The Diocese of Metuchen () 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 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

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

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Metuchen Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, alon ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

in the United States. The Diocese of Metuchen was established on November 19, 1981. The mother church of the diocese is Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen. As of 2023, the current bishop of Metuchen is James Checchio.

Territory

The Diocese of Metuchen encompasses the New Jersey counties of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, Hunterdon and

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

History

1785 to 1981

The French envoy

François Barbé-Marbois François, marquis de Barbé-Marbois (31 January 1745 – 12 February 1837) was a French civil servant, diplomat, and politician. He was ambassador of France to the United States (1784–1785), where he married the daughter of the Governor ...

, writing from Philadelphia in 1785, estimated the Catholic population in the new States of New York and New Jersey at approximately 1700, with over half of them living in New Jersey. Priest traveled to New Jersey from St. Peter's Parish in New York City to provide ministry. The opening of mines, furnaces, glass works, and other industries attracted more Catholic immigrants to New Jersey. In 1789, after 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 ...

elevated the

Apostolic Prefecture of the United States The Apostolic Prefecture of the United States () was the earliest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction to be officially recognized within the United States after its declaration of independence in 1776. Previous British jurisdiction and Am ...

to the new

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 ...

, including all of the new United States. On April 8, 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 The Archdiocese of Philadelphia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Dela ...

and the Diocese of New York, taking their territory from the Diocese of Baltimore. Responding to the population growth in New Jersey, the Vatican in 1853 erected the Diocese of Newark, taking its territory from Philadelphia and New York. The Vatican in 1881 established the Diocese of Trenton, with its territory coming from the Diocese of Newark. The Metuchen area would remain part of the Diocese of Trenton for the next 100 years.

1981 to 1997

On November 18, 1981,

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 ...

erected the Diocese of Metuchen, taking

, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties from the Diocese of Trenton. The pope named Auxiliary Bishop

Theodore McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (July 7, 1930 – April 3, 2025) was an American Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who was Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and Archbishop of Washington from 2001 to 2006. In 2019, McCarrick was defrocked by Po ...

of New York as the first bishop of the new diocese. During his tenure, McCarrick erected new parishes in

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", re ...

, Califon, Skillman, Old Bridge, and Three Bridges. He also oversaw the development of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and the Bishop's Annual Appeal McCarrick also established ministries for

African-Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, Hispanics, anti-abortion rights activities, and the

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

. He became archbishop of Newark in 1986. To replace McCarrick, John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Edward Hughes of Philadelphia as the second bishop of Metuchen. The diocese celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1991 by awarding its first Regina Nostra medals to outstanding lay leaders. Hughes retired in 1997. In 1996, the first issue of ''The Catholic Spirit'', the diocese's official newspaper, was published.

1997 to present

John Paul II in 1997 appointed Monsignor Vincent Breen from the

Diocese of Brooklyn The Diocese of Brooklyn () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the State of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, co ...

as the next bishop of Metuchen. In 1998, the diocese launched its website. In 1999, Breen started a diocesan capital campaign, "In Service to the Kingdom."The diocese in 2001 opened Immaculate Conception School in Annandale for pre-K through fourth grade. The following school year, the school expanded enrollment through eighth grade. Also in 2001, the diocese dedicated the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center in

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Maryland (place) **Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community ** Piscataway Creek, Maryland ** Piscataway Park, historical park at the mouth of Piscataway Creek ** Siege of Piscataway, siege of Susquehannock fort sou ...

. After Breen resigned in 2003, John Paul II selected Bishop Paul Gregory Bootkoski, Auxiliary of Newark, that same year as the next bishop of Metuchen. The diocese's annual Blue Mass was re-established in 2003. In 2005, the diocese created the Diocesan Youth Day hired a full-time vocations director, and opened the House of Discernment for men considering the priesthood. In 2006, Bootkoski launched the diocese's first synod. In 2008, more than 2,000 pilgrims from the diocese traveled to the

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic minor basilica and national shrine in Washington D.C. It is the largest Catholic church building in North America and is also the tallest habitable building in Wash ...

in Washington, D.C. In January 2010, the diocese opened a new Catholic Center at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. After Bootkoski retired in 2016, Pope Francis appointed Monsignor James Checchio, rector of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

in Rome, as the new bishop of Metuchen. As of 2023, Checchio is the current bishop of Metuchen.

Sexual abuse

1990 to 2000

In August 1997, police arrested Reverend Michael Santillo, who served at St. Mary's Church in Perth Amboy before leaving the priesthood in 1992. He was accused of forcing oral sex on a 13-year-old altar boy on several occasions in 1987. Santillo pleaded guilty in June 1999 to one count of aggravated sexual assault and was sentenced later that year to 10 years in prison. Reverend John M. Banko from Mary Mother of God Parish in Hillsborough was charged in August 2001 with first-degree aggravated

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

and

child endangerment Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

. He was accused in 1999 of forcing oral sex on a 11-year-old boy after mass on two occasions in 1993 or 1994. The police investigation revealed other allegations of Banko improperly touching other children. He was convicted of sexual assault in December 2002 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

2000 to 2010

In 2003, Bishop Bootkoski established the Office of Child and Youth Protection and implement the Protecting God's Children program. That same year, he approved an $800,000 financial settlement to ten victims of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

by five clerics, including Santillo and Banko. According to Cardinal

Donald Wuerl Donald William Wuerl (born November 12, 1940) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Washington from 2006 to 2018. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle (1986 to 1987) and Bishop of Pit ...

, nobody from the Diocese of Metuchen informed him of these settlements, even after the retired McCarrick began living on the grounds of a seminary in the

Archdiocese of Washington 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 ...

. Reverend Tomasz Adam Zielinski, from Christ the King Parish in Manville, was arrested on sexual assault charges in July 2008. A 16-year-old girl who had been sitting next to Zielinski on a flight from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to the United States accused him of fondling her and attempting to unzip her pants. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in January 2009 to one year in federal prison.

2010 to 2020

In July 2018, former priest Robert Ciolek, in an interview with the ''New York Times'', accused McCarrick of sexually molesting him in the 1980s when Clolek was a

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

and McCarrick was bishop of Metuchen. McCarrick had been removed from ministry in June 2018 when the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

determined that an accusation of him sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy 50 years earlier was credible. At this time, it was revealed that in 2005 and 2007, the Diocese of Metuchen, along with the Archdiocese of Newark, secretly paid financial settlements to Clolek and another priest abused by McCarrick. In September 2018, the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...

announced an investigation of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Metuchen along with the other New Jersey dioceses. It was widely assumed that the McCarrick allegations had triggered this move by the bishops. McCarrick, already removed from ministry, was laicized in 2019. In February 2019, the diocese released a list of 11 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse against minors. These clergy had been reported to law enforcement agencies. In December 2019, the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

passed a law allowing a two-year legal lookback window, enabling sexual abuse lawsuits that were previously barred by 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 ...

. That same month, James Grein, a New York resident, sued the diocese. He claimed McCarrick started abusing him as a minor when McCarrick was a priest in New York. As an adult, Grein later moved to the Diocese of Metuchen, where he alleged that McCarrick resumed the abuse. Grien accused the diocese of committing gross negligence.

2020 to present

In 2020, the diocese updated its list of accused clergy to add seven more names. In July 2020, an anonymous man sued the diocese, claiming he had been sexually abused by McCarrick. The plaintiff, then a student with the Archdiocese of Newark, maintained that McCarrick started abusing him when he was 14 in 1982 with the assistance of other priests. The plaintiff revealed that the Diocese of Metuchen owned a beach house in

Sea Girt Sea Girt is a Borough (New Jersey), borough situated on the Jersey Shore, within Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,866, an increase ...

on the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

where McCarrick and other priests engaged in “open and obvious criminal sexual conduct”. The diocese allegedly covered up this illegal activities. The lawsuit stated that boys were assigned different rooms in the house and paired with adult clergymen. The plaintiff also named three other diocesan priests as sexual abusers. The diocese in 1988 sold the beach house to the Archdiocese of Newark. Two new sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against the diocese in September 2020: * One lawsuit accused Brother Regis Moccia of the

Brothers of the Sacred Heart The Brothers of the Sacred Heart () is a Catholic lay religious congregation of Pontifical Right for Men founded by André Coindre (1787–1826) in 1821. Its constitution was modeled upon that of the Jesuits, while its rule of life was based upo ...

of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy for one year, starting in 1994, at St. Joseph High School in

. * The second lawsuit alleged that Reverend Patrick H. Barrett sexually abused a 10-year-old boy at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of **Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

during the mid-1980s. In December 2020, it was revealed that the diocese was the defendant of one of more than 230 sex abuse lawsuits filed within a period of one year against New Jersey Catholic dioceses.

Bishops of Metuchen

Theodore Edgar McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (July 7, 1930 – April 3, 2025) was an American Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who was Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and Archbishop of Washington from 2001 to 2006. In 2019, McCarrick was defrocked by Po ...

(1981–1986), appointed Archbishop of Newark in 1986, Archbishop of Washington in 2000, and cardinal in 2001. He was removed from ministry in 2018 and laicized in 2019 #

Edward Thomas Hughes Edward Thomas Hughes (November 13, 1920 – December 25, 2012) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey from 1987 to 1997. Biography Hughes was born in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, to Charles a ...

(1986–1995) # Vincent DePaul Breen (1997–2002) # Paul Gregory Bootkoski (2002–2016) # James Francis Checchio (2016–present)

Parishes

Statistics

* Parishes – 90 (as of 2025) * Schools – 22 elementary schools and two high schools (as of 2025)

Personnel

* Priests – 221 (169 diocesan; 16 extern; 36 religious) * Seminarians – 22 * Permanent deacons – 159 * Women religious – 208 * Men religious – eight

Healthcare and social institutions

The diocese has the following healthcare and social institutions as of 2025: *Hospital – Saint Peter's University Hospital *Health care clinics – four *Day care and extended care – one *Homes for the elderly, chronically ill and developmentally disabled – five *Half-way homes – five *Charity and justice centers – nine

Ecclesiastical province

Coat of arms

The coat of arms for the Diocese of Metuchen contains two silver qrants and two blue qrants. The four qrants are separated by a blue cross. One gold qrant contains a blue crowned M, the second gold qrant contains a red tongue of fire. * The four qrants represent the four counties in the diocese. * The blue cross comes from the coat arms of the Diocese of Trenton. * The red tongue of fire symbolizes the

Lenni Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historical territory included present-day northeastern Del ...

word for firewood, ''metachen'', along with the descent of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

to earth on the

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

holy day. * The crowned M symbolizes

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, the principal patroness of the diocese. The crowned M also appears on the coat of arms of former Cardinal McCarrick and

References

External links

*
New Jersey Provincial Directory
website {{authority control Metuchen, New Jersey

1981 establishments in New Jersey