Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen

Diocese of Metuchen Dioecesis Metuchenis
The coat of arms of the Diocese of Metuchen
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren, New Jersey
Ecclesiastical province	Metropolitan Province of Newark
Statistics
Area	3,688 km2 (1,424 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2013) 1,527,000 642,000 (42.0%)
Parishes	94
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	November 19, 1981
Cathedral	Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	James F. Checchio Bishop of Metuchen
Metropolitan Archbishop	Joseph Tobin Archbishop of Newark
Map
Website
diometuchen.org

St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen (Latin: Dioecesis Metuchenis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in New Jersey, centered in the borough of Metuchen. It was erected on November 19, 1981, from the territory of the Diocese of Trenton. The diocese encompasses the New Jersey counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. The Bishop of Metuchen presides from the Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen.

The diocese counts more than 600,000 Catholics within its purview, distributed across more than one hundred parishes, serviced by 160 priests residing in the diocese, with 100 non-resident priests and 150 deacons assisting. Six hundred religious serve the schools and various organizations throughout the diocese.

History

In 2006, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the diocese's founding, it began preparations for a synod, the First Synod of the Diocese of Metuchen.

Bishops

The following is the list of bishops of the diocese and their years of service:

1. Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1981-1986), appointed Archbishop of Newark and later Archbishop of Washington (Cardinal from 2001-2018)^[1]
2. Edward Thomas Hughes (1986-1997)
3. Vincent DePaul Breen (1997-2002)
4. Paul Gregory Bootkoski (2002-2016)
5. James Francis Checchio (2016-present)^[2]

High schools

• Bishop George Ahr High School, Edison
• Immaculata High School, Somerville
• Mount St. Mary Academy, Watchung
• St. Joseph High School, Metuchen (independent)

Elementary and junior high schools

• Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Kendall Park - 2016 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
• Saint Bartholomew's School, East Brunswick
• Holy Savior Academy, South Plainfield
• Saint Ambrose School, Old Bridge

Sponsored hospital

• Saint Peter's University Hospital ^[5]

A member of the Saint Peter's Healthcare System

Ecclesiastical province

Arms

The official coat of arms is blazoned with Quarterly, Or and Argent, in dexter chief a tongue of fire Gules; in sinister base the letter "M" Azure, crowned Argent; overall a cross Moline Azure. The cross is taken from the arms of the See of Trenton from which the diocese was formed; the tongue of fire refers both to "metachen," Lenni Lenape for firewood, and the descent of the Holy Spirit; the crowned M refers to the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the diocesan patron, founding bishop Theodore McCarrick's arms, and Pope John Paul II's arms. Its four quarters represent the four counties comprising the diocese.

Sex Abuse Investigation

On September 26, 2018, it was announced the Diocese of Metuchen was now one of four American Diocese subject to a sex abuse investigation by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.^[6] McCarrick, who has since been accused of sex abuse, had served in each Diocese.^[6]

See also

• List of the Catholic cathedrals of the United States
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• Plenary Councils of Baltimore
• Roman Catholicism in the United States
• Catholicism and American politics
• History of Roman Catholicism in the United States

References

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen Official Site
• Synodal home page
• New Jersey Provincial Directory website

Coordinates: 40°32′32.8″N 74°21′45.96″W / 40.542444°N 74.3627667°W / 40.542444; -74.3627667