The Diocese of Lansing ( la, Diœcesis Lansingensis) 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 ...

located in the south-central portion of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

around

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

. It encompasses an area of including the counties of

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee,

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

, Shiawassee and Washtenaw. The Diocese of Lansing 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 ...

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 ...

Archdiocese of Detroit.

History

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 ...

created the Diocese of Lansing May 22, 1937 by taking territory from the Archdiocese of Detroit. In July 1971,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

separated territory from the Lansing Diocese and territory from the

Diocese of Grand Rapids The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids ( la, Dioecesis Grandcataractensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see to ...

to form the new Diocese of Kalamazoo. On August 13, 2017 Bishop Boyea consecrated the diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In January 2021, the diocese instituted a policy for schools, parishes, and charities to affirm the

biological sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, o ...

of all persons. This includes the use of pronouns, requiring that bathrooms and sports be segregated according to biological sex, and requiring school officials to avoid participating in the administration of

hormonal treatment Hormone therapy or hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. Treatment with hormone antagonists may also be referred to as hormonal therapy or antihormone therapy. The most general classes of hormone therapy are hormonal therap ...

designed to alter sexual characteristics of students. It affirms the reality and discomfort of

gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder (GID) was used until ...

, and for its treatment, the diocese recommends counselors who "hold a correct Christian anthropology of the human person and understand and adhere to Catholic teaching."

Sex abuse cases

On May 24, 2019, it was revealed that five priests who served in the Diocese of Lansing, as well as the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Diocese of Kalamazoo were charged with sex abuse. Michigan Attorney General

Dana Nessel Dana Michelle Nessel (born April 19, 1969) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Nessel is the second openly lesbian woman elected at ...

, who charged the priests, stated that four of them have been arrested in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, and the fifth awaits extradition from India. The Diocese of Lansing stated that the priest who was arrested in Florida, Father Vincent DeLorenzo, had eight people accuse him of sexual abuse while serving in the Diocese. DeLorenzo, who is now 80 and who resigned from the Diocese in 2002, is charged with six counts of both first and second degree sexual misconduct and is also undergoing the process of being defrocked. A sixth priest who faces an administrative complaint has had his counseling license suspended by the state. As of September 27, 2019, the Diocese of Lansing has still not released the list of all priests with credible accusations against them, even though Bishop Boyea has pledged transparency. On September 14, 2020, Joseph Comperchio, a former teacher at St. John Catholic School in Jackson, was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida, and charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct he was reportedly committed while teaching at the school between 1974 and 1977. He is the 10th person connected to the Catholic Church to be charged by the Michigan Attorney General's office since October 2018. Following his arrest, Comperchio was denied bond.

Churches

Bishops

Bishops of Lansing

Joseph H. Albers Joseph H. Albers D.D. (March 18, 1891 – December 1, 1965) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Albers served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Lansing in Michigan in from 1937 until his death in 1964. He served a ...

(1937–65) #

Alexander M. Zaleski Alexander Mieceslaus Zaleski (June 24, 1906 – May 16, 1975) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan from 1965 until his death in 1975. He previously served as an auxil ...

(1965–75) #

Kenneth Joseph Povish Kenneth Joseph Povish (April 19, 1924 – September 5, 2003) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota from 1970 to 1975 and as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan ...

(1975–95) # Carl Frederick Mengeling (1995–2008) #

Earl Boyea Earl Alfred Boyea Jr. (born April 10, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan since 2008. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese ...

(2008–present)

Auxiliary Bishops

Michael Joseph Green Michael Joseph Green (October 13, 1917 – August 30, 1982) was a 20th-century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Reno in the state of Nevada from 1967 to 1974. Biography Born in St. ...

(1962–67), appointed Bishop of Reno * James Stephen Sullivan (1972–85), appointed Bishop of Fargo

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Paul Vincent Donovan Paul Vincent Donovan (September 1, 1924 – April 27, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Kalamazoo in Michigan from 1971 to 1994. Biography Early life Paul Donovan w ...

, appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo in 1971 *

James Albert Murray James Albert Murray (July 5, 1932 – June 5, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Kalamazoo in Michigan from 1998 to 2009. Biography Early life James Murray was born in Jackson, ...

, appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo in 1997 * Steven John Raica, appointed Bishop of Gaylord from 2014-2020, appointed Bishop of Birmingham in 2020 * Gerald Lee Vincke, appointed Bishop of Salina in 2018

High schools

Father Gabriel Richard High School Father Gabriel Richard High School is a private school, private, Roman Catholic high school in Ann Arbor Township near Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing, and was established in 1868 by Father Patrick O'Kel ...

, Ann Arbor *

Lansing Catholic High School Lansing Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Lansing, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing. History St. Mary High School was established in 1900. Resurrection High School was establishe ...

, Lansing * Lumen Christi Catholic High School, Jackson *

Powers Catholic High School Luke M. Powers Catholic High School is a coeducational private Roman Catholic high school located in Flint, Michigan serving students in grades 9– 12 under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing. History Powers Catholic was established in 1970 ...

, Flint *

St. Thomas More Academy St. Thomas More Academy (STMA) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school operated by Catholic laity. It is operated independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. It serves students and their families in the Raleigh, No ...

*, Burton : * Operates independently and with the blessing of the Diocese.

Media

The Diocese owns the publisher FAITH Catholic, which publishes Catholic magazines for dioceses and organizations. FAITH Catholic also operates the website MassTimes.org.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese Of Lansing Official Site

FAITH Magazine
- diocesan magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Lansing

Lansing, Michigan Christian organizations established in 1937

1937 establishments in Michigan