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Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

Coordinates: 42°39′06″N 73°45′16″W / 42.65167°N 73.75444°W / 42.65167; -73.75444
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This article is about the Catholic diocese. For the Episcopal Diocese, see Episcopal Diocese of Albany.
Diocese of Albany

Dioecesis Albanensis
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Location
Country United States
TerritoryCounties of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, southern Herkimer, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington
Ecclesiastical provinceNew York
Deaneries14
Headquarters40 North Main Avenue
Albany, New York
12203
Statistics
Area10,419 sq mi (26,990 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of December 2012)
1,392,464
330,000 (23.7%)
Parishes129 (with 4 apostolates)
Schools28
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedApril 23, 1847 by Pope Pius IX
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Patron saintSt. Mary
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopEdward Bernard Scharfenberger
Metropolitan ArchbishopTimothy M. Dolan
Bishops emeritusHoward James Hubbard
Map
Website
rcda.org
Bishop of Albany
Bishopric
catholic
Incumbent:
Edward Bernard Scharfenberger
Location
Ecclesiastical provinceArchdiocese of New York
Information
First holderJohn McCloskey
EstablishedApril 23, 1847
DioceseDiocese of Albany
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Albany, New York)
Website
http://www.rcda.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany (Latin: Dioecesis Albanensis) covers all or part of 14 counties in Eastern New York (Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, southern Herkimer, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington Counties). Its Mother Church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the city of Albany.

History

Initially the diocese was part of the Archdiocese of New York. It became a diocese in its own right on April 23, 1847.

In 2016 for the first time in the diocese's history there were more retired than active priest in the diocese, 90 retired verses 85 active. It was estimated that by 2020 there would be only 57 active priest in the diocese.[1]

In August 2019, numerous sex abuse lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Albany.[2] Among those accused in the lawsuits is former Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard, who took a leave of absence from active ministry in August 2019 shortly after the lawsuits were made public.[3] In September 2019, the Diocese of Albany created a new position known as "process manager."[4]

In September 2019, people affiliated with the Diocese's St. Claire's Hospital, which has since closed, sued claiming that the Diocese has been unable to pay their pensions.[5]

By March 2020, roughly 80 priests who served in the Diocese of Albany were accused of committing acts of sex abuse.[6] During a "Let's Rebuild Our Church" event at Siena College, Bishop Scharfenberger hinted a desire to for the Diocese of Albany to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[6] "We want to do this in a way that is fair," Scharfenberger said. "So that all of those who are entitled to some form of restorative justice or restitution – if we want to use that word – will be able to get a fair share of that."[6] 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.[7] On August 12, 2020, it was revealed that the fifth lawsuit accusing Hubbard of child sex abuse was filed with the New York Supreme Court.[8] The lawsuit, which accused Hubbard of molesting a 10 year boy in an empty church bus in 1975,[8] also accused former Diocese of Albany priest Cabell B. Marbury of sex abuse as well.[8]

Territorial losses

Date Reason
15 February 1872 to form the Diocese of Ogdensburg
26 November 1886 to form the Diocese of Syracuse

Bishops

The following is a list of the Ordinaries (Bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany) and their periods of service.

  1. John McCloskey (1847-1864), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop and Archbishop of New York (elevated to Cardinal in 1875)
  2. John J. Conroy (1865-1877)
  3. Francis McNeirny (1877-1894)
  4. Thomas Martin Aloysius Burke (1894-1915)
  5. Thomas Cusack (1915-1918)
  6. Edmund Gibbons (1919-1954)
  7. William Scully (1954-1969)
  8. Edwin Broderick (1969-1976)
  9. Howard J. Hubbard (1977-2014)
  10. Edward Bernard Scharfenberger (2014–present)[9]

Coadjutor Bishops

Auxiliary Bishop

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

During their terms as bishops of Albany, the first five named were accorded the title "Right Reverend" because the American church was still considered a province. From Bishop Gibbons on, they have been entitled "Most Reverend". John McCloskey was "Most Reverend" after his move to New York, where he later became "His Eminence". Six of Albany's deceased Bishops are buried in a crypt beneath the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. John McCloskey is interred beneath St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and Bishop Broderick is buried in a family plot in Westchester County.

Parishes

Further information: List of parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Main article: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany

The cathedral, located on Madison Avenue at Eagle Street in Albany, was completed in 1852 and consecrated by the Most Reverend John Hughes, Archbishop of New York. The first bishop, John McCloskey, was coadjutor bishop of New York with succession rights. This is why he left upon Archbishop Hughes' death in 1865. The Cathedral has a stone exterior. It has the appearance of a stone interior but in fact it is of plaster and lath construction, painted to look like stone. This method was used to save time as McCloskey wanted to get the Cathedral finished in order to prove that the Catholic Church in America was permanent. Originally there was a flat wall at the back of the Cathedral in the area of the Lady window. This window, which depicts scenes in the life of the Virgin Mary, was later moved to the North transept when the semicircular sanctuary was added.

There is a door in the ceiling of the crypt so that the coffins may be lowered directly into it after the Solemn Requiem of the Bishop. This door, however, was not quite big enough for the ornate, modern coffin that contained Bishop Scully. As a result, those officiating had to remove his body from the coffin, carry it down the stairs, take the coffin apart to feed it through the door and then reassemble it and restore the body. The crypt cannot be seen from above because it is hidden by floor tiles which have to be removed to gain access.

The Cathedral underwent a US $30M restoration project which started in 2000 with a date of completion being 2009.

Tours are offered of the Cathedral.

Education

The current President of the Diocesan School Board is Carolyn Kelly.

Diocesan Secondary Schools
School Location Grades Enrollment 2019-2020
Bishop Maginn High School Albany, NY 9-12 129
Catholic Central High School Troy, NY 7-12 252
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons Schenectady, NY 6-12 232
Saratoga Central Catholic High School Saratoga Springs, NY 6-12 193

Enrollment data was obtained from New York State Department of Education Non-Public Enrollment[10]

Shrines

Catholic radio serving the Diocese

WOPG 1460 AM in Albany; simulcast on WOPG-FM 89.9 in Esperance

See also

References

  1. ^ Grondahl, Paul (December 22, 2016). "More retired than active priests historic first in Albany diocese". Times Union (Albany). Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  2. ^ Levulis, Jim (August 14, 2019). "Albany Diocese Among Those Cited In Abuse Lawsuits As Hubbard Is Named". WAMC. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Maher, Jake (August 14, 2019). "Retired Bishop Goes on Leave Two Days After Sex-Abuse Lawsuit Filed". Newsweek. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  4. ^ "Hundreds of child sex abuse claims lead Catholic dioceses to ramp up internal probes". Times Union. Sep 30, 2019. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Harris, Cayla (September 30, 2019). "Hundreds of child sex abuse claims lead Catholic dioceses to ramp up internal probes". Times Union (Albany). Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Orchard, Jackie. "Albany Diocese Considers Uncertain Future During Siena Panel". www.wamc.org. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Pozarycki, Robert (May 8, 2020). "Time limit extended for sex abuse victims to file claims under New York Child Victims Act". amNewYork. Retrieved Jul 1, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Fifth-child-sex-abuse-claim-filed-against-former-15478294.php
  9. ^ "New Bishop for Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany" (PDF). Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  10. ^ "NYSED:IRS:NonPublic School Enrollment and Staff". www.p12.nysed.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-04.

42°39′06″N 73°45′16″W / 42.65167°N 73.75444°W / 42.65167; -73.75444

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