The Diocese of Greensburg () is a

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diocese of the

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in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The mother church of the Diocese of Greensburg is Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg. The diocese was founded on March 10, 1951. As of 2023, its bishop is Larry J. Kulick.

Territory

The Diocese of Greensburg is centered in Greensburg, with 78 parishes in Armstrong, Fayette,

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, and Westmoreland counties.

History

1700 to 1800

Unlike the other British colonies in America, the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

did not ban Catholics from the colony or threaten priests with imprisonment. However, the colony did require any Catholics seeing public office to take an oath to

Protestantism 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 ...

. In 1784, a year after the end of the American Revolution,

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

erected the Apostolic Prefecture of United States of America, including all of the new United States. In 1789, Pius VI converted the prefecture to the

Diocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore () is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland, western Maryland in the United States. It is the Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)#Western Catholic Ch ...

, covering all of the United States. With the passage of the

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in 1791, Catholics received full freedom of worship. That same year, a small group of Catholic families bought property in Greensburg for the first Catholic church in the city. In 1790, Theodore Brouwers purchased land near present-day Latrobe to create the first parish in Pennsylvania west of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range ( ) — also spelled Alleghany or Allegany, less formally the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada. Historically it represented a significant barr ...

. It was initially called Sportsman's Hall Parish after the name of the land tract, but was soon renamed as Saint Vincent parish.

1800 to 1950

In 1808,

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

erected the Diocese of Philadelphia, covering all of Pennsylvania. As the Catholic population grew in Pennsylvania in the 19th century, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1843 to cover the western part of the state. The Greenburg region remained part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh for the next 108 years. In 1846,

Saint Vincent Archabbey Saint Vincent Archabbey is a Benedictine monastery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the city of Latrobe. A member of the American-Cassinese Congregation, it is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States and the largest in th ...

was established in Latrobe, making it the first

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery in the United States. In 1847, the first Catholic Church in Greensburg was established by the missionary

John Nepomucene Neumann John Nepomucene Neumann (, , ; March 28, 1811 – January 5, 1860) was a Bohemian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. An immigrant from Bohemia, he came to the United States in 1836, where he was ordained, joined the Redemptorist o ...

. It was the forerunner of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. That same year, The Sisters of Mercy established St. Xavier Academy in Latrobe.

1950 to 1980

On May 28, 1951,

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 ...

erected the Diocese of Greensburg, taking its territory from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop Hugh L. Lamb of Philadelphia as the first bishop of Greensburg. Under Lamb's direction, the diocese spent nearly $6.5 million on construction or additions to existing facilities. Eight new schools, including

Greensburg Central Catholic High School Greensburg Central Catholic High School (GCC) is a Catholic high school located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Diocese of Greensburg. History Construction of Greensburg Central Catholic High School began in the summer ...

, were created and ten new parishes were established. Lamb helped found Jeannette District Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, donating over $300,000 for its construction and securing the

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of Seton Hill to staff it. Lamb died in 1959. The second bishop of Greensburg was Reverend William G. Connare of Pittsburgh, named 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. He founded the diocesan newspaper, ''The Catholic Accent'', in 1961 and presided over the first diocesan synod that same year. He also expanded educational programs in parishes and opened the diocesan office of

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

. Connare said that his greatest accomplishment was the renovation of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in 1972 to accommodate the liturgical reforms from 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 ...

1980 to present

Connare retired in 1987 after 27 years as bishop. His replacement was Auxiliary Bishop Anthony G. Bosco of Pittsburgh, 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 1987. Bosco changed diocese policy on sacraments to combine the sacrament of confirmation and the first eucharist for children on the same day. He created the diocesan Department of Education and Spiritual Formation. Bosco retired in 2004. In 2004, John Paul II appointed Monsignor Lawrence Brandt from the Diocese of Erie as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg. In 2010, Brandt established the Diocesan Poverty Relief Fund for direct aid to the poor in the diocese. In 2014, Brandt sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service over a provision in the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

that required certain religious institutions to provide

contraceptive Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

coverage in employer health insurance plans. The suit characterized this provision as an infringement on

religious liberty Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...

. Brandt retired in 2015. Reverend Edward C. Malesic from the Diocese of Harrisburg was named as the next bishop of Greensburg by Pope Francis in 2015. On July 1, 2020, Malesic announced the Saint Pope John Paul II Tuition Opportunity Partnership (TOP) to provided $4.1 million in scholarships and tuition assistance to Catholic schools in the diocese. The pope in 2020 appointed him as bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland. As of 2023, the bishop of Greensburg is Larry J. Kulick from Greensburg, named by Pope Francis in 2021.

Bishops

Bishops of Greensburg

# Hugh L. Lamb (1951–1960) # William G. Connare (1960–1987) # Anthony G. Bosco (1987–2004) # Lawrence E. Brandt (2004–2015) # Edward C. Malesic (2015–2020), appointed

Bishop of Cleveland The Diocese of Cleveland () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. , the bishop is Edward Malesic. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, located in Clevelan ...

. # Larry J. Kulick (2021–present)

Former auxiliary bishop

Norbert F. Gaughan (1975–1984), appointed Bishop of Gary

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

* Cyril John Vogel, appointed Bishop of Salina in 1965 * Giuseppe De Andrea, appointed

Apostolic Nuncio 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 ...

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 2001 and later Assessor of the

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* Lawrence T. Persico, appointed Bishop of Erie in 2012

Parishes

As of 2025, the Diocese of Greensburg was serving 135,000 Catholics in 77 parishes (some of them partnered) in seven

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a ...

. A diocesan strategic planning process began in 2006 resulted in closures of parishes and chapels, as well as partnering of parishes that have remained open. The last of these changes occurred in 2013.

Schools

As of 2025, the Diocese of Greensburg has 15 schools.

Diocesan schools

High schools

As of 2025, the diocese operates two high schools: * Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School – Connellsville Township. It serves the southern half of the diocesan territory. The diocese introduced a middle school in 2007, bringing the grade levels to 7–12. * Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School – Hempfield Township. It serves the central and northern sections of the diocese. This school serves grades 7–12.

Elementary Schools

As of 2025, the diocese operates ten elementary schools: * St. Sebastian Regional School, Belle Vernon * Conn-Area Catholic School, Connellsville * Divine Redeemer Catholic School, Ford City * Aquinas Academy, Greensburg * St. Bernard Regional Catholic School, Indiana * Christ the Divine Teacher School, Latrobe * Mother of Sorrows School, Murrysville * Mary Queen of Apostles, New Kensington * Queen of Angels Catholic School, North Huntington * St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School, Uniontown

Non-diocesan schools

The following schools are operated independently of the diocese: * Clelian Heights School for Exceptional Children, Greensburg * Elizabeth Seton Montessori School, Greensburg * Verna Montessori School, Mt. Pleasant

Sex abuse

1950 to 2010

In April 1955, the diocese started receiving reports that Reverend Raymond Lukac was fraternizing with teenage girls in his parish. The diocese warned him about his behavior and transferred him to another parish. He soon became romantically involved with another underage girl, with whom he eloped. They married in January 1957 after the girl turned 18. He returned to the church in July 1957, was sent to New Mexico for treatment and divorced the girl in December 1957. By this time, a child had been born. After finishing his treatment, Lukac went in 1961 to the Diocese of Gary, where he taught in a high school. The diocese received complaints in May 1981 from two families that Reverend Roger Sinclair had sexually abused two boys in 1980 during a sleepover. Although the diocese reported him to local police, no action was taken until June 1981, when Bishop Connare sent him to therapy. In 1984, the diocese gave Sinclair a good recommendation to join the US Air Force Chaplain Corps. In 1991, Topeka State Hospital in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

, fired Sinclair for attempting to take young male patients on an unauthorized outing. After an abuse allegation appeared in 2002, the Diocese of Greensburg removed Sinclair's ministerial privileges. He was laicized by the Vatican in 2002.

2010 to 2020

In early 2016,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Attorney General

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convened a special grand jury investigation into sexual abuse of children by clergy in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including the Diocese of Greensburg. According to ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', in 2017 the Dioceses of Harrisburg and Greensburg attempted to shut down the grand jury investigation. In July 2018, Reverend John T. Sweeney, a diocesan priest, pleaded guilty to molesting a fourth grade boy between September 1991 and June 1992. Immediately following Sweeney's plea, the diocese made a statement pledging future cooperation. The diocese agreed to continue educating "both children and adults in parishes and schools of the Diocese of Greensburg on how to spot and report suspected abuse." The diocese also agreed to report any alleged incident of sexual abuse to the "PA Childline and the appropriate district attorney." In December 2018, Sweeney received a sentence of months to five years in prison. In October 2019, one of Sweeney's victims filed a lawsuit against the diocese. The victim sought a $1,000,000 settlement. In August 2018, Bishop Malesic acknowledged numerous reports of sex abuse of children between the 1950s and 1980s, and announced that the diocese would release the names of the accused clergy when the grand jury report was published. The Pennsylvania grand jury report was published in August 2018. It showed that 20 diocesan clergy had credible accusations of sexual abuse. In October 2019, Bishop Brandt and the diocese were sued by a woman who had alleged that she had been raped beginning at age 12 by Reverend George Pierce in 1972. The suit claimed that Brandt and the diocese engaged in a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

to protect Pierce. In 2004, Brandt had sent a request to Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, head of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

in Rome, to laicize Pierce.

2020 to present

In June 2020, Malesic and the diocese were both named as defendants in a new sex abuse lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by a man alleging that both parties covered up reports that Reverend Joseph L. Sredzinski from Fayette County started sexually abusing him in 1991, when he was 11 years old, and continued to do so until he was 17 years old. Sredzinski exposed the boy to pornography, sodomized him and invited other priests to do likewise. In May 1991, police had found Sredzinski one night sitting in a car with a boy in a cemetery. Town officials passed news of the incident that same week to the diocese, along with complaints from other residents about Sredzinski's relationships with boys. Diocesan officials immediately told him to change his interactions with minors. Despite multiple new incidents by Sredzinki that violated the directives of the diocese, he was allowed to remain in ministry. In August 2020, two new sexual misconduct lawsuits were filed against the diocese. The first lawsuit was filed on behalf of a former Blairsville man who said that he was molested by Reverend Giles Nealen. The alleged crime took place in 1968 at St. Benedict Parish in Marguerite when the man was 11 years old. Nealen died in 1996. The second lawsuit stated that Reverend Leonard Bealko molested a 12-year-old altar boy more than 200 times over four years, ending in 1978, at Transfiguration Church in Mt. Pleasant, the boy's home, and a church rectory in Clymer. Also in August 2020, police arrested Reverend Andrew Kawecki for sexually abusing an altar boy on multiple occasions from 2004 to 2007, beginning when the alleged victim was age 11. In March 2022, Kawecki was convicted and sentenced to two-and-a-half to five years in prison. That same day in August 2020, Malesic announced that the diocese found credible sexual abuse allegations against Reverend Emil Payer. He had been convicted in 2014 of stealing $98,033 from Church of the Seven Dolors in Huntington. The passing of 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 ...

prevented authorities from filing criminal sexual abuse charges against Payer. In November 2020, the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as the "Supreme Court" of Pennsylvania were made offici ...

denied a petition filed by the diocese to grant a stay which would have delayed an ongoing lawsuit against it.

References

External links

Diocese of Greensburg Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Greensburg Christian organizations established in 1951 Greensburg Greensburg 1951 establishments in Pennsylvania