The Diocese of Norwich (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

: ''Diœcesis Norvicensis'') 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 Jo ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese 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 associ ...

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 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

and a small part of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It was created on August 6, 1953, by

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 ...

. Its canonical territory consists of the

counties of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...

, Windham and Tolland. It also includes

Fishers Island Fishers Island (Pequot: ''Munnawtawkit'') is an island that is part of Southold, New York, United States at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound. About long and wide, it ...

in New York. The Diocese of Norwich is one of three Roman Catholic Dioceses in the United States to have territory in more than one state, the others being the

Diocese of Gallup The Diocese of Gallup ( la, Dioecesis Gallupiensis, es, Diócesis de Gallup) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States, encompassing counties in the states of A ...

and the Diocese of Wilmington. (The Washington archdiocese has DC and 5 Maryland counties.) From 1781,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

, just northwest of Norwich, is the place in which the Catholic "Mass was first celebrated, continuously and for a long period, within the limits of the

State of Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Bishops

Bishops of Norwich

# Bernard Joseph Flanagan (1953-1959), appointed

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Vincent Joseph Hines Vincent Joseph Hines (September 14, 1912 – April 23, 1990) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Norwich in Connecticut from 1960 to 1975. Biography Vincent Hines was born on September ...

(1959-1975) # Daniel Patrick Reilly (1975-1994), appointed

Daniel Anthony Hart Daniel Anthony Hart (August 24, 1927 – January 14, 2008) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich from 1995 to 2003. Biography Daniel Hart was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the third son of John and Su ...

(1995-2003) # Michael Richard Cote (2003–present)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

* Paul S. Loverde, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford in 1988 and later Bishop of Ogdensburg and Bishop of Arlington

Elementary schools (preK-grade 8)

* Sacred Heart School, Groton * Sacred Heart School, Taftville * Saint James School, Danielson * Saint John School, Old Saybrook * Saint John Paul II School, Middletown * Saint Joseph School, Baltic * Saint Joseph School, New London * Saint Joseph School, North Grosvernordale * Saint Mary-Saint Joseph School, Willimantic * Saint Michael School, Pawcatuck * Saint Patrick Cathedral School, Norwich

High schools

Academy of the Holy Family The Academy of the Holy Family (AHF) is an accredited private, Roman Catholic, all-girls college-preparatory school in Baltic, Connecticut, located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich. Background The Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother ...

, Baltic * Marianapolis Preparatory School, Thompson * Mercy High School, Middletown * Saint Bernard High School, Uncasville (6-12th grade) * Xavier High School, Middletown

Holy Apostles College and Seminary

The Diocese also funds

Holy Apostles College and Seminary Holy Apostles College and Seminary is a Catholic seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. It was founded in 1956 on a property in Cromwell by Eusebe M. Menard to provide a program of education and formation for men intending to enter the priesthood. ...

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

which is both a two and four-year institution that offers various undergraduate and graduate degrees programs in various majors.

Reports of sex abuse

On February 10, 2019, the Diocese of Norwich unveiled a list of 43 credibly accused clergy. 3 more names were added to this list on February 22, 2019. On July 15, 2021, the Bishop announced that due to about 60 abuse cases against the Diocese related to the former Mount Saint John School in Deep River that the Diocese of Norwich had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich Official Site
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Norwich Catholic Church in Connecticut Norwich, Connecticut Christian organizations established in 1953

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

1953 establishments in Connecticut Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021