand Island, Nebraska (1945–1951), and Bishop and Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kans ...

, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 1945 #

Patrick Aloysius Alphonsus McGovern Patrick Aloysius Alphonsus McGovern (October 14, 1872 – November 8, 1951) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming from 1912 until his death in 1951. Biography Earl ...

, appointed Bishop of Cheyenne in 1912 # John Linus Paschang, appointed Bishop of Grand Island in 1951

Parishes

Omaha Catholic schools

The Omaha Catholic Schools is a school district in and around Omaha which is part of the Archdiocese of Omaha. All schools are accredited or approved by the state of Nebraska. The school district is composed of 54 elementary schools, one private 4th-8th grade school, four corporation high schools, three K-12th grade schools, one special needs K-12th grade school, and ten private high schools. Over 20,000 students attend Omaha Catholic Schools each year.

Suffragan sees

Diocese of Grand Island The Diocese of Grand Island ( la, Dioecesis Insulae Grandis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northwestern and central Nebraska. The '' cathedra'' of the Bishop of Grand Island is in Grand Island, Ne ...

Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leices ...

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Education in Omaha, Nebraska Religious organizations established in 1857

1857 establishments in Nebraska Territory Christianity in Omaha, Nebraska