The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre ( la, Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa) 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

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 ...

that comprises the territory of

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

counties on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, except for

Fishers Island Fishers Island (Pequot: ''Munnawtawkit'') is an island that is part of Southold, New York, United States at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound. About long and wide, it ...

, which is part of Suffolk County but is included in the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut. Founded in 1957, this diocese was created from territory that once belonged to the

Diocese 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. ...

. , it the sixth-largest Catholic diocese in the United States, currently serving approximately 1.5 million people in 134 parishes. The diocese is named for the village where its

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 ...

, St. Agnes Cathedral, is located,

Rockville Centre Rockville Centre, commonly abbreviated as RVC, is an incorporated village located in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 24,023 at the 2010 census. Histo ...

in Nassau County. The fifth and current

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 ...

is John Barres. The Diocese of Rockville Centre is a

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 ...

in 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 the metropolitan

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...

History

The Diocese of Rockville Centre was split off from the

April 6, 1957. St. Agnes Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. (Fishers Island is part of Suffolk County but is included in the diocese of Norwich, Connecticut.)

Walter P. Kellenberg Walter Philip Kellenberg (June 3, 1901 – January 11, 1986) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, Diocese of Ogdensburg in Northern New York (1954–1957) and bi ...

, former Bishop of Ogdensburg, served as first bishop of the diocese from 1957 to 1976. He founded the diocese's Catholic Charities office in 1957. Kellenberg was followed by

Bishop John McGann John Raymond McGann (December 2, 1924 – January 29, 2002) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, in New York from 1976 to 2000. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the s ...

, who retired in 2000 and died in 2002. The diocese was led briefly by Bishop James T. McHugh, who died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on December 10, 2000. William Murphy served as the diocese's fourth bishop from 2001 to 2017. Murphy arrived in

from his native Archdiocese of Boston, where he served as the archdiocese's

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

. He was succeeded by John Barres on January 31, 2017. The Diocese of Rockville Centre currently has no active seminaries within its territory. Its major seminary, the

Seminary of the Immaculate Conception The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic seminary in Lloyd Harbor, New York, accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and serving the Diocese of Rockville Centre. It offered a number of ...

Lloyd Harbor Lloyd Harbor is a village in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village's population was 3,660. History In 1654, the Matinecock Native America ...

, ceased its seminary program in 2012. In 1984 the Diocese's minor seminary, St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary in Uniondale closed. In 2012 through an inter-diocesan agreement largely made due to the shrinking number of priestly vocations and resources, the

, the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Diocese of Rockville Centre, merged their seminary programs. The agreement outlined that the minor seminary programs would be facilitated at the Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Douglaston, Queens and the major seminary programs would be facilitated at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, Westchester County, NY.

Reports of sex abuse and bankruptcy

By August 2019, 68 clergy who served in the Diocese of Rockville Centre were "credibly accused" of committing acts of sex abuse. Some were either convicted for their crimes or agreed to pay financial settlements. Former priest Robert E. Guglielmone, who was later appointed Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Roman Catholic Church in the Southern United States that comprises the entire state of South Carolina. Currently, the diocese consists of 96 parishes an ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, was also revealed to have been named as a defendant in a sex abuse lawsuit in the state of New York and is accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. On May 8, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the 2019 New York Child Victims Act's statute of limitation deadline to file sex abuse lawsuits from August 14, 2020 to January 14, 2021. On May 13, 2020, a Nassau County Supreme Court justice allowed pending lawsuits against the Diocese of Rockville Centre to proceed after rejecting claims that the New York Child Victims Act, which serves as the legal basis for the upcoming sex abuse lawsuits, violated

due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...

. In June 2020, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which also suffered significant financial damage from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, filed court documents which stated that the Diocese will file for bankruptcy if there is no pause in nearly 100 pending sex abuse lawsuits. On October 1, 2020, the diocese of Rockville Center became the fourth diocese in New York state to file for bankruptcy as a result of the sexual abuse litigations. An April 15 2021 bankruptcy filing documents allegations against some former priests who hadn’t previously been publicly accused of abuse. In total, the Diocese listed 101 accused clergy members, though a committee of unsecured creditors has published 46 more names

Bishops

Bishops of Rockville Centre

(1957–1976) #

John R. McGann John Raymond McGann (December 2, 1924 – January 29, 2002) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, in New York from 1976 to 2000. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the s ...

(1976–2000) #

James T. McHugh James Thomas McHugh (January 3, 1932 – December 10, 2000) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York during the year 2000. McHugh previously served as an auxiliary bishop ...

(2000;

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 ...

1998–2000) # William F. Murphy (2001–2017) # John O. Barres (2017–present)

Current auxiliary bishops

* Andrzej Jerzy Zglejszewski (2014–present) *

Robert J. Coyle Robert Joseph Coyle (born September 23, 1964) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York since 2018. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop o ...

(2018–present; previously Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, 2013–2018) * Richard Garth Henning (2018–2022) November 23, 2022 appointed

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 ...

of 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 ...

, Rhode Island. * Luis Miguel Romero Fernández (2020–present)

Former auxiliary bishops

Vincent John Baldwin Vincent John Baldwin (July 13, 1907—September 16, 1979) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre from 1962 until his death in 1979. Biography Vincent Baldwin was bor ...

(1962–1979) *

(1970–1976), appointed Bishop of this diocese *

Gerald Augustine John Ryan Gerald Augustine John Ryan (August 23, 1923 – June 4, 1985) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York from 1977 to 1985. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ry ...

(1977–1985) *

James Joseph Daly James Joseph Daly (August 14, 1921 − October 14, 2013) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York from 1977 to 1996. Biography Early life and education Daly ...

(1977–1996) *

Alfred John Markiewicz Alfred John Markiewicz (May 17, 1928 – January 9, 1997) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, Diocese of Kalamazoo in Michigan, from 1994 to 1 ...

(1986–1994), appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo *

Emil Aloysius Wcela Emil Aloysius Wcela (May 1, 1931 – May 21, 2022) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Wcela served as an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York State from ...

(1988–2007) *

John Charles Dunne John Charles Dunne (born October 30, 1937) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Dunn served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York from 1988 until 2013. Biography Early life John Dunne was bo ...

(1988–2013) * Paul Henry Walsh (2003–2012) * Peter Anthony Libasci (2007–2011), 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 w ...

* Nelson J. Perez (2012–2017), appointed Bishop of Cleveland, later

Archbishop 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 a ...

* Robert J. Brennan (2012–2019), appointed Bishop of Columbus, 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. ...

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Robert E. Guglielmone, appointed Bishop of Charleston in 2009 *

William Edward Koenig William Edward Koenig (born August 17, 1956) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware since 2021. Biography Early life William Koenig was born on ...

, appointed Bishop of Wilmington in 2021

Coat of Arms

Media

Catholic Faith Network, formerly known as "Telecare" was founded in 1969 by Monsignor Thomas Hartman of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York. CFn's programming includes live religious services, talk shows, devotional programs, educational programming, entertainment, and children's programs. It also presents coverage of special events at the Vatican and of papal journeys. It serves subscribers in three states. In 2012 the diocesan weekly newspaper ''Long Island Catholic'' switched to a subscription-based monthly magazine.

Educational institutions

;Seminary *

- established in 1926, seminary program ceased in 2012. The major seminary for the Diocese of Rockville Centre since 2012 is now St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY. ;High schools As of 2019, there were nine Catholic high schools on Long Island. *;Diocesan *

Holy Trinity Diocesan High School Holy Trinity High School is a co-educational learning environment located centrally in Hicksville, Nassau County, New York on Long Island. Education is based on New York State Education Standards with a strong emphasis on Religious Studies. ...

, ( Hicksville)- established 1966, *

St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School , motto_translation = In Faith and in Gentleness , address = 1170 Montauk Highway , city = West Islip , county = ( Suffolk County) , state = New York , zipcod ...

, (

West Islip West Islip is a hamlet and CDP founded roughly in 1683, located in the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Situated on the South Shore of Long Island, the population of the CDP was 27,048 at the time of the 2020 census. ...

)- established 1966 * St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary, ( Uniondale)- established 1961 and closed in 1984 *

Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School (formerly Mercy High School) was a Roman Catholic high school in Riverhead, New York on Long Island. It was operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre. The Diocese closed the school in 201 ...

, ( Riverhead) established in 1956 by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

and closed in June 2018) *; *;Private *

Academy of Saint Joseph The Academy of Saint Joseph, in Brentwood, New York, was a Catholic college- preparatory school for Kindergarten to Grade 12, single-sex for girls grades 9 - 12. The academy was founded in 1856, by the Sisters of Saint Joseph named after Saint ...

, ( Brentwood)- established in 1856 and Closed June 2009. Staffed by the

Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for S ...

Chaminade High School Chaminade High School is a Roman Catholic Marianist college preparatory high school for boys in Mineola, New York, United States. Chaminade’s main campus is also home to Saragossa Retreat Center, one of their three retreat houses. Athletics ...

, ( Mineola)- operated and staffed by the Marianists Fathers and Brothers *

Kellenberg Memorial High School Kellenberg Memorial High School is a Roman Catholic college-preparatory school in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island, United States. Kellenberg Memorial is a Marianist school on Long Island, alongside St. Martin de Porres Marianist School in ...

, ( Uniondale)- established in 1987. Staffed by the Marianists Fathers and Brothers * Our Lady of Mercy Academy, ( Syosset)- established in 1928, operated and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy * Sacred Heart Academy, ( Hempstead)- established in 1949, operated and staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph Brentwood * St. Anthony's High School, (

South Huntington South Huntington is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,422 at the 2010 census. Residents have a Huntington Stat ...

)- established in 1933, operated and staffed by the

Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn The Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, formally known as the Congregation of the Religious Brothers of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, were founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1858. They have been actively involved in the education of boys and ...

* St. Dominic High School, ( Oyster Bay)- established in 1928 * St. Mary's High School, (

Manhasset Manhasset is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 at the 2020 United States ce ...

)- established in 1949, staffed by the

Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist is a Catholic female religious institute of diocesan right based in Ann Arbor, Michigan which follows the charism of the Dominican Order. The congregation was founded in 1997 by four members of ...

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre began operating in 1957. In 1974, they opened a residence for the developmentally disabled in

Valley Stream Valley Stream is a village in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population in the Village of Valley Stream was 37,511 at the 2010 census. The incorporated Village of Valley Stream is within the Town of Hempstead, ...

. As of 2019, there were thirteen such residences. A shelter for single mothers opened in 1968 and in 2009 expanded to include transitional housing. Catholic Charities is the one largest provider of affordable senior housing on Long Island, operating over 1,300 units.

Catholic Health

Catholic Health, formerly Catholic Health Services of Long Island, was founded in 1997 and operates under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. CHS operates six hospitals:

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center Good Samaritan University Hospital (formerly Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center) is a 537-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in West Islip, New York. The hospital contains 100 nursing home beds as well as operates an adult and pediatric ...

, Mercy Medical Center in

Saint Catherine of Siena Medical Center St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center is a 296-bed not-for-profit hospital located on Long Island in Smithtown, New York. The hospital opened in 1962 as St. John's Smithtown Hospital and its name was changed to its present in 1999. It is a major r ...

in Smithtown, Saint Charles Hospital in

Port Jefferson Port Jefferson (informally known as "Port Jeff") is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Officially known as the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson, the population ...

, Saint Francis Hospital and Heart Center in Roslyn, and Saint Joseph Hospital in Bethpage. The health system is the primary clinical affiliate and major teaching site of

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) is a private medical school located primarily in Old Westbury, New York. It also has a degree-granting campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Founded in 1977, NYIT-COM is an ...

. With 17,000 employees, CHS is the third-largest employer on Long Island. In 2021, CHSLI's name was changed to Catholic Health to reflect an expanded range of services and its connection to the medical school.

Cemeteries

In 2016 the Diocese created a new corporation, Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, to assume ownership of its cemeteries. There are four major cemeteries administered by Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island: *

Cemetery of the Holy Rood The Cemetery of the Holy Rood is a Catholic cemetery located in Westbury, New York. The cemetery, established in 1930, is part of the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre. History The oldest part of the cemetery was originally the burial ...

in Westbury * Queen of Peace Cemetery in

Old Westbury Old Westbury is a village in the Towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,671 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Old Westbury i ...

* Queen of All Saints Cemetery in

Central Islip Central Islip is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 34,450 at the 2010 census. History and overview Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the S ...

* Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram In addition, there are 21 parish churches within the diocese, 6 of which are managed by Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, and the remainder by the individual parishes. St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries, despite being located in

East Farmingdale East Farmingdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The population of the CDP was 6,484 at the 2010 census. Located in the Town of Babylon, the residents are served by the Farmingda ...

, is administered by the

rather than Rockville Centre.

References

External links

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre Official Site
{{authority control Christian organizations established in 1957 1957 establishments in New York (state)

Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020