Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The geographic boundaries of the diocese are the same as those of Worcester County, Massachusetts, the geographically largest county of the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

. It is led by a prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 which is pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 of the mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...

, Cathedral of Saint Paul
Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester
The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester in Worcester, Massachusetts....

 in the City of Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

.

The diocese was canonically erected on January 14, 1950 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....

. Its territories were taken from the neighboring Diocese of Springfield
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...

. The current and fifth bishop is Robert Joseph McManus
Robert Joseph McManus
Robert Joseph McManus is the fifth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts. He has been in post since May 14, 2004, where he succeeded Daniel P. Reilly, who retired.-Life before Worcester:...

.

List of Bishops

  1. John Joseph Wright, DD (1950-1959) appointed Bishop of Pittsburgh
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is a Roman Catholic diocese. It was established in Western Pennsylvania on August 11, 1843. The diocese includes 211 parishes in the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington, an area of with a Catholic population of 719,801...

    , later elevated to Cardinal
    Cardinal (Catholicism)
    A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...

     in 1969 and appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
    Congregation for the Clergy
    The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...

     (1969-1979)
  2. Bernard Joseph Flanagan
    Bernard Joseph Flanagan
    Bernard Joseph Flanagan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Worcester .-Biography:...

    , DD (1959-1983) retired
  3. Timothy Joseph Harrington
    Timothy Joseph Harrington
    Timothy Joseph Harrington was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Worcester from 1983 to 1994.-Biography:...

    , DD (1983-1994) retired
  4. Daniel Patrick Reilly
    Daniel Patrick Reilly
    Daniel Patrick Reilly is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Worcester .-Biography:...

    , DD (1994-2004) retired
  5. Robert Joseph McManus
    Robert Joseph McManus
    Robert Joseph McManus is the fifth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts. He has been in post since May 14, 2004, where he succeeded Daniel P. Reilly, who retired.-Life before Worcester:...

    , STD (2004-present)


Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

s:
  1. Timothy Joseph Harrington
    Timothy Joseph Harrington
    Timothy Joseph Harrington was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Worcester from 1983 to 1994.-Biography:...

    , DD (1968-1983) appointed Bishop
  2. George Edward Rueger, DD (1988-2005) retired

Organization of Parishes

In 2004, Bishop Reilly grouped parishes into "clusters" . The purpose of this system is to allow communities to come together for a regional event. Also, priests may substitute for one another at a particular parish.
Parish
City/Town
Cluster
Ascension (closed 7/1/08) Worcester 42
Blessed Sacrament Worcester 44
Christ the King Worcester 32
Good Shepherd Linwood 22
Holy Angels Upton 23
Holy Cross Templeton (East Templeton) 2
Holy Family of Nazareth Leominster 8
Holy Name of Jesus (French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

; closed 7/1/08)
Worcester 43
Holy Spirit (Hispanic) Gardner 3
Immaculate Conception Fitchburg 6
Immaculate Conception Lancaster 11
Immaculate Conception Worcester 44
Immaculate Heart of Mary Winchendon 2
Madonna of the Holy Rosary Fitchburg 5
Mary, Queen of the Rosary Spencer 33
North American Martyrs Auburn 18
Notre Dame Southbridge 29
Notre Dame & St. Joseph (renamed Holy Family) (French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

)
Worcester 39
Our Lady Immaculate Athol 1
Our Lady of Częstochowa (Polish) Worcester 42
Our Lady of Fatima Worcester 44
Our Lady of Good Counsel West Boylston 14
Our Lady of Jasna Gora Clinton 11
Our Lady of Loreto Worcester 40
Our Lady of Lourdes Worcester 40
Our Lady of Mercy Worcester Maronite
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel & St. Ann (Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

)
Worcester 39
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Worcester Melkite
Melkite
The term Melkite, also written Melchite, refers to various Byzantine Rite Christian churches and their members originating in the Middle East. The word comes from the Syriac word malkāyā , and the Arabic word Malakī...

Our Lady of the Angels Worcester 37
Our Lady of the Assumption Millbury 19
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Gardner 3
Our Lady of the Lake Leominster 9
Our Lady of the Rosary Clinton 11
Our Lady of the Rosary Worcester 38
Our Lady of Vilna (historically Lithuanian, currently Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...

)
Worcester 42
Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Mission Royalston (South Royalston) 1
Prince of Peace Princeton 10
Sacred Heart of Jesus Fitchburg 5
Sacred Heart of Jesus Gardner 3
Sacred Heart of Jesus Hopedale 24
Sacred Heart of Jesus Milford 24
Sacred Heart of Jesus (French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

)
Southbridge 29
Sacred Heart of Jesus Webster 28
Sacred Heart of Jesus West Brookfield 34
Sacred Heart of Jesus Worcester 41
St. Aloysius Hardwick (Gilbertville) 36
St. Aloysius & St. Jude Leicester 31
St. Andrew Bobola (Polish) Dudley 27
St. Andrew the Apostle Worcester 37
St. Ann Oxford (North Oxford) 26
St. Anna Leominster 8
St. Anne Ashburnham (South Ashburnham) 4
St. Anne Shrewsbury 15
St. Anne Southborough 17
St. Anne & St. Patrick (run by Assumptionists
Assumptionists
The Augustinians of the Assumption constitute a congregation of Catholic religious , founded in Nîmes, southern France, by Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon in 1845, initially approved by Rome in 1857 and definitively approved in 1864 . The current Rule of Life of the congregation draws its inspiration from...

)
Sturbridge (Fiskedale) 30
St. Anne Worcester (Manchaug) 21
St. Anthony di Padua Fitchburg 6
St. Anthony of Padua Dudley 28
St. Augustine Mission Hardwick (Wheelwright) 36
St. Augustine Millville 25
St. Bernadette Northborough 16
St. Bernard Fitchburg 7
St. Bernard Worcester 38
St. Boniface Lunenburg 9
St. Brigid Millbury 19
St. Camillus de Lellis (historically French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

)
Fitchburg 7
St. Casimir (Lithuanian; closed 7/1/08) Worcester 42
St. Catherine of Sweden Worcester 41
St. Cecilia Leominster 8
St. Charles Borromeo Worcester 37
St. Christopher Worcester 14
St. Columba Paxton 32
St. Denis Ashburnham 4
St. Denis Douglas 21
St. Edward the Confessor Westminster 4
St. Francis of Assisi Athol 1
St. Francis of Assisi (Hispanic) Fitchburg 6
St. Francis Xavier Bolton 12
St. Gabriel the Archangel (established 2006)

Merging of St. Michael the Archangel (Mendon) and Holy Angels (Upton)

New Church due to be completed by 2008.
Upton 23
St. George Worcester 13
St. Hedwig (Polish) Southbridge 29
St. James Grafton (South Grafton) 20
St. Joan of Arc (Hispanic) Worcester 38
St. John
St. John's Catholic Church (Worcester, Massachusetts)
St. John's Catholic Church, established in 1834, is an historic Roman Catholic parish church in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest established Catholic religious institution in the city, and the oldest Catholic parish in New England outside of Boston...

Worcester 42
St. John the Baptist East Brookfield 33
St. John the Evangelist Clinton 11
St. Joseph Auburn 18
St. Joseph Barre 36
St. Joseph Charlton 30
St. Joseph (Hispanic) Fitchburg 5
St. Joseph Gardner 3
St. Joseph & St. Pius X Leicester 31
St. Joseph North Brookfield 34
St. Joseph Basilica
St. Joseph Basilica (Webster)
St. Joseph Basilica was founded in 1887 as the first Catholic parish in Webster, Massachusetts designated for Polish immigrants in New England. The basilica is located in the Catholic Diocese of Worcester....

Webster 27
St. Joseph the Good Provider Berlin 11
St. Leo (Hispanic) Leominster 8
St. Louis Webster 28
St. Luke the Evangelist Westborough 17
St. Margaret Mary (closed 7/11/08) Worcester 39
St. Mark Sutton 19
St. Martin Mission Templeton (Otter River) 2
St. Mary Brookfield 34
St. Mary Grafton (North Grafton) 20
St. Mary Holden (Jefferson) 13
St. Mary Shrewsbury 15
St. Mary (Hispanic) Southbridge 29
St. Mary Uxbridge 22
St. Mary of the Hills Boylston 15
St. Mary the Assumption Milford 24
St. Matthew Southborough 17
St. Michael the Archangel Mendon 23
St. Patrick Northbridge (Whitinsville) 22
St. Patrick Rutland 10
St. Paul Blackstone 25
St. Paul Warren 35
St. Paul Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester
The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester in Worcester, Massachusetts....

Worcester 44
St. Peter Northbridge 22
St. Peter Petersham 1
St. Peter (Hispanic and African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

)
Worcester 43
St. Philip Grafton 20
St. Richard of Chichester Sterling 10
St. Roch Oxford 26
St. Rose of Lima Northborough 16
St. Stanislaus Warren (West Warren) 35
St. Stephen Worcester 39
St. Theresa Blackstone 25
St. Theresa, the Little Flower Harvard 12
St. Thomas à Becket Barre (South Barre) 36
St. Thomas Aquinas Warren (West Warren) 35
St. Vincent de Paul Templeton (Baldwinville) 2

High schools

  • Holy Name Central Catholic High School
    Holy Name Central Catholic High School
    Holy Name Central Catholic Junior Senior High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...

    , Worcester
  • Magnificat Academy
    Magnificat Academy
    Magnificat Academy is a Catholic middle school and high school located in Warren, Massachusetts, which opened in 2005 in the Parish Hall and Rectory of St. Paul Church with 20 students. It is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester....

    , Warren
  • Notre Dame Academy
    Notre Dame Academy (Worcester, Massachusetts)
    Notre Dame Academy is a private, all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester.-Background:...

    , Worcester
  • Notre Dame Preparatory School
    Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
    Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic high school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. The population of the school is average 32–42 students. It is a small sized boarding and day school...

    , Fitchburg
  • St. Bernard's High School
    St. Bernard's High School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
    St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School is a diocesan, Roman Catholic high school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester on 45 Harvard Street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.-History:...

    , Fitchburg
  • St. John's High School
    St. John's High School (Massachusetts)
    Saint John's High School is a private Catholic boys' high school located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...

    , Shrewsbury
  • St. Mary's Central Catholic High School
    St. Mary's Central Catholic High School (Worcester, Massachusetts)
    -Notes and references:...

    , Worcester
  • Saint Peter-Marian High School
    Saint Peter-Marian High School
    -Campus and location:Saint Peter-Marian's campus is situated upon a hill in a residential neighborhood. It is less than one mile to the town of Holden, Massachusetts. There is one main building with an annex that houses the senior high school, while another building is home to the junior high...

    , Worcester

Administrators

  • Most Rev. Robert Joseph McManus
    Robert Joseph McManus
    Robert Joseph McManus is the fifth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts. He has been in post since May 14, 2004, where he succeeded Daniel P. Reilly, who retired.-Life before Worcester:...

    , STD
    Doctor of Sacred Theology
    The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....

    , Bishop
  • Most Rev. Daniel P. Reilly, DD
    Doctor of Divinity
    Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....

    , Bishop Emeritus
  • Most Rev. George E. Rueger, DD
    Doctor of Divinity
    Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....

    , Auxiliary Emeritus
  • Rev. Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, JCL
    Licentiate of Canon Law
    Licentiate of Canon Law is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law...

    , Judicial Vicar
  • Rev. Paul T. O'Connell, JCD
    Doctor of Canon Law
    Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D...

    , Associate Judicial Vicar
  • Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, Chancellor and Director of Fiscal Affairs
  • Rev. Rocco Piccolomini, Director of Priest Personal
  • Sister Paula Kelleher, SSJ
    Josephite Fathers
    The Josephite Fathers and Brothers or, more properly, Saint Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart, Inc. are a society of Catholic priests and brothers, based in the United States. It was formed in 1871 by a group of priests from the English Foreign Mission Society of Saint Joseph, also known as...

    , Vicar for Religious

Resources

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