The Diocese of Brooklyn () 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 ...

in the

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It is headquartered in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and its territory encompasses the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

boroughs of Brooklyn and

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, contiguous with

Kings County Kings County or King's County may refer to: Places Canada *Kings County, New Brunswick *Kings County, Nova Scotia * Kings County, Prince Edward Island ** King's County (electoral district), abolished in 1892 Ireland * County Offaly, formerly call ...

and Queens County respectively. The Diocese of Brooklyn 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 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 ...

. The diocesan

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

is the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn and its co-cathedral is the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. Brooklyn is one of the few dioceses in the United States that is made up of 100% urban territory.Coen, Joseph W.; McNamara, Patrick, J.; Vaccari, Peter I. ''Diocese of Immigrants: The Brooklyn Catholic Experience 1853-2003'', Éditions du Signe, 2004. . p. 120 As of March 2025, the bishop of Brooklyn is Robert J. Brennan. He presides from both the Cathedral Basilica of St. James and the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

History

1784 to 1800

In 1784,

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, creating a separate jurisdiction for the new United States from the Catholic Church of Great Britain. That same year, the new State of New York repealed the Colonial-era law prohibiting Catholic priests from residing in New York. With the anti-priest law repealed, the French consul in New York City, Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, organized a group of laymen in 1785 to open St. Peter's Parish in Manhattan, the first Catholic parish in New York City. In 1800, the congregation opened a school at St. Peter's, the first Catholic school in New York. In 1789, Pius VI raised the Apostolic Prefecture of United States 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 ...

, headed by the first American bishop, John Carroll. For the next nine years, Carroll was in charge of the Catholic Church in New York State along with the rest of the nation.

1800 to 1853

Catholic immigration to Brooklyn started with the opening of the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...

in 1801. It attracted many Catholic immigrants from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

to work there. Since there was no Catholic parish in Brooklyn, they would cross the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

to Manhattan on Sundays to attend mass at St. Peter's Church. Bishop John Power, the vicar apostolic of New York, would celebrate mass in Brooklyn in private homes. 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 New York, with jurisdiction over the entire State of New York. By 1814, the diocese had four priests and two churches in New York City, both in Manhattan. The Catholic population of the diocese was approximately 15,000, primarily Irish with some English, French and Germans. The first Catholic parish in the City of Brooklyn was St. James, founded in 1822. By 1826, the Diocese of New York had grown to 18 priests, 12 churches and a Catholic population of 150,000. The

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

arrived in Brooklyn in 1834, becoming the first women's

religious institute In the Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public religious vows, vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, a ...

in that city.

1853 to 1900

Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1853 out of the

. The new diocese included the City of Brooklyn, Queens County and the two counties in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. The pope named Reverend John Loughlin of New York as its first bishop. Loughlin chose St. James Church as his cathedral. The first Catholic church in Queens, St. Monica's, was dedicated in 1856. During his episcopate, Loughlin founded 120 parishes. He started construction of the new, larger Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in 1868, but then stopped work on it to fund charities. St. Francis Academy for boys was founded in 1858 in Brooklyn by a group of

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

from Ireland. It is today

St. Francis College St. Francis College (St. Francis of Brooklyn or SFC) is a private Franciscan college in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn as the St. Francis Academy and was the first private school ...

. During Loughlin's 38-year tenure, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from about 15,000 to nearly 400,000. During this time, 125 churches and

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

s, 93

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

s, two colleges, 10

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

s, five

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

s, two homes for the elderly and a residence for homeless boys were built. He erected the Chapel of the Resurrection at Holy Cross Cemetery in 1855. Loughlin started construction of a new cathedral in 1868, but stopped the project so as to spend the funds on diocesan charities. The Sisters of Charity opened St. Mary's Female Hospital in Brooklyn in 1868. That same year, the massive St. John’s Home for Boys opened in Brooklyn. The

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, also known as the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, is a Catholic religious order that was founded in 1835 by Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in Angers, France. The religious sisters belong to a ...

opened the House of the Good Shepard, a

reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

and industrial school for "fallen women". In 1870, Loughlin invited the Vincentian Order to establish a college for the increasing immigrant population. They opened St. John's College in Brooklyn, which is today St. John's University. After Loughlin died in 1891,

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 ...

appointed Monsignor Charles McDonnell of New York as the second bishop of Brooklyn. The diocese at that time included 250,000 Catholics. As more immigrants from different nationalities entered Brooklyn, McDonnell founded several

national parish National parish is a type of Catholic parish distinguished by liturgical rites or nationality of the congregation; it is found within a diocese or particular Church, which includes other types of parishes in the same geographical area, each parish ...

es that ministered to this immigrants in their native languages. He also built three hospitals.

1900 to 1960

The St. Dominic Congregation of the Holy Cross opened the Mary Immaculate Hospital in the

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

section of Queens in 1902. McConnell in 1903 dedicated the Pro-Cathedral of St. James. It replaced the original St. James Cathedral, which had been severely damaged by fire. In 1916, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph opened St. Joseph College for Women in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is today

St. Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College ...

. Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Molloy of Brooklyn was named the third bishop of that diocese by

Pope Benedict IV Pope Benedict IV (; – 30 July 903) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 900 to his death. The tenth-century historian Flodoard, who nicknamed him "the Great", commended his noble birth and public generosity. ...

in 1921. During his 35-year tenure, the number of Catholics in the diocese exceeded one million, making it the most populous one in the country. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Molloy established a labor school to teach working men the Catholic principles that apply to

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

ism. He also ordered the diocesan clergy to take courses in industrial issues to better instruct their parishioners. Molloy died in 1956. Pope Pius XII split the

Diocese of Rockville Centre The Diocese of Rockville Centre () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Long Island region of New York State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...

from Brooklyn on April 6, 1957. Ten days later, the pope named Bishop Bryan McEntegart, rector of the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

in Washington, D.C., as the next bishop of Brooklyn. During his tenure he launched a multimillion-dollar building program, which included six

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s, a hospital and a four-year theological

seminary 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 cle ...

1960 to 1990

Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception Brooklyn

In 1967, McEntegart restructured Cathedral College due to shrinking enrollment and fewer students becoming priests. The Brooklyn and Queens campuses became four-year seminary high schools. The college programs were transferred into an independent four-year college seminary in Douglaston in Queens. The college was established to serve seminarians from the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and the Archdiocese of New York. The college's inaugural class had 38 students, 22 of whom eventually became priests. By the early 1970s, the college had over 370 students and offered over a dozen college majors. McEntegart promoted outreach to the growing

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

population, sending priests and

religious sisters A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and lab ...

to study

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

and culture. McEntegart retired in 1968.

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 ...

named Reverend

Francis Mugavero Francis John Mugavero (June 8, 1914 – July 12, 1991) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1968 to 1990. Early life and ordination Francis John Mugavero (pronounced Ma-GUV-e-ro) was born on June 8, 1914, in t ...

of Brooklyn as the first Italian-American bishop of Brooklyn in 1968. In 1971, Mugavero established the Catholic Migration Office to serve immigrants and refugees. He created the first

apostolate An apostolate is a Christian organization "directed to serving and evangelizing the world", most often associated with the Anglican Communion or the Catholic Church. In more general usage, an apostolate is an association of persons dedicated to the ...

s in 1972 for the Italian, Haitian, Polish, Korean, Croatian, and Spanish communities. Mugavero often called Brooklyn "the diocese of immigrants," and was proud that Mass was celebrated there in 14 languages. Mugavero announced the

Nehemiah Nehemiah (; ''Nəḥemyā'', "Yahweh, Yah comforts") is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period as the governor of Yehud Medinata, Persian Judea under Artaxer ...

project, in association with East Brooklyn Churches, at a press conference in June 1982. The plan was to build houses in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn for lower income families. By 1985, the Nehemiah project had produced 300 new row houses. In 1970, a woman from Bayside in Queens,

Veronica Lueken Veronica Lueken (July 12, 1923 – August 3, 1995) was a Roman Catholic housewife from Bayside, New York, who, between 1970 until her death in 1995, reported experiencing apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and numerous Catholic saints. She gav ...

, had stated that she was seeing apparitions of the

Virgin Mary 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 ...

, Jesus, and numerous Catholic saints. Over the years, these apparitions became known as the "visions of Bayside". In 1986, Mugavero issued a declaration on Lueken's visions;

"I, the undersigned Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn, in my role as the legitimate shepherd of this particular Church, wish to confirm the constant position of the Diocese of Brooklyn that a thorough investigation revealed that the alleged "visions of Bayside" completely lacked authenticity".

Mugavero in 1972 renamed the Pro-Cathedral of St. James as the Cathedral of St. James. In 1987, Mugavero established the Immaculate Conception Center at the site of the former Cathedral College to house diocesan offices, ministries and a retreat center. The Vatican in 1982 designated the Cathedral of St. James as a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

. Mugavero retired in 1990.

1990 to 2020

To replace Mugavero,

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 1990 appointed Bishop Thomas Daily from the Diocese of Palm Beach as the next bishop of Brooklyn. Shortly after his installation, he stated that New York Governor

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

, would not be welcomed as a speaker in the diocese's parishes because of Cuomo's

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their ...

position on

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

for women. Dailey retired in 2003. The next bishop of Brooklyn was Bishop

Nicholas DiMarzio Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio (born June 16, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York City from 2003 to 2021. DiMarzio previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Camden ...

of the Diocese of Camden, appointed by John Paul II in 2003. DiMarzio issued three

pastoral letter A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circu ...

s as bishop of Brooklyn. * "The New Evangelization in Brooklyn and Queens", October 2004 * "The Family: The Hope of the New Evangelization", October 2005 * "Do Not Be Afraid - A Pastoral Vision for the New Evangelization", October 2007 St. Joseph's Church in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn as designated as a co-cathedral in February 2013, 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 resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

. DiMarzio had requested the designation due to the small seating capacity of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James. In November 2019, Mark Matzek, a New Jersey resident, alleged that DiMarzio and another priest had repeatedly molested him while he was an

altar server An altar server is a laity, lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, helping bring up the gifts, and bringi ...

at St. Nicholas Parish and a student at St. Nicholas School in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, in the mid-1970s. DiMarzio was assigned to St. Nicholas during that time. DiMarzio, who retired in 2020, denied the charges.

2020 to present

A burglar in May 2020 broke into St. Augustine Church in the

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...

neighborhood of Brooklyn and stole a gold tabernacle valued at $2 million. The thief emptied the host in the tabernacle on the altar and the floor. As of 2025, the tabernacle had not been recovered. In September 2021, after an investigation led by former FBI Director

Louis Freeh Louis Joseph Freeh (born January 6, 1950) is an American attorney and former judge who served as the fifth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from September 1993 to June 2001. Graduated from Rutgers University and New York Univers ...

, 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 ...

at the Vatican said that the accusations against DiMarzio were groundless.

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 ...

named Bishop Robert J. Brennan from the

Diocese of Columbus 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 ...

as bishop of Brooklyn in September 2021. The diocese in November 2021 fired Matthew LaBanca from his two music jobs at St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Astoria and Corpus Christi Church in Woodside. He was terminated after entering a

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

in August of that year. Brennan in November 2023 expressed his shock at a music video for singer

Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...

that was filmed inside Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn. Staged for the song ''Feather'', the video showed Carpenter dancing on top of the altar in one sequence. In another sequence, she was not wearing pants. Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the church pastor, later apologized to the parish and was disciplined by Brennan.

Sexual abuse

In September 2018, the Diocese of Brooklyn agreed to a $27.5 million settlement for victims of sexual abuse by its clergy. In February 2019, the diocese published a list of 108 clergy who were credibly accused of committing sexual abuse, some of whom have also been convicted for their crimes. Along with the list, Bishop DiMarzio also issued a letter of apology, asking for forgiveness. In June 2020, the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) arrested Reverend Francis Hughes, a priest serving in Queens, on

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 ...

charges and sex-related charges involving underage minors. In a separate case, the Vatican exonerated Bishop DiMarzio of allegations of sexual abuse dating back a half century. After an investigation led by former FBI Director

, the

at the Vatican said that the accusations against DiMarzio were groundless. In April 2024, the diocese reached an agreement with New York Attorney General

Letitia James Letitia Ann "Tish" James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2019 as the 67th Attorney General of New York, attorney general of New York (NYAG), having won the 2018 New York Attorney General election, 2018 ...

to strengthen it policies for handling sexual abuse allegations against priests. The changes included the appointment of a secular, independent monitor to observe how the diocese handles its reporting of abuse.

Parishes

As of 2025, the Diocese of Brooklyn operates 185 parishes and 211 churches to serve 1.5 million Catholic residents.

Bishops

Bishops of Brooklyn

# John Loughlin (1853 – 1891) #

Charles Edward McDonnell Charles Edward McDonnell (February 1, 1854 – August 8, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1892 until his death in 1921. Biography Charles McDonnell was born in Manhattan to C ...

(1892 – 1921) #

Thomas Edmund Molloy Thomas Edmund Molloy (September 4, 1885 – November 26, 1956) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1921 until his death in 1956. Biography He was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, the fourth of t ...

(1922 – 1956), elevated to

archbishop 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 archdi ...

''ad personam'' in 1951 # Bryan Joseph McEntegart (1957 – 1968), elevated to

''ad personam'' in 1966 #

(1968 – 1990) #

Thomas Vose Daily Thomas Vose Daily (September 23, 1927 – May 14, 2017) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York from 1990 to 2003. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm ...

(1990 – 2003) # Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio (2003 – 2021) # Robert J. Brennan (2021 – present)

Current auxiliary bishops

* James Massa (2015 – present) *

Witold Mroziewski Witold Mroziewski (born March 25, 1966) is a Polish-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York City since 2015. Biography Early life Witold Mroziewski was b ...

(2015 – present)

Former auxiliary bishops

George Mundelein George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death in 1939. He was elevat ...

(1909 – 1915), appointed

Archbishop of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeast Illinois, Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and e ...

(

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

in 1924) *

(1920-1921), appointed bishop of this diocese * Raymond Augustine Kearney (1934 – 1956) *

John Joseph Boardman John Joseph Boardman (1893 - 1978) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and Titular Bishop of Gunela. Biography Boardman was born on November 7, 1893, in Brook ...

(1952 – 1977) * Edmund Joseph Reilly (1955 – 1958) * Joseph Peter Michael Denning (1959 – 1982) * Charles Richard Mulrooney (1959 – 1981) * John J. Snyder (1972 – 1979), appointed Bishop of Saint Augustine * Joseph Michael Sullivan (1980 – 2005) * René Arnold Valero (1980 – 2005) *

Anthony Bevilacqua Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (June 17, 1923 – January 31, 2012) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1988 to 2003. Bevilacqua previously served as bishop of the Diocese ...

(1980 – 1983), appointed Bishop of Pittsburgh and later

Archbishop 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 ...

(elevated to

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

in 1991) * Ignatius Anthony Catanello (1994 – 2010) * Gerald Barbarito (1994 – 1999), appointed Bishop of Palm Beach *

Guy Sansaricq Guy A. Sansaricq (October 6, 1934 – August 21, 2021) was a Haitian-American Catholic prelate who served as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn from 2006 to 2010. He headed the Office of the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees of th ...

(2006 – 2010) * Frank Joseph Caggiano (2006-2013), appointed Bishop of Bridgeport * Octavio Cisneros (2006 – 2020), retired on October 30, 2020. * Raymond Francis Chappetto (2012 – 2022), retired on March 7, 2022. * Paul Robert Sanchez (2012 – 2022), retired on March 30, 2022. *

Neil Edward Tiedemann Neil Edward Tiedemann C.P. (born March 5, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Brooklyn from 2016 to 2023 and as bishop of the Diocese of Mandeville in Jamaica from 2008 ...

(2016 – 2023), retired on June 30, 2023.

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

* George J. Caruana, appointed

Bishop of Puerto Rico The term Diocese of Puerto Rico may refer to: * the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico * the Anglican Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico The Episcopal Church Diocese of Puerto Rico () is a diocese of the Episcopal Church (United ...

in 1921 and later

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 ...

apostolic delegate 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 ...

James Henry Ambrose Griffiths James Henry Ambrose Griffiths (July 16, 1903 – February 24, 1964) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1950 to 1964. Biography Early life and education Jam ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Military, USA in 1949 and later Auxiliary Bishop of New York * John Joseph Carberry, appointed Coadjutor Bishop (in 1956) and later Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana, Bishop of Columbus, and Archbishop of Saint Louis (elevated to

in 1969) * Vincent John Baldwin appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1962 * John R. McGann appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1970 and later

Bishop of Rockville Centre The Diocese of Rockville Centre () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Long Island region of New York State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...

* James Joseph Daly appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1977 * Gerald Augustine John Ryan appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1977 * Alfred John Markiewicz appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1986 and later Bishop of Kalamazoo * Emil Aloysius Wcela appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre in 1989 * Vincent DePaul Breen, appointed Bishop of Metuchen in 1997 * Edward Bernard Scharfenberger, appointed Bishop of Albany in 2014 *

Kevin J. Sweeney Kevin J. Sweeney is an American prelate 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& ...

, appointed Bishop of Paterson in 2020

Priests "equivalent to diocesan bishops" affiliated with this diocese

Leo Joseph White, Apostolic Prefect of

Garissa Garissa ( Arabic: قارسا) is the capital of Garissa County, Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province. Geography The Tana River, which rises in Mount Kenya east of Nyeri, flows through Garissa. The Bour-Algi Giraffe ...

, Kenya, 1976-1984 – incardinated in 1990.

Education

The Catholic Schools of Brooklyn and Queens operates the schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn. As of 2025, it runs 15 high schools. The total student population in 2025 was approximately 30,000. During the early 2000s, the diocese closed 45 schools. The diocese operates the Cathedral Preparatory High School and Seminary in Queens. It is the only high school in the United States that prepares students for the priesthood.

Cemeteries

The Diocese of Brooklyn has nine Catholic cemeteries; two in Brooklyn, five in Queens and three in Long Island in the

Brooklyn

* Holy Cross Cemetery –

East Flatbush East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the Lon ...

* Most Holy Trinity Cemetery – Bushwick

Queens

* Mount St. Mary Cemetery –

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places Netherlands * Flushing, Netherlands, an English name for the city of Vlissingen, Netherlands United Kingdom * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, England * The Flushing, a building in Suffolk, England ...

* Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery – Astoria * St. John Cemetery – Middle Village * St. Monica Cemetery – Jamaica

Long Island

* St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries – Farmingdale * St. Mary Star of the Sea Cemetery –

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

* Trinity Cemetery –

Amityville Amityville () is a village in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,500 at the 2020 census. The village maintains its own accredited law enforcement agency, ...

References

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Brooklyn Culture of Brooklyn Religious organizations established in 1853

1853 establishments in New York (state)