The Diocese of Steubenville () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

covering thirteen counties in southeastern

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in the United States. The Diocese of Steubenville 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 Alexandr ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the metropolitan

Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church that covers all of the dioceses in the State of Ohio. As of 2025, the archbishop of Cincinnati is Robert Casey. T ...

. The seat for the diocese is Holy Name Cathedral in

Steubenville Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area has an es ...

. As of February 2025, the position of bishop is vacant.

History

1700 to 1940

During the 17th century, present day Ohio was part of the French colony of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

. The Diocese of Quebec had jurisdiction over the region. In 1763, after the French-Indian War,

Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...

became part of the British

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. To prevent hostile interactions with Native Americans in the area, the British had forbidden settlement in Ohio by inhabitants of the 13 American colonies. After the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the Ohio area became part of the new United States. In 1784, the Vatican established the

Apostolic Prefecture of the United States The Apostolic Prefecture of the United States () was the earliest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction to be officially recognized within the United States after its declaration of independence in 1776. Previous British jurisdiction and Am ...

so as to remove American Catholics from the jurisdiction of a British diocese. The Vatican erected the Diocese of Baltimore in 1789 in place of the prefecture. In 1808,

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

erected the

Diocese of Bardstown The Diocese of Bardstown () was a Latin Church Catholic diocese in the United States established in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 8, 1808, along with the Diocese of Boston, Diocese of New York, and Diocese of Philadelphia, comprising the former ...

in Kentucky, a vast diocese with jurisdiction over the new state of Ohio along with the other midwest states.

in 1821, erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking the entire state of Ohio from the Diocese of Bardstown. The first Catholic church in Steubenville, St. Peter's, was dedicated in 1835. In 1868,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

erected the

Diocese of Columbus 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 associated ...

, encompassing the portions of Ohio "...lying south of 40' and 41" and between the Ohio River on the East and the Scioto River on the West together with the Counties of Franklin, Delaware and Morrow."

1940 to 1990

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

erected the Diocese of Steubenville on October 21, 1944, from thirteen counties ( Carroll, Jefferson,

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, Belmont,

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, Meigs,

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, and

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) previously part of the Diocese of Columbus. The pope appointed Reverend Anthony Mussio of Cincinnati as the first bishop of Steubenville. In 1958, Mussio joined with the other Catholic bishops of Ohio in opposing a so-called

right to work The right to work is the concept that people have a human right to work, or to engage in productive employment, and should not be prevented from doing so. The right to work, enshrined in the United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Ri ...

amendment to the

Ohio Constitution The Constitution of the State of Ohio is the basic governing document of the State of Ohio, which in 1803 became the 17th state to join the United States of America. Ohio has had three constitutions since statehood was granted. Ohio was created ...

that would have outlawed mandatory union membership in

unionized A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

workplaces. As bishop, Mussio established 73 parishes and 20 missions, the College of Steubenville in Steubenville, St. John Vianney Seminary, a

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona () are a Catholic Church, Catholic monastic order of pontifical right for men founded by Romuald, St. Romuald. Its name is derived from the Holy Hermitage () in Camaldoli, high in the mountains of Tuscany, ...

hermitage, Samaritan House, Catholic Social Services, and St. John's Villa. The College of Steubenville is now the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He also founded the diocesan newspaper, ''The Steubenville Register''. In accord with the Second Vatican Council's reforms, he established the Steubenville Ecumenical Institute to foster better relationships among Christians and Jews. After 33 years as bishop, Mussio retired in 1977. Auxiliary Bishop Albert Ottenweller of the Diocese of Toledo was appointed bishop of Steubenville In 1977, by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. In 1989, Ottenweller was arrested with other protestors outside a health clinic that provided abortion services for women in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

. Refusing to post

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...

, he spent six days in jail before his trial."Retired Bishop Ottenweller of Steubenville, Ohio, dies at age 96", Catholic News Service, September 26, 2012
/ref> Ottenweiller retired in 1992.

1990 to present

In 1992, Auxiliary Bishop

Gilbert Sheldon Gilbert Sheldon (19 June 1598 – 9 November 1677) was an English religious leader who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663 until his death. Early life Sheldon was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 J ...

of the Diocese of Cleveland was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. Sheldon retired in 2002, to be replaced by Reverend R. Daniel Conlon of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. In 2007, Conlon announced that the diocese planned to construct a new Triumph of the Cross Cathedral in Steubenville. Under the plan, the diocese would combine six parishes in the city (Holy Name Cathedral, Holy Rosary, St. Pius X, St. Anthony's, St. Stanislaus, and Servants of Christ the King) into a centrally located cathedral parish to better accommodate the decreased number of parishioners and priests. The six parishes closed in 2008. However, after raising $8.5 million, Conlon shelved his plan in 2011, saying that it was far too risky to incur the construction debt.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

named Conlon as bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in 2011 and replaced him in Steubenville with Reverend Jeffrey Monforton of the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church covering the south-east portion of Michigan in the United States. The archdiocese consists counties of Lapeer County, Michigan, Lap ...

. In June 2013, Monforton announced that the diocese would retain the current cathedral and renovate it. His plan included upgraded technology to allow broadcast of masses and other events, installing security systems to allow 24-hour visitation and restoring the towers that had been were removed in a 1957 renovation. Monforton added that, whenever possible, the diocese would employ local residents and firms to perform work. The diocese would also work with Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County to revitalize the neighborhood. In 2017, the diocese embarked on a year of re-consecration to the

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Catholic devotion which refers to the view of the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for ...

, patroness of the diocese. The diocese formed an 18-person ad hoc task force to ascertain the present pastoral needs of the diocese. A survey was also shared with all the priests and parishioners. In May 2018, the diocese discovered that its financial department had been misallocating funds from employee paychecks since 2004. Monforton started a

forensic audit A financial audit is conducted to provide an opinion whether "financial statements" (the information is verified to the extent of reasonable assurance granted) are stated in accordance with specified criteria. Normally, the criteria are interna ...

of the diocesan finances dating back to 2004. As a result of the audit, the diocese was forced to pay $3.5 million in employee taxes. This new financial liability forced the diocese to suspend plans to renovate Holy Name Cathedral.SteubenvilleRegister. Following the enactment of austerity measures, the diocese balanced its financial standing. Vicar General Kurt Kemo resigned from his church positions; he was later convicted of

felony theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorth ...

, having stolen over $289,000 from the diocese. In October 2022, the diocese announced that the Vatican was considering merging it with the Diocese of Columbus. A month later, after receiving significant negative feedback within the Diocese of Steubenville, Monforton announced that the proposal was on hold. In September 2023, Pope Francis appointed Jeffrey M. Monforton as auxiliary bishop of Detroit, transferring him from the Diocese of Steubenville. Paul J. Bradley, bishop emeritus of

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, was appointed apostolic administrator of Steubenville.

Sexual abuse

In October 2018, the Diocese of Steubenville published a list of 16 clergy and one seminarian who were either credibly accused of, or had admitted to, sexually abusing minors. In November 2018, Reverend Henry Foxhoven of Glouster pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual battery of a 17-year-old girl. Foxhoven was sentenced to 12 years in prison with no early release. In June 2020, the Vatican

defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...

Foxhaven. In January 2021, Monforton and the diocese were sued for $1 million by Foxhoven's victim. The plaintiff, listed as JW, said that Foxhoven impregnated her in 2017 when she was a young teenager attending his church. The suit also stated that an affidavit for a 2018

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

said that Foxhaven told Monforton that he had been "sexually involved with a juvenile member of his congregation and that she was now pregnant". The diocese settled the lawsuit with JW in July 2022. Also in November 2018, a woman reported to the diocese that she had been raped multiple times between 2010 and 2013 at a

Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Private university, private Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance, Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2023, the university enrolled 3,750 students in 40 under ...

facility by Reverend David Morrier, a Franciscan priest. Morrier had been assigned by the university to counsel the college student, who was suffering from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

due to previous abuse. He told the plaintiff that she was possessed by demons and performed sexually explicit so-called

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...

s on her. He impregnated her in 2011. After hearing the allegations, the diocese immediately notified law enforcement; the Franciscan University had suspended Morrier from ministry in 2015 after receiving sexual misconduct allegations. In November 2021, Morrier was indicted on

sexual battery Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault, which is the act of creating reasonable fear or apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more gen ...

and rape charges. He pleaded guilty in March 2022 to one count of sexual battery and was sentenced to five years of probation. The woman sued the university and the Franciscan Order and reached a financial settlement with them in October 2022.

Bishops

* Anthony John King Mussio (1945–1977) *

Albert Henry Ottenweller Albert Henry Ottenweller (April 5, 1916 – September 23, 2012) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, Diocese of Steubenville in Ohio from 1977 to 1992. ...

(1977–1992) *

Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon (September 20, 1926 – April 24, 2023) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville in Ohio between 1992 and 2002. Sheldon previously served as an ...

(1992–2002) *

Robert Daniel Conlon Robert Daniel Conlon (born December 4, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois from 2011 to 2020. From 2002 to 2011 he served as bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville i ...

(2002–2011), appointed Bishop of Joliet in Illinois *

Jeffrey Marc Monforton Jeffrey Marc Monforton (born May 5, 1963) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit since 2023. He was previously Bishop of Steubenville from 2012 to 2023. Biography Early life Jef ...

(2012–2023) ** Paul J. Bradley (Administrator, 2023–2024) ** Edward M. Lohse (Administrator, 2024)