The Diocese of Monterey in California () is an 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

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 ...

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 central coast region of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It comprises Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties. The mother church of the Diocese of Monterey in California is the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo in

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

. The diocese serves close to 200,000 Catholics in 46 parishes and 18 schools. It is also home to seven of California's 21 Franciscan missions, more than any other California diocese.

Name changes

Since 1849, four different dioceses in California have included the Monterey name: * Diocese of Monterey (1849 to 1859, now defunct) – covered all of central and

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

* Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles (1859 to 1922, now defunct) – covered all of central and southern California * Diocese of Monterey-Fresno (1922 to 1967, now defunct) – covered the central coast and the central valley of California * Diocese of Monterey in California (1967 to present, current diocese ) – covers the central coast of California

History

1770 to 1840

The history of the Catholic Church in Monterey began with the establishment of

Mission San Carlos Borromeo Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo ( English: The Mission of Saint Charles Borromeo of the Carmel River), first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth o ...

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles (120 km), accessible via California S ...

in 1770 by Reverend

Junípero Serra Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer (; ; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784), popularly known simply as Junipero Serra, was a Spanish Roman Catholic, Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Francis ...

. Serra moved the mission to present day

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

the next year. It would serve as the headquarters of the Spanish missions along the

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

coast. * Serra established the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission in San Luis Obispo in 1772. * Reverend

Fermín Francisco de Lasuén Fermín or Fermin may refer to: * Fermin, Spanish saint * Fermin (name), Spanish name and surname * Fermin IV Fermin (also Firmin, from Latin ''Firminus''; Spanish ''Fermín'') was a holy man and martyr, traditionally venerated as the co- patron ...

founded the Mission Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz and the

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (), commonly known as Mission Soledad, is a Spanish mission located in Soledad, California. The mission was founded by the Franciscan order on October 9, 1791, to convert the Native Americans living in th ...

in Soledad in 1791. After the end of the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

, the new Mexican Government secularized all of the remaining Catholic missions in Alta California in 1835.

1840 to 1848

In 1840, Pope

Gregory XVI Pope Gregory 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 June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

set up the

Roman Catholic Diocese of California The Diocese of California, Diocese of the Californias or Diocese of Two Californias, () is a former Latin Church residential episcopal see that existed during 1840–1849, covering the Californias (including both Alta California and Baja California ...

. The new diocese included the following Mexican territories: * Alta California (Upper California), including the modern American states of

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 ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, along with western

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and southwestern

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Baja California Territory Baja California Territory (Territorio de Baja California) was a federal territory of Mexico that existed from 1824 to 1853, and 1854 to 1931; it encompassed the Baja California peninsula of present-day northwestern part of the country. It re ...

(Lower California), including the modern Mexican states of

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

and

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur, is a state in Mexico. It is the 31st and last state to be admitted, in 1974. It is also the second least populated Mexican state and the ninth-largest state by ...

Gregory XVI set the episcopal see at present-day

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

in Alta California and made the Diocese of California 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 ...

of the

Archdiocese of Mexico City The Archdiocese of Mexico () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that is situated in Mexico City, Mexico. It was erected as a diocese on 2 September 1530 and elevated to an archdiocese on 12 February 15 ...

. The first bishop of the new diocese was Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno. Moreno designated the

Mission Santa Barbara Mission Santa Barbara () is a Spanish missions in California, Spanish mission in Santa Barbara, California, United States. Often referred to as the 'Queen of the Missions', it was founded by Padre Fermín Lasuén for the Franciscan order on Decem ...

in Santa Barbara as his

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

1848 to 1967

After ceding Alta California to the United States at the close of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

in 1848, the government of Mexico objected to San Diego, a see city now located in the United States, having jurisdiction over Mexican parishes. In response, the Vatican divided the Diocese of California into American and Mexican sections in 1849. The American section became the Diocese of Monterey; the see city was moved to Monterey because of its more central location. The Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey became the cathedral of the new American diocese.

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 ...

split the Diocese of Monterey in 1853, erecting the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco. He designated the Diocese of Monterey as a suffragan diocese of the new

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 associated ...

. In 1859, Pius IX changed the name of the diocese to the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles due to the growth of the

City of Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...

. In 1922,

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 ...

suppressed the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, erecting in its place the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego and the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno. In 1936,

elevated the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego to the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern coastal portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, and the arc ...

and designated the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno as one of its suffragan sees.

1967 to present

In 1967,

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 ...

divided the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno into the

Diocese of Fresno The Diocese of Fresno ( is a diocese of the Latin Church in the Central Valley of California in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. As of 2023, the bishop of the Diocese of Fresno is Joseph Vincent Bre ...

and the Diocese of Monterey in California. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop Harry Anselm Clinch of Monterey-Fresno in 1967 as the first bishop of Monterey in California. During his 14-year tenure, Clinch implemented the reforms of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, ordained 22 priests, and established five new parishes. Clinch resigned in 1982. The second bishop of Monterey in California was Auxiliary Bishop

Thaddeus Anthony Shubsda Thaddeus Anthony "Ted" Shubsda (April 2, 1925—April 26, 1991) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California, Bishop of Monterey in California from 1982 until his death in 1991. ...

of Los Angeles, appointed 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 1982. Shubsda was widely regarded as an expert on labor issues and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

, and earned a reputation as an outspoken advocate of farm and factory workers in the diocese. He acted as a mediator between management and labor in the

Watsonville Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 at the 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self-designated sanctua ...

frozen food strikes. Shubsda spoke out forcefully for better living conditions for field workers, some of whom were living in caves in Salinas. His actions prompted labor leader

César Chávez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

to remark, "The church has many flaws, but in many ways it is still the best friend we have." Shubsda hosted John Paul II's visit to the

Monterey Peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, California, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, California, P ...

in 1987, and actively promoted the

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

of Junípero Serra. After Shubsda died in 1991, John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester Ryan of Los Angeles as the next bishop of Monterey that same year. Ryan retired in 2006. He was succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop

Richard Garcia Richard Garcia (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for Australia's U23 team, having previously managed A-League Men's side Perth Glory. As a player, Garci ...

of the

Diocese of Sacramento The Diocese of Sacramento () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archd ...

, named by

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 ...

in 2006. Richard Garcia resigned due to

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in 2018. In 2018,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed Auxiliary Bishop Daniel E. Garcia (no relation to the previous bishop) of the Diocese of Austin as the next bishop of Monterey. As of 2023, Daniel Garcia is the bishop of Monterey.

Sex abuse

Reverend Gregory Kareta was charged in February 2003 with two counts of

child molestation Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...

. The accuser said that Kareta, then serving at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in

Pismo Beach Pismo Beach (Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Pismuʔ'') is a city in the southern portion of San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast (California), Central Coast area of California, United States. Its esti ...

, molested him as an 11-year-old altar boy in the summers of 1972 and 1973. The victim said that he reported the abuse to a bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1985, but was encouraged to remain silent about it. The charges were dismissed in July 2003 due to the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

. The diocese was sued in March 2003 by a

San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

man who said he was sexually assaulted in the early 1970s by Reverend Orlando Battagliola. The plaintiff said that Battagliola abused him during car rides when he was a ninth grader. Battagliola was murdered in 1977 in San Francisco, possibly by a

male escort Male prostitution is a form of sex work consisting of the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. Ma ...

. In April 2009, Reverend Antonio Cortes of St. Mary of the Nativity Catholic Church in Salinas was arrested on charges of unlawful sexual behavior with a minor and providing alcohol to a minor. His accuser was Chris Lavorato, who said he was 16 years old when Cortes assaulted him. Cortes was convicted in March 2012 of felony charges of

sodomy Sodomy (), also called buggery in British English, principally refers to either anal sex (but occasionally also oral sex) between people, or any Human sexual activity, sexual activity between a human and another animal (Zoophilia, bestiality). I ...

involving a minor and possession of

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

and sentenced to one year in prison. After his release from prison, Cortes fled to Mexico. Lavorato sued the diocese in 2018, which settled the lawsuit that same year. The diocese paid a $1.2 million settlement in June 2009 to a man from

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

, who had been sexually assaulted by two priests in Salinas when he was a child. * The first priest was Reverend Juan Guillen, who the victim said raped him multiple times when he was an altar boy between age eight and 15. The crimes happened in Arizona and in Salinas. Guillen was sentenced to ten years in prison in Arizona in 2003. * The second priest was Reverend John Velez, a visiting priest from Mexico, who assaulted the victim in the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

bedroom in Salinas multiple times in 1991. According to the diocese, officials expelled Velez from the diocese in 1991 and representatives of his order escorted him back to Mexico. The Diocese of Monterey published a list in January 2019 of 30 clerics with credible accusations of sexual abuse.

Bishops

Bishops of Monterey in California

# Harry Anselm Clinch (1967–1982) #

(1982–1991) #

Sylvester Donovan Ryan Sylvester Donovan Ryan (born September 3, 1930) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Monterey in California from 1992 to 2007 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles fro ...

(1992–2006) # Richard John Garcia (2007–2018)
-

Gerald Eugene Wilkerson Gerald Eugene Wilkerson (born October 21, 1939) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1997 to 2015 and as apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Monter ...

, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles (

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

2018–2019) # Daniel E. Garcia (2019–present)

Other diocesan priest who became bishop

Tod David Brown, appointed Bishop of Boise City in 1988

Churches

The Diocese of Monterey is home to the Cathedral of San Carlos in

, the oldest stone building and the first cathedral in California. The other former Spanish missions in the diocese include: *

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo (English language, English: The Mission of Saint Charles Borromeo of the Carmel River), first built in 1797, is one of the Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property, most authentica ...

– Carmel Valley *

– Soledad *

Mission San Antonio de Padua Mission San Antonio de Padua is a Spanish missions in California, Spanish mission established by the Franciscan order in present-day Monterey County, California, Monterey County, California, near the present-day town of Jolon, California, Jolon. ...

– Jolon *

Mission San Juan Bautista Mission San Juan Bautista is a Spanish mission in San Juan Bautista, San Benito County, California. Founded on June 24, 1797, by Fermín de Lasuén of the Franciscan order, the mission was the fifteenth of the Spanish missions established in ...

– San Juan Bautista *

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa () is a Spanish mission founded September 1, 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California. The mission was named after San Luis, obispo de Talosa (Saint Louis, bishop of Toulouse, France). Th ...

– San Luis Obispo * Mission San Miguel Arcangel – San Miguel *

Mission Santa Cruz Mission Santa Cruz (Spanish: ''La Misión de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz'', lit. The Mission of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) is a replica Spanish Californian mission in Santa Cruz, California. Located on the San Lorenzo River floodp ...

– Santa Cruz

High schools

Mission College Preparatory High School Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey. Remodelings and additions In 2004, Mission College Prep (M ...

– San Luis Obispo * Notre Dame High School – Salinas *

Palma High School Palma School is a grade 6–12 Catholic school located in Salinas, California, United States. Located in the Diocese of Monterey, its motto is "Palma Merenti," which translates in English as "Palms to the Victor." History Palma School was foun ...

, Salinas *

Santa Catalina School Santa Catalina School is a private school in Monterey, California, United States, founded by Sister Margaret Thompson and the Dominican Order in 1950. Situated on a 36-acre hacienda-style campus, the Upper School is an all-girls boarding school ...

– Monterey *

Saint Francis Central Coast Catholic High School Saint Francis Central Coast Catholic High School is a Catholic school in Watsonville, California. The school was named after Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Francis de Sales, and is operated by an independent corporation that is a partnership ...

– Watsonville

Sources

''History'' article from the Diocese's website

Catholic Schools of the Monterey Diocese

References

External links

Diocese of Monterey Official Site

Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo website
{{authority control Monterey County, California San Benito County, California San Luis Obispo County, California Santa Cruz County, California Monterey in California Monterey in California Monterey in California 1840 establishments in Alta California

Name changes

History

1770 to 1840

1840 to 1848

1848 to 1967

1967 to present

Sex abuse

Bishops

Bishops of Monterey in California

Other diocesan priest who became bishop

Churches

High schools

See also

Sources

References

External links