The Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts ( la, Diœcesis Campifontis) 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 ...

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 ...

comprising the counties of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, and Hampden 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 ...

. The Diocese of Springfield of Massachusetts 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 Boston.

History

On 14 June 1870,

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 ...

erected the Diocese of Springfield, taking Berkshire, 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. 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 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 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. This action established the present territory of the Diocese of Springfield.

Suppression and closure of parishes

Following a decline in parish membership and attendance at weekly Mass, many churches in the diocese have been merged or closed. As of 2010, 65 churches had been closed, with 13 of those buildings housing new congregations created by mergers. Bishop Timothy McDonnell was responsible for the majority of these parish closures.

Sexual abuse

On September 24, 2004, former Springfield Bishop

Thomas Dupré Thomas Dupré (born 9 June 1974) is a former French tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis ...

was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of an ...

by a Hampden County

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

on two counts of

child molestation Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (wheth ...

. He became the first Catholic bishop ever to be indicted for sexual abuse. However, the Springfield

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

was forced to drop the charges because the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...

had expired. In February 2019, a news report stated that the Diocese of Springfield had received 15 complaints of sexual abuse in 2018. On May 27, 2020, the Diocese of Springfield formed an independent task force to advise the Diocesan Bishop on allegations of sexual abuse. In June 2020, an independent investigation found allegations against the late Bishop Christopher J. Weldon to be credible. Both Bishops Weldon and Dupré were later alleged to have perpetrated sexual abuse of a minor or minors and to have covered up the murder of Danny Croteau by a priest in their charge, Richard R. Lavigne, who had sexually abused and then murdered the 13-year-old altar boy in 1972. After waiting over two decades, a woman who identified as a clergy abuse victim from the Diocese of Springfield saw the name of her abuser, the late Rev. Daniel Gill, added to the inventory of "credibly accused" priests; Rev. Gill had served at five churches in Hampden and Berkshire counties. A civil lawsuit brought by a Chicopee former altar boy names in a cover-up as defendants the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield, a Corporation Sole, John J. Egan, former Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, Patricia McManamy, Monsignor Christopher Connelly, Jeffrey Trant, John Hale, Kevin Murphy and Mark Dupont. In July 2022, the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts rejected the Diocese of Springfield's claim that the church was protected by charitable immunity, and the Diocese's motion for the charges of sexual abuse and subsequent cover-up be dismissed. The Court based this decision on the argument that sexual assault against children does not "involve conduct related to a charitable mission." The Diocese faces another lawsuit in Hampden Superior Court from an 84 year old Chicopee woman over allegations her parish priest grabbed her buttocks during a Mass in 2019. The lawsuit states that she made a report to the Franciscan order and to the Springfield diocese, speaking with Jeffrey Trant, director of the Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance, and no charges were brought forward. The lawsuit claims assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision and negligent hiring from the Diocese.

Bishops

Bishops of Springfield (in Massachusetts)

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 ...

(1870-1892) #

Thomas Daniel Beaven Thomas Daniel Beaven (March 1, 1851 – October 5, 1920) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1892 to 1920. Biography Early life Thomas B ...

(1892-1920) # Thomas Michael O'Leary (1921-1949) #

Christopher Joseph Weldon Christopher Joseph Weldon (September 6, 1905 – March 19, 1982) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1950 to 1977. In 2020, an investigation by the Diocese of ...

(1950-1977) #

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 ...

(1977-1992;

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 ...

1976-1977) # John Aloysius Marshall (1992-1994) #

Thomas Ludger Dupré Thomas Ludger Dupré (November 10, 1933 – December 30, 2016) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1995 to 2004. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the same di ...

(1995-2004) # Timothy Anthony McDonnell (2004–2014) # Mitchell Thomas Rozanski (2014–2020) # William Draper Byrne (2020–present)

Auxiliary bishops

* Leo Edward O'Neil (1980-1989), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Manchester and subsequently succeeded to that see *Thomas Ludger Dupré (1990-1995), appointed Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts (see above)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Daniel Francis Feehan, appointed Bishop of Fall River in 1907 * Joseph John Rice, appointed Bishop of Burlington in 1910 *

Joseph Francis McGrath Joseph Francis McGrath (March 1, 1871 – April 12, 1950) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Baker City from 1919 until his death in 1950. Biography Early life and education Joseph McGrath was b ...

, appointed Bishop of Baker City in 1918 * William Augustine Hickey, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Providence in 1919 and subsequently succeeded to that see *

Timothy Joseph Harrington Timothy Joseph Harrington (December 19, 1918 – March 23, 1997) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts from 1983 to 1994. He previously served as an auxili ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Worcester in 1968

Office of Safe Environment & Victim Assistance

* Jeffrey Trant, appointed Director in 2019

Significant church buildings

The Basilica of St. Stanislaus in

Chicopee, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. C ...

, is located within the Diocese of Springfield.

Education

High Schools

Pope Francis Preparatory School Pope Francis Preparatory School is a Catholic co-educational college-preparatory high school in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was originally opened as Cathedral High School in 1883 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph at the diocese's Saint Michael' ...

, Springfield (9-12) * Saint Mary High School, Westfield (9-12) Closed: * Cathedral High School, Springfield (merged into Pope Francis Preparatory School) * Holyoke Catholic High School, Chicopee (merged into Pope Francis Preparatory School) * St. Joseph Central High School,

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

(closed 2017)

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts Official Site

* {{authority control Catholic Church in Massachusetts Culture of Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield, Springfield in Massachusetts Springfield in Massachusetts Springfield in Massachusetts 1870 establishments in Massachusetts