The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) 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

archdiocese 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 associat ...

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 ...

located in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

region of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of Essex County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, and Suffolk County, and also all of Plymouth County except the towns of Marion,

Mattapoisett Mattapoisett is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,508 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the village of Mattapoisett Center, please see the article Mattapoisett Center, ...

, and Wareham in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. It is led by a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

who serves as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

, Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End of Boston. The Archdiocese of Boston is a

metropolitan see 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 t ...

with six

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 Alexandri ...

s: the Dioceses of Burlington,

Fall River Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census, making it the List of municipaliti ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, Portland in Maine, Springfield in Massachusetts, and

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

. As of 2018, there are 284

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

es in the archdiocese, 617 diocesan priests, and 275

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

s. In 2018, the archdiocese estimated that more than 1.9 million Catholics were in its territory.

History

Early history

New England's first settlers were Congregationalists and, in Rhode Island, Baptists who were disappointed that Protestant reforms in the Church of England did not go far enough. These dissenters followed Luther and Calvin in rejecting the selling of indulgences, the celebration of Mass in Latin, the doctrine of

transubstantiation Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις '' metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of ...

, and papal authority. Several of the colonies thus enacted anti-Catholic statutes, banning Catholic worship and Massachusetts even made it a crime, with a potential sentence of imprisonment for life, for a Catholic priest to reside the colony."Freedom of Religion comes to Boston" on Web Site of Archdiocese of Boston.
/ref> The political necessity of the Revolutionary War drove a change in popular attitudes. The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, written by John Adams and ratified in 1780, established religious freedom in the new state—and, being the first state constitution, its framework of government became a model for the constitutions of other states and, eventually, for the federal constitution. On November 2, 1788, the Abbé de la Poterie, a former French naval chaplain serving Boston, celebrated the city's first public Mass in a converted Huguenot chapel located at 24 School Street in Boston, which he named Holy Cross Church. Two refugees from the French Revolution ministering to Boston's Catholic population at the turn of the century, Fr. Francis Anthony Matignon and Fr. Jean Louis Lefebvre, raised the funds to build a larger building, the Church of the Holy Cross. These buildings no longer exist, but they were the foundation of the Catholic Church in Massachusetts.

Formation

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

erected the Diocese of Boston April 8, 1808, taking the territory of the states 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 (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

(the territory of which included the present state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

at that time),

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, and

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

from the Diocese of Baltimore. He simultaneously erected the Diocese of New York, the Diocese of Philadelphia, and the Diocese of Bardstown (Kentucky), also taking their territory from the Diocese of Baltimore, and elevated the Diocese of Baltimore to a metropolitan archdiocese, designating all four new dioceses as its suffragans.

Exponential growth Exponential growth is a process that increases quantity over time. It occurs when the instantaneous rate of change (that is, the derivative) of a quantity with respect to time is proportional to the quantity itself. Described as a function, a ...

of the Catholic Church in New England through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to gradual reconfiguration of the ecclesiastical structure of the original territory of the Diocese of Boston. * On 20 November 1843,

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

erected the Diocese of Hartford, taking the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island and Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County and the towns of Marion,

, and Wareham along the south coast of Plymouth County of Massachusetts from the Diocese of Boston and making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.Page on Archdiocese of Boston on ''Catholic Hierarchy'' web site.
/ref> * On 19 July 1850,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

elevated the Diocese of New York to a metropolitan archdiocese, assigning the Diocese of Boston, the Diocese of Hartford, the Diocese of Albany, and the Diocese of Buffalo as its initial suffragan sees. * On 29 July 1853, Pope Pius IX erected the

Diocese of Burlington The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington ( la, Dioecesis Burlingtonensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States, comprising the entire state of Vermont. The Diocese of Burlington was canonical ...

, taking the State of Vermont from the Diocese of Boston, and the

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, is the Ca ...

, taking the states of Maine and New Hampshire from the Diocese of Boston. He designated both new dioceses as suffragans of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. (The title of the Diocese of Portland formally became Diocese of Portland in Maine when

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 f ...

transferred the see of the Archdiocese of Oregon City to Portland, Oregon, thus changing the title of the latter to Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, on 26 September 1928.) * On 14 June 1870, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Springfield, taking

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded ...

, Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, and Worcester County from the Diocese of Boston and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. This action reduced the territory of the Diocese of Boston to that of the present metropolitan archdiocese. (The title of the Diocese of Springfield formally became Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts when

moved the see of the Diocese of Alton to Springfield, Illinois, thus changing the title of the latter to Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, on 26 October 1923.) * On 16 February 1872, Pope Pius IX erected the

Diocese of Providence The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence ( la, Dioecesis Providentiensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872 and originally comprised the entire state of Rhod ...

, taking the State of Rhode Island and the region of southeastern Massachusetts had been part of the Diocese of Hartford from the latter and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York. * On 12 February 1875, Pope Pius IX elevated the Diocese of Boston to a metropolitan archdiocese, designating the Diocese of Burlington, the Diocese of Hartford, the Diocese of Portland, the Diocese of Providence, and the Diocese of Springfield as the initial suffragans of the new metropolitan see. The new metropolitan province thus encompassed the original territory of the Diocese of Boston. * On 15 April 1884,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

erected the Diocese of Manchester, taking the State of New Hampshire from the Diocese of Portland and making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Boston. * On 12 March 1904,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

erected the

Diocese of Fall River The Diocese of Fall River ( la, Dioecesis Riverormensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church spanning Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoi ...

, taking the region of southeastern Massachusetts that were then part of the Diocese of Providence from that diocese and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. * On 14 January 1950,

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 ...

erected the Diocese of Worcester, taking Worcester County from the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston. * On 6 August 1953, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Bridgeport and the Diocese of Norwich, taking the respective territory thereof from the Diocese of Hartford. He simultaneously elevated the Diocese of Hartford to a metropolitan archdiocese, designating the Diocese of Bridgeport, the Diocese of Norwich, and the Diocese of Providence as its suffragans. This action established the present territory and configuration of both the Metropolitan Province of Boston, spanning the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, and the Metropolitan Province of Hartford, spanning the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Diocesan offices

In the 1920s, Cardinal William O'Connell moved the chancery from offices near Holy Cross Cathedral in the South End to 127 Lake Street in the

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

neighborhood of Boston.Changes come to Lake Street
''The Boston Globe'', May 24, 2007 "Lake Street" was a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for the Bishop and the office of the Archdiocese. In June 2004, the archdiocese sold the archbishop's residence and the chancery and surrounding lands in Brighton to

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

, in part to defray costs associated with numerous cases of sexual abuse by clergy of the Archdiocese (see below). The offices of the Archdiocese moved to an office building that previously housed the Internet-only stock brokerage E*Trade in

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree (), officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a towBraintree is a city, with a mayor-council government, mayor-council form of government, and ...

. The archdiocesan seminary, Saint John's Seminary, remains on the property in Brighton.

Clergy sexual abuse scandal and settlements

At the beginning of the 21st century the archdiocese was shaken by accusations of sexual abuse by clergy that culminated in the resignation of its archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, on December 13, 2002. In September 2003, the archdiocese settled over 500 abuse-related claims for $85 million. Victims received an average of $92,000 each and the perpetrators included 140 priests and two others.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Archdiocese, shown in the information box to the right at the top of this article, has a blue shield with a gold cross and a gold "trimount" over a silver and blue "Barry-wavy" at the base of the shield. The "trimount" of three ''coupreaux'' represents the City of Boston, the original name of which was Trimountaine in reference to the three hills on which the city's original settlement stood. The cross, ''fleurettée'', honors the Cathedral of the Holy Cross while also serving as a reminder that the first bishop of Boston and other early ecclesiastics were natives of France. The "Barry-wavy" is a symbol of the sea, alluding to Boston's role as a major seaport whose first non-indigenous settlers came from across the sea.

Communications media

The diocesan newspaper ''

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

'' has been published in Boston since 1829. The Archdiocese's ''Catholic Television Center'', founded in 1955, produces programs and operates the cable television network CatholicTV. From 1964 to 1966, it owned and operated a broadcast television station under the call letters WIHS-TV.

Ecclesiastical province

The Archdiocese of Boston is also metropolitan see for the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

of Boston. This means that the archbishop of Boston is the

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 ...

for the province. The

s in the province are the

, Diocese of Manchester,

Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts The Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts ( la, Diœcesis Campifontis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, H ...

, and the Diocese of Worcester.

Pastoral regions

The Archdiocese of Boston is divided into five pastoral regions, each headed by an episcopal vicar.

Bishops

The following are lists of the

Bishop 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 ...

s and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

s of Boston, Coadjutors and Auxiliaries of Boston, and their years of service. Also included are other priests of this diocese who served elsewhere as bishop.

Bishops of Boston

# Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus (1808–1823) appointed

Bishop of Montauban The Roman Catholic Diocese of Montauban ( Latin: ''Dioecesis Montis Albani''; French: ''Diocèse de Montauban'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese is coextensive with Tarn-et-Garonne, and is cu ...

and later Archbishop of Bordeaux (elevated to

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

in 1836) # Benedict Joseph Fenwick, S.J. (1825–1846) # John Bernard Fitzpatrick (1846–1866;

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

1843–1846) #

John Joseph Williams John Joseph Williams was an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fourth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, serving between 1866 and his death in 1907. Early life and education Williams was born in Bosto ...

(1866–1875; coadjutor bishop 1866); elevated to

Archbishops of Boston

# John Joseph Williams (1875–1907) # Cardinal

William Henry O'Connell William Henry O'Connell (December 8, 1859 – April 22, 1944) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911. Early life William O'Connell w ...

(1907–1944) # Cardinal Richard James Cushing (1944–1970) # Cardinal Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970–1983) # Cardinal Bernard Francis Law (1984–2002), resigned; later appointed

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

of the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...

# Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M.Cap. (2003–present)

Current Auxiliary Bishops of Boston

Robert Francis Hennessey Robert Francis Hennessey (born April 20, 1952) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. On October 12, 2006 he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts. Biography Robert Hennessey was born i ...

(2006–present) * Peter John Uglietto (2010–present) * Mark William O'Connell (2016–present) * Robert P. Reed (2016–present)

Former Auxiliary Bishops of Boston

* John Brady (1891–1910) * Joseph Gaudentius Anderson (1909–1927) *

John Bertram Peterson John Bertram Peterson (July 15, 1871 – March 15, 1944) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire from 1932 until his death in 1944. He previously served as an aux ...

(1927–1932), appointed Bishop of Manchester *

Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...

(1932–1939), appointed Archbishop of New York (

in 1946) * Richard J. Cushing (1939–1944), appointed Archbishop here (Cardinal in 1958) * Louis Francis Kelleher (1945–1946) * John Wright (1947–1950), appointed Bishop of Worcester, then Bishop of Pittsburgh, then

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regardi ...

(elevated to

in 1969) * Thomas Francis Markham (1950–1952) * Eric Francis MacKenzie (1950–1969) * Jeremiah Francis Minihan (1954–1973) *

Thomas Joseph Riley Thomas Joseph Riley (November 30, 1900 – August 17, 1977) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1959 to 1976. Biography Thomas Riley was born in Waltham, Ma ...

(1959–1976) * Daniel A. Cronin (1968–1970), appointed Bishop of Fall River and later Archbishop of Hartford * Joseph Francis Maguire (1971–1976), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts and subsequently succeeded to that see *

Lawrence Joseph Riley Lawrence Joseph Riley (September 6, 1914 – December 2, 2001) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Riley was ordained to the priesthood on September 21, 1940, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdio ...

(1971–1990) * Joseph John Ruocco (1974–1980) *

Thomas Vose Daily Thomas Vose Daily (September 23, 1927 – May 14, 2017) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York from 1990 to 2003. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm B ...

(1974–1984), appointed Bishop of Palm Beach and later Bishop of Brooklyn *

John Joseph Mulcahy John Joseph Mulcahy (June 26, 1922 – April 29, 1994) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mulcahy was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1947, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of B ...

(1974–1992) * John Michael D'Arcy (1975–1985), appointed Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend * Daniel Anthony Hart (1976–1995), appointed

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in t ...

* Alfred C. Hughes (1981–1993), appointed Bishop of Baton Rouge and later Archbishop of New Orleans * Robert J. Banks (1985–1990), appointed Bishop of Green Bay * Roberto Octavio González Nieves, O.F.M. (1988–1995), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Corpus Christi and subsequently succeeded to that see, and later Archbishop of San Juan in Puerto Rico * John R. McNamara (1992–1999) * John P. Boles (1992–2006) *

John Brendan McCormack John Brendan McCormack (August 12, 1935 – September 21, 2021) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester from 1998 until 2011. Biography Early life and education John Mc ...

(1995–1998), appointed Bishop of Manchester * William F. Murphy (1995–2001), appointed Bishop of Rockville Centre *

Francis Xavier Irwin Francis Xavier Irwin (January 9, 1934 – October 30, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1996 to 2009. Biography Irwin was born in Medford, Massachuse ...

(1996–2009) * Emilio S. Allué, S.D.B. (1996–2010) * Richard Joseph Malone (2000–2004), appointed Bishop of Portland and later Bishop of Buffalo * Richard Lennon (2001–2006), appointed

Bishop of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in te ...

Walter James Edyvean Walter James Edyvean (October 18, 1938 – February 2, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston who served from 2001 to 2014. Early life and career Bishop Edyvean wa ...

(2001–2014) *

John Anthony Dooher John Anthony Dooher (born May 3, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 2006 to 2018. Biography Early life and education John Dooher was ...

(2006–2018) * Arthur L. Kennedy (2010–2017) * Robert P. Deeley (2012–2013), appointed Bishop of Portland

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* William Barber Tyler, appointed

Bishop of Hartford The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in the U.S. State of Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 470,000 Catholics, mor ...

in 1843 * Patrick Thomas O'Reilly, appointed Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts in 1870 *

James Augustine Healy James Augustine Healy (April 6, 1830 – August 5, 1900) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first African American to serve as a Catholic priest or bishop. With his predominantly European ancestry, Healy passed for ...

, appointed Bishop of Portland in 1875 *

Lawrence Stephen McMahon Lawrence Stephen McMahon (December 26, 1835 – August 21, 1893) was a Canadian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hartford from 1879 until his death in 1893. Biography Lawrence McMahon was born in St. John, New Bru ...

(priest here, 1860–1872), appointed

in 1879 *

Matthew Harkins Matthew A. Harkins (November 17, 1845 – May 25, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second Bishop of Providence from 1887 until his death in 1921. Biography Matthew A. Harkins was born in Boston, M ...

, appointed Bishop of Providence in 1887 *

Edward Patrick Allen Edward Patrick Allen (March 17, 1853 – October 21, 1926) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Mobile from 1897 until his death in 1926. Biography Edward Allen was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to John ...

, appointed Bishop of Mobile in 1897 *

Louis Sebastian Walsh Louis Sebastian Walsh (January 22, 1858 – May 12, 1924) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Portland in Maine from 1906 until his death in 1924. Biography Early life Louis Walsh was ...

, appointed Bishop of Portland in 1906 * John Joseph Nilan, appointed

in 1910 *

James Anthony Walsh James Anthony Walsh (February 24, 1867 – April 14, 1936) was the co-founder of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Background The son of James Walsh and Hanna Shea, James Anthony was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After completing his ...

, elected Superior General of Maryknoll and consecrated

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

in 1933 * Edward Francis Ryan, appointed Bishop of Burlington in 1944 * John Joseph Glynn, appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Military Services, USA in 1991 * Richard Joseph Malone, appointed Bishop of Portland in 2002 and later Bishop of Buffalo in 2012 *

Christopher J. Coyne Christopher James Coyne (born June 17, 1958) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2015, he has been bishop of the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont. Coyne previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of I ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Indianapolis in 2011 and later Bishop of Burlington *

Paul Fitzpatrick Russell Paul Fitzpatrick Russell (born May 2, 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in May 2022. He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Azerb ...

, appointed

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; 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 ...

to Turkey and Turkmenistan and

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

in 2016

Churches

Seminaries

Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary (formerly Blessed John XXIII National Seminary) is a Roman Catholic seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. It offers a graduate-level program designed for priesthood candidates aged 30 and above, often called "se ...

, Weston * St. John's Seminary, Brighton * Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, Brookline

Education

As of 2018, the archdiocese had 112 schools with about 34,000 students in pre-kindergarten through high school. In 1993 the archdiocese had 53,569 students in 195 archdiocesan parochial schools.

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

had the largest number of parochial schools: 48 schools with a combined total of about 16,000 students.

Superintendents

* Msgr. Albert W. Low (1961–1972) * Br. Bartholomew Varden, CFX (1972–1975) * Eugene F. Sullivan (1978–1984) * Sr. Kathleen Carr, CSJ (1990–2006) * Mary Grassa O'Neill (2008–2014) * Mary E. Moran (2013–2014) * Kathleen Powers Mears (2014–2019) *Thomas W. Carroll (2019–present)

Colleges and universities

, Chestnut Hill * Emmanuel College, Boston * Marian Court College, Swampscott *

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. Its campus has grown to a campus with nearly 40 b ...

, North Andover * Regis College, Weston

Primary and secondary schools

; Former high schools

Other facilities

The archdiocese previously used a headquarters facility in

but sold it to

in 2004 for $107,400,000.

Steward Health Care System Steward Health Care is the largest physician-owned private for-profit health care network in the United States and attends to 2.2 million people during more than twelve million physician and hospital visits annually. Headquartered in Dallas, Stewa ...

operates the former archdiocesan hospitals of Caritas Christi Health Care.

References

External links

* **
Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Archdiocese of Boston''Boston Globe'' / Spotlight / Abuse in the Catholic ChurchBoston Catholic Insider (critical blog)Boston Catholic Schools
{{Coord, 42, 12, 47, N, 71, 02, 29, W, type:city_source:kolossus-plwiki, display=title Culture of Boston Catholic Church in Massachusetts

1808 establishments in Massachusetts Christianity in Boston