The Archdiocese of Washington is a Latin Church 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 in the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the District of Columbia and the counties of Calvert,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, Montgomery, Prince George's and

Saint Mary's St. Mary's, St. Marys, or St. Maries may refer to the following places: Australia * St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** St Marys railway station, Sydney ** North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * St Marys, South Austra ...

in the state of Maryland. It was originally part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The archdiocese crosses a state line. Three other U.S. Latin Church dioceses ( Wilmington, Norwich and

Gallup Gallup may refer to: *Gallup, Inc., a firm founded by George Gallup, well known for its opinion poll *Gallup (surname), a surname *Gallup, New Mexico, a city in New Mexico, United States **Gallup station, an Amtrak train in downtown Gallup, New Me ...

) also do this, but they each have territory in more than one state. The Archdiocese of Washington is home to The Catholic University of America, the only national university operated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic and

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institution of higher education in the country. In addition, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a minor basilica dedicated to the nation's

patroness Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

, the Immaculate Conception, is located within it, and it is not the archdiocesan cathedral (nor even a parish of the archdiocese). The cathedral of the archdiocese is the

Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew's Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St. Matthew's Cathedral and Rectory, it has been list ...

in downtown Washington.

Prelature

Archdiocese of Washington Pastoral Center

The

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

of the Archdiocese of Washington is an

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 ...

whose

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

is in the

in the

City of Washington The District of Columbia was created in 1801 as the federal district of the United States, with territory previously held by the states of Maryland and Virginia ceded to the federal government of the United States for the purpose of creating its ...

and who is

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

of the Ecclesiastical Province of Washington. Its sole suffragan see is the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. The first Archbishop of Washington was

Michael Joseph Curley Michael Joseph Curley (October 12, 1879 – May 16, 1947) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington (1939–1947). He served as the tenth archbishop of the Archdioc ...

, appointed in 1939. Eight years later, on November 15, 1947, the archdiocese received its first residential archbishop, with the appointment of

Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle (July 18, 1896 – August 10, 1987) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first resident Archbishop of Washington from 1948 to 1973, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967. Early l ...

. Donald Wuerl served as the most recent ordinary of the archdiocese. Wuerl resigned as Archbishop of Washington on October 12, 2018, in the wake of revelations about his poor handling of incidents of sex abuse when he served as Bishop of Pittsburgh. However, Wuerl still led the archdiocese as apostolic administrator until a successor was installed. On April 4, 2019, Wilton Daniel Gregory was appointed archbishop by Pope Francis. The same day, the Archdiocese of Washington announced that Gregory would be installed as the seventh Archbishop of Washington. Gregory, who was originally scheduled to be installed on May 17, 2019, was installed on May 21, 2019, becoming the first African American to lead the Archdiocese of Washington. Pope Francis raised Wilton Daniel Gregory to the rank of

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 ...

at a consistory held in Rome on November 28, 2020. He is the first American with African ancestry to become a Roman Catholic cardinal.

History

On March 25, 1634, the first Catholic Mass in the English-speaking colonies was celebrated by Andrew White on St. Clement's Island, Maryland, in what is now part of the Archdiocese of Washington.About Us
Archdiocese of Washington. Retrieved November 19, 2016. The Catholic founders of the Maryland settlement then established the colony as a place of religious freedom. During the colonial era, however, when others took power, Catholics would become a persecuted people suffering the wrath of oppression allowed by local penal laws. Upon the founding of the United States, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest,

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

, was elected head of the missionary territory (later Prefecture Apostolic) of the United States. In 1789 the Diocese of Baltimore (later the Archdiocese of Baltimore) was established with Carroll as its first bishop, and given ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the entire nation. On July 22, 1939,

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 ...

created the Archdiocese of Washington from territory which was then within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, with a single prelate serving as the archbishop of both archdioceses, two ecclesiastical jurisdictions united '' in persona episcopi''. The Archdiocese dates its founding from 1939. On November 15, 1947, Pope Pius appointed Washington's first residential archbishop. The Archdiocese of Washington became a metropolitan see on October 12, 1965, when the Diocese of Saint Thomas became its only suffragan see.

Sex abuse scandal

On September 26, 2018, it was announced that the Archdiocese of Washington was now one of four American Catholic dioceses under investigation by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for reports of sex abuse. Accused former cardinal and Washington archbishop Theodore McCarrick had served in each diocese. On October 15, 2018, the Archdiocese of Washington released the names of 31 clergy who served in the archdiocese and were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors since 1948. On August 15, 2019, archdiocesan priest Urbano Vazquez was convicted of four counts of sexual abuse involving two girls. On November 22, 2019, Vazquez was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In October 2019, the ''Washington Post'' reported that police were investigating an allegation that the former Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston,

Michael Joseph Bransfield Michael Joseph Bransfield (born September 8, 1943) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church. Bransfield served as Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Diocese of Wheeli ...

, had molested a 9-year-old girl during a September 2012 pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., while on a trip led by Bransfield.Shawn Boburg & Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Former W.Va. bishop Michael Bransfield is under police investigation for alleged abuse of 9-year-old girl on church trip
''Washington Post'' (October 3, 2019). Prior to being appointed bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in 2004, Bransfield long served at the Basilica, being named assistant director and director of

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

(1980), director of

finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...

(1982), and director (1986) at the

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. ...

. The Archdiocese of Washington was subpoenaed for documents in connection with the investigation. Bransfield denied the allegation. In December 2019, the ''Washington Post'' revealed that Bransfield had paid $350,000 to Holy See and church officials during a sex abuse probe against him. The " hush money" payments involved acts of sex abuse he reportedly committed when he was at the Basilica in the 1980s. The same report also revealed that during his time as Archbishop of Washington, McCarrick used his "Archbishop's Special Fund" to make similar hush money payments in order to cover acts of sex abuse he had committed in other Catholic dioceses. The archdiocese took in nearly a third less money in its 2019 annual fundraising appeal, which had been renamed from "Cardinal's Appeal" to "Annual Appeal", in the wake of the scandals.

Bishops

The list of bishops and their terms of service:

Archbishops of Washington

(1939–1947), concurrently the Archbishop of Baltimore #

(1947–1973) # William Wakefield Baum (1973–1980), appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and later Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary # James Aloysius Hickey (1980–2000) # Theodore Edgar McCarrick (2001–2006; former cardinal, laicized for sexual abuse) # Donald William Wuerl (2006–2018) # Wilton Daniel Gregory (2019–present)

Auxiliary bishops

* John Michael McNamara (1947–1960) *

Patrick Joseph McCormick Patrick Joseph McCormick (December 10, 1880 – May 18, 1953) was the titular bishop of Atenia and auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. He was the 7th rector of The Catholic University of America, and was the first alum ...

(1950–1953) Cathedral of St

Philip Matthew Hannan Philip Matthew Hannan (May 20, 1913 – September 29, 2011) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington from 1 ...

(1956–1965), appointed Archbishop of New Orleans *

William Joseph McDonald William Joseph McDonald (June 17, 1904 – January 7, 1989) was an Irish-born bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1964 to 1967 and the Archdiocese of San Fran ...

(1964–1967), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco * John Selby Spence (1964–1973) *

Edward John Herrmann Edward John Herrmann (November 6, 1913 – December 22, 1999) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1973 to 1982. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archd ...

(1966–1973), appointed Bishop of Columbus *

Thomas William Lyons Thomas William Lyons (September 26, 1923 – March 25, 1988) was a bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1974 to 1988. Lyons is listed by the Archdiocese of Was ...

(1974–1988) * Eugene Antonio Marino (1974–1988), appointed

Archbishop of Atlanta 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 archdioc ...

Thomas Cajetan Kelly Thomas Cajetan Kelly (July 14, 1931 – December 14, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A member of the Dominican Order, Kelley served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky from 1982 until his retir ...

(1977–1981), appointed Archbishop of Louisville * Alvaro Corrada del Rio (1985–1997), appointed Apostolic Administrator of Caguas and later Bishop of Tyler and Bishop of Mayaguez *

William George Curlin William George Curlin (August 30, 1927 – December 23, 2017) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina from 1994 to 2002. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop o ...

(1988–1994), appointed Bishop of Charlotte *

Leonard Olivier Leonard James Olivier, (October 12, 1923 – November 19, 2014) was an African-American Catholic bishop. He was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Biography Priesthood In 1951 he was ordained a priest for the Society of the Divine Word in Bay ...

(1988–2004) *

William E. Lori William Edward Lori (born May 6, 1951) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as the 16th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland since 2012. He was previously the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport ...

(1995–2001), appointed Bishop of Bridgeport and later Archbishop of Baltimore * Kevin Joseph Farrell (2001–2007), appointed Bishop of Dallas and later Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life (elevated to

in 2016) * Francisco González Valer, S.F. (2001–2014) * Martin Holley (2004–2016), appointed Bishop of Memphis * Barry Christopher Knestout (2008–2018), appointed Bishop of Richmond *

Mario E. Dorsonville Mario Eduardo Dorsonville-Rodríguez (October 31, 1960 – January 19, 2024) was a Colombian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served Bishop of Houma–Thibodaux from March 2023 until his death. He was an auxiliary bishop of Wash ...

(2015–present) * Roy Edward Campbell (2017–present) *

Michael William Fisher Michael William Fisher (born March 3, 1958) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who currently serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, having been installed on January 15, 2021. He previously served as an auxiliary bish ...

(2018–2020), appointed Bishop of Buffalo *

Juan Esposito-Garcia Juan Rafael Esposito-Garcia (born January 10, 1974) is an Argentine-born priest of the Catholic Church who serves as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington in the District of Columbia and Southern Maryland. Biography Early lif ...

(Elect, 2023) *

Evelio Menjivar-Ayala Evelio Menjivar-Ayala (born August 14, 1970) is a Salvadoran priest of the Catholic Church who serves as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington. Biography On May 29, 2004, Menjivar-Ayala was ordained to the priesthood. Pope Franc ...

(Elect, 2023)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

John Francis Donoghue John Francis Donoghue (August 9, 1928 – November 11, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina from 1984 to 1993 and as the fifth archbishop of the ...

, appointed Bishop of Charlotte in 1984 and later

David Edward Foley David Edward Foley (February 3, 1930 – April 17, 2018) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama from 1994 to 2005. He previously served as an auxiliary bish ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Richmond in 1986 and later Bishop of Birmingham *

Raymond James Boland Raymond James Boland (February 8, 1932 – February 27, 2014) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama from 1988 to 1993 and the fifth Bishop of the Diocese ...

, appointed Bishop of Birmingham in 1988 and later Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph * Mark Edward Brennan, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore in 2016 and later Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston *

William D. Byrne William Draper Byrne (born September 26, 1964) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, Diocese of Springfield in Mas ...

, appointed Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts

Parishes

Schools

The archdiocese centralized school administration as part of its Center City Consortium, which was established in 1997. ; High schools

Colleges

Colleges and universities

* The Catholic University of America * Georgetown University * Trinity Washington University

Seminaries

* Redemptoris Mater Seminary * St. John Paul II Seminary * Theological College * Dominican House of Studies

Archdiocesan cemeteries

In addition to the nearly four dozen of its parishes which have their own cemeteries,Parish Cemeteries
from the official website of the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Washington the archdiocese owns and operates five major cemeteries:
from the official website of the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Washington * Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, D.C. *

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents is b ...

, Silver Spring, Maryland * St. Mary's Queen of Peace Cemetery,

Helen, Maryland Helen is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States and is located near Mechanicsville. It was the hometown of French Forrest French Forrest (1796 – December 22, 1866) was an American naval officer who served f ...

* Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton, Maryland * All Souls Cemetery,

Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore ...

Two former parish cemeteries are also operated by the archdiocese: * St. John's Cemetery,

Forest Glen, Maryland Forest Glen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Its population was 6,897 as of the 2020 census. Geography Forest Glen is recognized by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place, ...

* St. Mary's Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Province of Washington, D.C.

Ecclesiastical Province of Washington map

* Diocese of Saint Thomas

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington Official Site

Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle

Alphabetical Listing of Parishes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of Washington Washington Religious organizations based in Washington, D.C. Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. Catholic Church in Maryland Christian organizations established in 1947 Washington 1947 establishments in Washington, D.C.