The Diocese of Duluth () 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 ...

diocese of the

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in northeastern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

in the United States. It is a

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 Alexandr ...

of the

metropolitan 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 ar ...

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The mother church of the Diocese of Duluth is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

Territory

The Diocese of Duluth includes Aitkin, Carlton,

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, Crow Wing, Itasca, Koochiching,

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

and

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Counties. As of 2023, the diocese had a Catholic population of approximately 41,000 in 70 parishes.

History

During the 17th and 18th centuries, French Catholic missionaries passed through the Duluth area accompanying

voyageurs Voyageurs (; ) were 18th- and 19th-century French and later French Canadians and others who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the ...

on their explorations of the Upper Great Lakes. Reverend Frederick Baraga established missions during the 1830s at

Grand Portage Grand Portage National Monument is a United States National Monument located on the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota that preserves a vital center of fur trade activity and Anishinaabeg Ojibwe heritage. The area became on ...

and Fond du Lac. The northeastern Minnesota area went through several Catholic jurisdictions before the Vatican erected the Diocese of Crookston: *

Diocese of Saint Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of November 2024, the archdiocese is led by Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozan ...

(1826 to 1837) *

Diocese of Dubuque The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...

(1837 to 1850) * Diocese of Saint Paul (1850 to 1875) * Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Minnesota (1875 to 1889)

1889 to 1925

The Diocese of Duluth was erected on October 3, 1889, by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. Its territory was taken from the Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Minnesota. The pope appointed Reverend

James McGolrick James McGolrick (May 1, 1841 – January 23, 1918) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, serving from 1889 until his death. Biography Early life James McGolr ...

of the Diocese of Saint Paul as the first bishop of Duluth. At the time of McGolrick's arrival in Duluth in January 1890, the new diocese contained 22 priests, 32 churches, ten stations, five parochial schools, and a Catholic population over 20,000. After a fire destroyed the cathedral in 1892, McGolrick laid the cornerstone for the new Sacred Heart Cathedral in 1894 and dedicated it two years later. He founded St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth in 1898 and St. James Orphanage in 1910. By the time of McGolrick's death in 1918, the diocese had 59 priests, 42 churches with resident pastors, 46 missions with churches, 35 stations, 11 parochial schools, and a Catholic population of almost 60,000. To replace McGolrick,

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

named Reverend

John T. McNicholas John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. (December 15, 1877 – April 22, 1950) was an Irish-born American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1925 to 1950. He previously served as Bishop of Duluth from 1918 to 1925. McNich ...

. After several years in Duluth, McNicholas became archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church that covers all of the dioceses in the State of Ohio. As of 2025, the archbishop of Cincinnati is Robert Casey. T ...

in 1925.

1925 to 1982

The third bishop of Duluth was Monsignor

Thomas Welch Thomas Welch or Walsh (November 5, 1742 – July 2, 1816) was a surveying, surveyor and judge in Upper Canada. He was born in the Province of Maryland in 1742, the son of Ireland, Irish immigrants with roots in Wales. He studied in Philadelp ...

of Saint Paul, named in 1925 by

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 ...

. During his 33-year tenure, Welch resolved the financial crisis in the diocese and also constructed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary. Welch died in 1959. Following Welch's death, Bishop Francis Schenk of the Diocese of Crookston was appointed bishop of Duluth by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

in 1960. In 1968, Reverend Paul Anderson of the

Archdiocese of Boston The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston), Cathedral o ...

was appointed

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 ...

in Duluth to assist Schenk by

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 ...

. When Schenk retired the next year, Anderson automatically succeeded him as bishop of Duluth. During his 13-year tenure, Anderson earned a reputation as an advocate for progressive causes, and worked to implement 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 ...

. He organized five regional pastoral councils, encouraged

charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

services, and improved Catholic relations with

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s. He privately believed in the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

, and appointed one of the first laywomen to serve on a diocesan matrimonial court. Anderson was appointed as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Diocese of Sioux Falls in 1982.

1982 to present

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 ...

named Reverend

Robert Brom Robert Henry Brom (September 18, 1938 – May 9, 2022) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, from 1983 to 1989, and as bishop of the Diocese of San Diego in Southern Calif ...

of Saint Paul as the next bishop of Duluth in 1983. The pope moved Brom in 1989 to the Diocese of San Diego to serve there as coadjutor bishop. To replace Brom in Duluth, John Paul II appointed Reverend Roger Schwietz. In 2000, Schwietz became

coadjutor archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

for the Archdiocese of Anchorage. Monsignor Dennis Schnurr of the Diocese of Sioux city was the next bishop of Duluth, named by John Paul II in 2001. Seven years later, the pope named him coadjutor archbishop of the

. Schnurr was followed in Duluth by Reverend

Paul Sirba Paul David Sirba (September 2, 1960 – December 1, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota from 2009 until his death in 2019 Early life and education Paul Sirba w ...

of Saint Paul, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. The diocese filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

protection in 2015 to allow for a settlement of sexual abuse lawsuits. Sirba died in 2019. In June 2020,

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 Monsignor Michel Mulloy from the Diocese of Rapid City as the next bishop of Duluth. However, before his consecration in October, the Diocese of Rapid City removed Mulloy from ministry, having receiving an allegation of sexually abusing a minor in the 1980s. Mulloy resigned his appointment as bishop in September 2020. In March 2023, the Vatican determined that it could not prove the allegation against Mulloy; however, he was not returned to public ministry. The current bishop of Duluth, as of 2023 is Daniel Felton from the Diocese of Green Bay. He was appointed by Francis in 2021.

Sex abuse

In a 2002 affidavit, Bishop Schwietz said he approved a settlement of under $100,000 to a former seminarian. The man had alleged being sexually abused in the mid-1990's by Bishop Brom, Cardinal

Joseph Bernardin Joseph Louis Bernardin (April 2, 1928 – November 14, 1996) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1972 until 1982, and as Archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until his death from pancreatic cancer. B ...

and several priests. As part of the settlement, shared by the Diocese of Winona, the seminarian retracted all his charges. In 2013, the diocese released a list of 17 priests with credible accusations of sexual abuse. More names were added to the list in 2022. In November 2015, a jury awarded $8 million in damages against the diocese and a religious order. The plaintiff had alleged being sexually abused as a 15 year old altar boy by Reverend James Fitzgerald, a diocesan priest, in 1978. In December 2015, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It took this action after facing the Fitzgerald verdict, six other lawsuits and 12 additional claims stemming from child sexual abuse cases. The diocese in 2017 released a statement about Reverend Louis Brouillard, a priest from the Archdiocese of Agana in

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. In the 1970s, the archdiocese had started receiving accusations of sexual abuse of minors against Brouillard. Despite the accusations in Guam, the diocese in 1981 had allowed Brouillard to move to Pine City and assist at the local parish. By 1984, diocese officials had become suspicious that Brouillard was sexually abusing a boy from Guam who was sharing his residence. The diocese then revoked Brouillard's privilege to serve public ministry. Brouillard in 2017 admitted to abusing 20 boys. In May 2019, the Diocese of Duluth agreed to pay $40 million to 125 plaintiffs who were the alleged victims of sexual abuse by 37 diocesan priests.

Bishops

Bishops of Duluth

(1889–1918) # John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. (1918–1925), appointed

Archbishop of Cincinnati The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church that covers all of the dioceses in the State of Ohio. As of 2025, the archbishop of Cincinnati is Robert Casey. T ...

# Thomas Anthony Welch (1925–1959) #

Francis Joseph Schenk Francis Joseph Schenk (April 1, 1901 – October 28, 1969) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota (1945–1960) and bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota (1960 ...

(1960–1969) # Paul Francis Anderson (1969–1982), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Sioux Falls #

Robert Henry Brom Robert Henry Brom (September 18, 1938 – May 9, 2022) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth, Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, from 1983 to 1989, and as bishop of the Roman ...

(1983–1989), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop of San Diego #

Roger Lawrence Schwietz Roger Lawrence Schwietz, O.M.I. (born July 3, 1940) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. Schwietz served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Anchorage in Alaska from 2001 to 2016. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of ...

, O.M.I. (1989–2000), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later

Archbishop of Anchorage 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 archdioc ...

Dennis Marion Schnurr Dennis Marion Schnurr (born June 21, 1948) is an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cincinnati in Ohio from 2009 to 2025. He was Rom ...

(2001–2008), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop and later

(2009–2019) # Daniel John Felton (2021–present)

Coadjutor bishop

Paul Francis Anderson (1968–1969)

Auxiliary bishop

Lawrence Alexander Glenn (1956–1960), appointed Bishop of Crookston

Other diocesan priest who became bishop

Peter Michael Muhich, appointed Bishop of Rapid City in 2020

Education

As of 2025, the Diocese of Duluth had nine elementary schools and one high school, Stella Maris Junior/Senior High School

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth Official Site
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Diocese of Duluth Christian organizations established in 1889

Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015 1889 establishments in Minnesota