The Diocese of Reno () 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 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, prov ...

, 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 ...

in the northern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

region of the United States. It is a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

diocese, formerly of 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 San Francisco and, since May 30, 2023, of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. The mother church of the Diocese of Reno is St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral in Reno. As of 2023, the bishop of Reno was Daniel Mueggenborg.

Name changes

The diocese has undergone two name changes over the last 100 years: * Diocese of Reno (1931- 1976) * Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas (1976-1995) * Diocese of Reno (1995–present)

Territory

The Diocese of Reno is composed of 12 Nevada counties: *

Carson City Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the 6th most populous city in the state. The m ...

* Churchill * Douglas * Elko * Eureka * Humboldt * Lander *

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

* Pershing *

Storey A storey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or story (American English), is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the wor ...

* Washoe

History

1860 to 1931

With the discovery of gold in the western foothills of Nevada in 1858, large numbers of miners started flooding into the region, establishing mining towns. That same year, Archbishop

Joseph Alemany Joseph Sadoc Alemany, Dominican Order, O.P. (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Josep Sadoc Alemany i Conill''; July 3, 1814 – April 14, 1888) was a Spanish Catholic Church in the United States, Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdioc ...

of the Archdiocese of San Francisco sent Reverend Joseph Gallagher to the mining towns to tend to the Catholic population. Two years later, the Vatican placed western Nevada under the new Diocese of Grass Valley in California. Bishop Eugene O’Connell of Grass Valley started sending more priests to Nevada to establish missions and build churches. The first Catholic church in Nevada was constructed in Virginia City in 1860 to serve the miners in that town. Another Catholic church was constructed in

around the same time. The first church in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

was Saint Mary's, constructed there in 1871. St. Thomas Church, the future cathedral, was finished in Reno in 1910. In 1915, Archbishop James J. Keane wrote a letter to the

apostolic delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to the United States, Cardinal Diomede Falconio, advocating a bishop for Nevada, citing the difficulties of the California diocese in providing coverage there. However, nothing came from Keane's initiative. While traveling west through Nevada by train during the 1920s, Cardinal

George Mundelein George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death in 1939. He was elevat ...

, archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and elevated it to an ar ...

, asked about which bishop was in charge of the state. When he found out that Nevada did not have its own bishop, he pushed the Vatican to establish a diocese there, offering support from his archdiocese.

1931 to 1986

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

established the Diocese of Reno on March 27, 1931. The pope named Reverend Thomas Gorman of the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles as the first bishop of Reno. At its founding, the diocese had a Catholic population of approximately 8,000. Under Gorman, the diocese opened

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...

s and homeless shelters in Reno in the 1930s as a response to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he created USO centers for soldiers on leave, African-American wartime workers and residents in Boulder City. Gorman became

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

for the Diocese of Dallas in 1952. The second bishop of Reno was Robert Dwyer of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, named by

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 ...

in 1952. In 1966, Dwyer became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Portland. To replace Dwyer,

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 ...

named Auxiliary Bishop Michael Green of the

Diocese of Lansing The Diocese of Lansing () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory – or diocese – of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of metr ...

as the new bishop of Reno in 1966. Green retired in 1974. Paul VI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Norman McFarland of San Francisco to succeed Green in Reno in 1976. That same year, the pope renamed the Diocese of Reno as the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas to acknowledge the explosive population growth of

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. McFarland was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Orange in 1986.

1986 to 2010

The second bishop of Reno-Las Vegas was Auxiliary Bishop Daniel F. Walsh of San Francisco, named 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 ...

in 1986. When the pope split

southern Nevada Southern Nevada (SNV) is a region and the southern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada which includes the Las Vegas Valley. It also includes the areas in and around Pahrump and Pioche. Tonopah and Hawthorne are sometimes also referred to as pa ...

into the new Diocese of Las Vegas in 1995, he named Walsh as its first bishop. The Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas reverted to the Diocese of Reno. The first bishop of the reestablished Diocese of Reno was Bishop Phillip Straling from the Diocese of San Bernardino, named by John Paul II in 1995. Straling retired in 2005. That same year,

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 ...

appointed Monsignor Randolph Calvo of San Francisco as the next bishop of Reno. In 2009, Calvo was named in a lawsuit by Reverend Richard DeMolen, the former pastor of Our Lady of Tahoe Catholic Parish in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. Calvo had fired DeMolen because the priest had refused to remove a

restraining order A restraining order or protective order is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation often involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and perso ...

he had filed against a diocesan deacon. DeMolen said the deacon had sent him a death threat, which Calvo never investigated. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.

2010 to present

Nick Nicosia, the former lay administrator of St. Mary's in the Mountains church in Virginia City, sued the diocese in 2010 over his termination from this job. Nicosia said the diocese fired him because he objected to a donation from the former owner of Mustang Ranch, a legal brothel east of Sparks, to a church restoration project. The diocese said they removed him from the position because a priest was available to take the position. Calvo retired in 2021. In 2021, Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg from the Archdiocese of Seattle as the next bishop of Reno. , Mueggenborg is the bishop of Reno. The diocese became part of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas's

upon the archdiocese's elevation as a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ...

in May 2023.

Sex abuse

Reverend Edmund Boyle, a chaplain at St. Mary's Hospital in Reno, was charged in 1987 with sexually molesting a 12-year-old boy. The developmentally disabled victim was terminally ill. A nurse discovered Boyle exposing himself to the boy at Riverside Hospital for Skilled Care in Reno. He was later convicted of lewdness with a child. Boyle was later accused of sexually abusing minors in

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A Reno woman received a $50,000 settlement from the diocese in November 2004. The victim said she had been raped by Reverend David Brusky, a member of the Society of the Divine Savior, during the 1970s when she was a teenager. Five other women also came forward with abuse allegations against Brusky. He was also accused of abuse in the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California. Bishop Calvo placed Reverend Tom Cronin, a priest at St. Mary's in the Mountains Parish in Virginia City, on leave in 2010 due to a sexual abuse allegation from Missouri. Calvo had read that Cronin was being sued in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, by a woman who said he molested her at age 17 in

Hamilton, Missouri Hamilton is a city in northern Caldwell County, Missouri, Caldwell County, Missouri, and is within the United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is known as the hometown of James Cash Penney, wh ...

. Cronin moved to the Reno area to work as a chaplain in 1996. Calvo was criticized for not suspending Cronin immediately. Cronin was never returned to ministry. In 2019, the diocese published a list of 12 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors, dating back 80 years.Three years later, the diocese suspended Reverend Patrick Klekas from ministry after discovering that he had an inappropriate relationship with an adult woman. In June 2023, the diocese announced that he was the subject of a criminal investigation and would remain suspended.

Bishops

Bishops of Reno

# Thomas Kiely Gorman (1931–1952), appointed Bishop of Dallas # Robert Joseph Dwyer (1952–1967), appointed Archbishop of Portland in Oregon # Michael Joseph Green (1967–1974) #

Norman Francis McFarland Norman Francis McFarland (February 21, 1922 – April 16, 2010) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, Bishop of Orange from 1987 until 1998. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdioces ...

(1974–1976)

Bishops of Reno-Las Vegas

# Norman Francis McFarland (1976–1986), appointed Bishop of Orange # Daniel F. Walsh (1986–1995), appointed Bishop of Las Vegas and later Bishop of Santa Rosa in California

Bishops of Reno

# Phillip Francis Straling (1995–2005) # Randolph Roque Calvo (2006–2021) # Daniel Henry Mueggenborg (2021–present)

Priest who became bishop of another diocese

Thomas Joseph Connolly, appointed Bishop of Baker in 1971

Parishes

See List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno

Education

Superintendents

* Brother Matthew Cunningham, FSR (1990–2000) * Kitty Bergin (2002–2011) * Karen Barreras (2011–2022) * Matthew Schiambari (2022–2024) * Brother Christopher D. Hall, C.F.C., Ed.D (2024–present)

High school

Bishop Manogue High School – Reno

Elementary schools and preschools

*Holy Child Learning Center – Reno *Little Flower School – Reno *Our Lady of the Snows School – Reno *Saint Albert the Great Child Development Center – Reno *Saint Albert the Great School – Reno *St. Teresa of Avila Preschool – Carson City *St. Teresa of Avila School – Carson City

Hospitals

* St. Mary's Regional Medical Center – Reno

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno Official SiteRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Las VegasSaint Vincents Dining Room

Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada
{{authority control Christian organizations established in 1931 Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Las Vegas Culture of Reno, Nevada

1931 establishments in Nevada

Name changes

Territory

History

1860 to 1931

1931 to 1986

1986 to 2010

2010 to present

Sex abuse

Bishops

Bishops of Reno

Bishops of Reno-Las Vegas

Bishops of Reno

Priest who became bishop of another diocese

Parishes

Education

Superintendents

High school

Elementary schools and preschools

Hospitals

See also

References

External links