The Diocese of Owensboro () 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 ...

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

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 ...

western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

in the United States. , the diocese contained 78

parishes 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 ...

and two

Newman Centers Newman Centers, Newman Houses, Newman Clubs, or Newman Communities are Catholic campus ministry centers at secular universities. The movement was inspired by the writings of Cardinal John Henry Newman encouraging societies for Catholic studen ...

in 32 counties. The Diocese of Owensboro 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 ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

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 Louisville. The current

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, William Medley, was the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of Saint Bernadette Parish of the

Archdiocese of Louisville The Archdiocese of Louisville () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in central Kentucky in the United States. The cathedral church of the archdiocese is the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisvi ...

prior to his

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

which took place February 10, 2010.

History

1785 to 1937

The first Catholic immigrants to the Kentucky area came from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in 1785. By 1796, approximately 300 Catholic families were living in the new state of Kentucky. Among the early missionaries was

Stephen Badin Stephen Theodore Badin (born Étienne Théodore Badin; 17 July 1768 – 21 April 1853) was a French-American Catholic priest who was the first ordained in the United States. He spent most of his long career ministering to widely dispersed Catholic ...

who set out on foot for Kentucky on September 3, 1793, sent by Bishop John Carroll of 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 ...

. For the next 14 years Badin traveled on foot, horseback and boat between widely scattered Catholic settlements in Kentucky and the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

. For three years, Badin was the only priest in the whole of Kentucky. In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the

Diocese of Bardstown The Diocese of Bardstown () was a Latin Church Catholic diocese in the United States established in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 8, 1808, along with the Diocese of Boston, Diocese of New York, and Diocese of Philadelphia, comprising the former ...

, covering Kentucky and most of the

. In 1841, Pope Leo suppressed the Diocese of Bardstown, which by this time encompassed only Kentucky. In its place, he created the Diocese of Louisville, with jurisdiction over Kentucky. The Owensboro region would remain part of the Diocese of Louisville for the next 96 years. In 1925, the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph founded Saint Joseph Junior College for Women in Maple Mount.

1937 to 1961

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 ...

erected the Diocese of Owensboro in territory taken from the Diocese of Louisville in 1937. The pope also elevated the Diocese of Louisville to an archdiocese and made the new Diocese of Owensboro as one of its suffragans. Pius XI named Reverend Francis Cotton as the first bishop of Owensboro. Cotton had first planned to establish his cathedral in

Henderson, Kentucky Henderson is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,781 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the Evansville–Henderson, IN–KY Combined Statis ...

at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, but then changed it to

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest ...

. The diocese's cathedral is named after St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. After his consecration, Cotton embarked on visits to the parishes in the new diocese. He brought the

Catholic Students' Mission Crusade The Catholic Students’ Mission Crusade (CSMC) was a Roman Catholic youth organization that originated in Chicago and existed from 1918-1970 History The Catholic Students Mission Crusade (CSMC), was a mission education organization, founded in ...

, a national organization for helping the poor, to the diocese. In early 1940, Cotton began the collection of relief supplies for refugees from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in Europe. By 1942, the diocese had collected over $1 million in supplies for distribution in Europe and China. In February 1943, Cotton held a synod in the diocese to set its laws and constitution. Contemporary reports said that Cotton strictly enforced these rules in the diocese, but personally was a kind individual. Cotton died in 1960. After 1945, the Ursuline Sisters opened a second, coed campus of Saint Joseph Junior College in Owensboro. The two campuses were combined in Owensboro in 1950 under the name of Brescia College. It is today

Brescia University Brescia University is a private Catholic college in Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. It was founded as a junior college for women and is now a coeducational institution, offering undergraduate and master's programs. History Brescia Universit ...

1961 to present

In March 1961, Reverend Henry Soenneker of the Diocese of St. Cloud was appointed the second bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro 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 ...

. After Soenneker retired in 1982,

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 Monsignor John McRaith of the Diocese of New Ulm as his replacement. He established the diocesan newspaper, ''The Western Kentucky Catholic'', in 1984. McRaith retired in 2009. The current bishop of Owensboro is William Medley from the Archdiocese of Louisville. He was appointed 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 2009. In December 2021, 74 people died in

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

after a series of

tornadoes A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

hit the region. Medley released this comment.

“Though no one but the Lord can heal the broken hearts of those who have lost loved ones, I am humbled by the outpouring of support coming to us from around the country and the world.”

In November 2023, Medley visited

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

to thank the families of Nigerian priests serving in his diocese. He had made similar trips to India,

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

and Mexico to thank the families of priests from those nations.

Sexual abuse

Reverend Louis Piskula was arrested on

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 ...

and sexual abuse of a minor charges in February 2011. The victim had approached the diocese in 2010 and was told to notify the police. After pleading guilty, Piskula was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014. He died in prison in 2018. In October 2018, the diocese permanently removed Reverend Gerald Baker from active ministry after determining that sexual abuse accusations against him were credible. He had been accused by three minors in 2016 when he was serving at St. Mary of the Woods Parish in Whitesville; at that point, the diocese put Baker on temporary suspension. In March 2019, the diocese temporarily suspended Reverend Ed Bradley after he was accused of sexual abuse of a minor. The incidents allegedly occurred during the 1980s when Bradley was volunteering as a chaplain at Owensboro Catholic High School. In May 2019, the diocese permanently removed Bradley be permanently from public service. In 2021, the Vatican removed Bradley's suspension, allowing him to perform priestly functions. However, noting his "imprudent behavior", the Vatican banned him from assignment to schools for the next five years. In April 2019, the diocese released a list of 15

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

s who were accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the diocese.

Bishops

Bishops of Owensboro

Francis Ridgley Cotton Francis Ridgley Cotton O.P. (September 19, 1895—September 25, 1960) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky from 1938 to 1960. Biography Early life O ...

(1937–1960) # Henry Joseph Soenneker (1961 – 1982) # John Jeremiah McRaith (1982 – 2009) # William Francis Medley (2009 – present)

Education

High schools

* Owensboro Catholic High School – Owensboro * St. Mary High School – Paducah *

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England * Trin ...

– Whitesville

University

– Owensboro

References

External links

Diocese of Owensboro Official Site
{{authority control Christian organizations established in 1937 Catholic Church in Kentucky

Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Louisville 1937 establishments in Kentucky