Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg

Diocese of Greensburg
Dioecesis Greensburgensis
Coat of arms
Flag
Location
Country  United States
Territory Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties in Western Pennsylvania
Ecclesiastical province Philadelphia
Metropolitan Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Statistics
Area 3,334 sq mi (8,640 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2017)
645,602
141,041 (21.8%)
Parishes 78
Information
Denomination Catholic Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established March 10, 1951
Cathedral Blessed Sacrament Cathedral
Secular priests 96
Current leadership
Bishop Edward C. Malesic
Emeritus Bishops Lawrence Eugene Brandt
Map
Website
dioceseofgreensburg.org
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg
Diocesan Pastoral Center in Greensburg

The Diocese of Greensburg is a Roman Catholic diocese centered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, with 78 parishes in Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. The diocese was founded on March 10, 1951. Edward C. Malesic was named its bishop on April 24, 2015.

Bishops

Bishops of the diocese and their tenures of service:

Bishops of Greensburg

  1. Hugh L. Lamb (1951-1960)
  2. William G. Connare (1960-1987)
  3. Anthony G. Bosco (1987-2004)
  4. Lawrence E. Brandt (2004-2015)
  5. Edward C. Malesic (2015-present)

Auxiliary Bishops

Priests of the diocese who became bishops

Parish directory

As of 2017, there are seventy-eight operating parishes within the Diocese of Greensburg; thirty-eight of these operate in a partnered configuration.[1] A diocesan strategic planning process began in 2006, which has resulted in closures of parishes and chapels, as well as partnering of parishes that have remained open, with the last of these changes occurring in 2013.[2]

Parish NameCountyNearest Town
AscensionWestmorelandJeannette
Blessed Sacrement CathedralWestmorelandGreensburg
Christ the KingArmstrongLeechburg
Christ, Prince of PeaceArmstrongFord City
Church of the Good SheperdIndianaKent
Church of the ResurrectionIndiana5 Sites:
Clymer
Ernest
Glen Campbell
Heilwood
Rossitier
Holy CrossWestmorelandYoungwood
Holy FamilyWestmorelandLatrobe
Holy FamilyWestmorelandSeward
Holy FamilyWestmorelandWest Newton
Holy TrinityWestmorelandLigonier
Immaculate ConceptionFayetteConnellsville
Immaculate ConceptionWestmorelandIrwin
Mother of SorrowsWestmorelandMurrysville
Mount Saint PeterWestmorelandNew Kensington
Our Lady of GraceWestmorelandGreensburg
Our Lady of the AssumptionIndiana2 Sites
Coral
Lucernemines
Our Lady, Queen of PeaceWestmorelandEast Vandergrift
Sacred HeartWestmorelandJeannette
Sacred HeartWestmorelandYoungstown
Seven DolorsWestmorelandYukon
Saints Cyril and MethodiusFayetteFairchance
Saints Simon and JudeIndianaBlairsville
Saint AgnesWestmorelandNorth Huntingdon Township
Saint AloysiusFayetteDunbar
Saint AmbroseWestmorelandAvonmore
Saint AnneWestmorelandRostraver Township
Saint BarbaraWestmorelandHarrison City
Saint BartholomewWestmorelandCrabtree
Saint BenedictWestmorelandMarguerite
Saint Bernard of ClairvauxIndianaIndiana
Saint BrunoWestmorelandGreensburg
Saint CeciliaFayetteGrindstone
Saint CeciliaWestmorelandWhitney
Saint EdwardWestmorelandHerminie
Saint Elizabeth Ann SetonWestmorelandNorth Huntingdon Township
Saint FlorianWestmorelandUnited
Saint FrancisFayette2 Sites:
Masontown
Footedale
Saint GertrudeWestmorelandVandergrift
Saint HubertFayettePoint Marion
Saint JamesWestmorelandNew Alexandria
Saint James the GreaterArmstrongApollo
Saint Joan of ArcFayetteFarmington
Saint John the Baptist, de la salleWestmorelandDelmont
Saint John the BaptistFayettePerryopolis
Saint John the BaptistWestmorelandScottdale
Saint John the EvangelistFayetteConnellsville
Saint John the EvangelistWestmorelandLatrobe
Saint John the EvangelistFayetteUniontown
Saint JosephWestmorelandDerry
Saint JosephFayetteEverson
Saint JosephWestmorelandNew Kensington
St. Joseph Fayette Uniontown
Saint LawrenceArmstrongCadogan
Saint Margret MaryWestmorelandLower Burrell
Saint MartinWestmorelandNew Derry
Saint Mary (Nativity)FayetteUniontown
Saint Mary of CzestochowaWestmorelandNew Kensington
Saint MaryWestmorelandFreeport
Saint Mary, Mother of GodArmstrongYatesboro
Saint Mary, Our Lady of GuadalupeArmstrongKittanning
Saint Mary, Our Lady of LourdesWestmorelandExport
Saint MatthewIndianaSaltsburg
Saint PatrickArmstrongBrady's Bend
Saint PaulWestmorelandGreensburg
Saint PeterFayetteBrownsville
Saint Pius XWestmorelandMount Pleasant
Saint Raymond of the MountainsWestmorelandDonegal
Saint RegisWestmorelandTrafford
Saint RitaFayetteConnellsville
Saint RoseWestmorelandLatrobe
Saint SebastianWestmorelandBelle Vernon
Saint SylvesterWestmorelandSlickville
Saint Terese, Little Flower of JesusFayetteUniontown
Saint Thomas More University ParishIndianaIndiana
Saint Vincent BasilicaWestmorelandLatrobe
The Epiphany of Our LordWestmorelandMonessen
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin MaryWestmorelandMount Pleasant

[3]

Schools

There are 18 educational facilities spread throughout the geographical terrain of the diocesan limits. There are 2 junior-senior high schools, 12 diocesan elementary schools and 3 non-diocesan Catholic schools[4]

High schools

Diocesan elementary schools

School NameCountyNearest Town
Aquinas AcademyWestmorelandGreensburg
Christ, the Divine TeacherWestmorelandLatrobe
Conn-Area Catholic*FayetteConnellsville
Divine RedeemerArmstrongFord City
Mary, Queen of ApostlesWestmorelandNew Kensington
Mother of SorrowsWestmorelandMurrysville
Queen of AngelsWestmorelandNorth Huntingdon Township
Saint BernardIndianaIndiana
Saint John the Evangelist Regional*FayetteUniontown
Saint SebastianWestmorelandBelle Vernon
The Cardinal Maida AcademyWestmorelandVandergrift

* - denotes school only operates up to Grade 6, Grades 7-8 attend Geibel Catholic High School, if they wish.

Non-diocesan facilities

There are three non-diocesan facilities under the Educational Office.

Grand jury investigation of clergy sex abuse, and diocese's response

In early 2016, a grand jury investigation, led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, began an inquiry into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in six Pennsylvania dioceses: Greensburg, Allentown, Scranton, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Erie.[8] The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia were not included, as they had been the subjects of earlier investigations.[8]

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, in 2017 the Diocese of Harrisburg and the Diocese of Greensburg attempted to shut down the grand jury investigation.[9][10]

On July 27, 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that a redacted copy of the grand jury report be released to the public; this release occurred in August 2018.[11][10]

On July 31, 2018, John T. Sweeney, a former priest in the Diocese of Greenburg, pleaded guilty to molesting a 4th grade boy at some point between September 1991 and June 1992.[12] Immediately following Sweeney's plea, the Diocese of Greensburg made a statement pledging future cooperation.[13] In the statement, which was reported by Crux on August 4,[13] the Diocese of Greensburg agreed to continue educating “both children and adults in parishes and schools of the Diocese of Greensburg on how to spot and report suspected abuse.”[13] The Diocese also agreed to recommend reporting incidents of sexual abuse to the PA ChildLine and report any alleged incident of sexual abuse to "PA Childline and the appropriate district attorney."[13]

On August 9, 2018, Greensburg Bishop Edward Malesic issued an apology on behalf the Diocese, acknowledged there were numerous reports of sex abuse of children between the 1950s and 1980s, and announced that the Diocese would release the names of the accused clergy when the grand jury report is published.[14][15][16] The grand jury report was published on August 14, 2018 and showed that of the 301 priests accused of sexual abuse in the six dioceses, only 20 clergy were from the Diocese of Greensburg.[17] The report also showed that one of the accused in the Diocese of Greensburg also impregnated a 17 year old girl.[17] The priest then covered up the pregnancy by marrying the girl after forging the head pastor's name on a marriage certificate and then filing for divorce months later.[17] Despite fathering a child with a minor and being married and divorced, the priest still remained in the ministry.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  2. ↑ http://www.dioceseofgreensburg.org/Pages/parishrestructuring.aspx
  3. ↑ http://www.dioceseofgreensburg.org/parishes/pages/parishinformationdirectory.aspx?id=C01
  4. ↑ Schools Retrieved 07-23-2015
  5. ↑ Clelian Heights Retrieved 12-10-2010
  6. ↑ E.S. Montessori Mission Page Retrieved 12-10-2010
  7. ↑ Verna Montessori School Mission - Retrieved 12-10-2010
  8. 1 2 Couloumbis, Angela (June 17, 2018). "Pa. report to document child sexual abuse, cover-ups in six Catholic dioceses". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  9. ↑ Smith, Peter; Navratil, Liz; Couloumbis, Angela (June 29, 2018). "Two Pa. dioceses tried to block grand jury probe into clergy sex abuse, documents show". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Navratil, Liz; Smith, Peter (August 1, 2018). "Harrisburg Diocese releases names of accused priests, removes bishops' names from buildings". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ Couloumbis, Angela; Navratil, Liz (July 27, 2018). "Pa. Supreme Court: Release redacted report that names more than 300 'predator priests'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/07/31/retired-greensburg-diocese-priest-pleads-guilty-child-sex-assault/
  13. 1 2 3 4 https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/08/04/greensburg-diocese-stands-ready-help-to-abuse-survivors-in-their-healing/
  14. ↑ https://www.wtae.com/article/catholic-diocese-of-greensburg-releases-report-including-apology-for-past-failures/22685655
  15. ↑ http://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2018/08/09/Greensburg-diocese-Catholic-priests-sexual-abuse-grand-jury-report/stories/201808090121
  16. ↑ https://www.wtae.com/article/catholic-diocese-of-greensburg-releases-report-including-apology-for-past-failures/22685655
  17. 1 2 3 4 https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/08/greensburg_diocese_grand_jury.html
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