Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

Initially the diocese was part of the Archdiocese of New York. It became a diocese in its own right on April 23, 1847.

In 2016 for the first time in the diocese's history there were more retired than active priest in the diocese, 90 retired verses 85 active. It was estimated that by 2020 there would be only 57 active priest in the diocese.[1]

In August 2019, numerous sex abuse lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Albany.[2] Among those accused in the lawsuits is former Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard, who took a leave of absence from active ministry in August 2019 shortly after the lawsuits were made public.[3] In September 2019, the Diocese of Albany created a new position known as "process manager."[4]

In September 2019, people affiliated with the Diocese's St. Claire's Hospital, which has since closed, sued claiming that the Diocese has been unable to pay their pensions.[5]

By March 2020, roughly 80 priests who served in the Diocese of Albany were accused of committing acts of sex abuse.[6] During a "Let's Rebuild Our Church" event at Siena College, Bishop Scharfenberger hinted a desire to for the Diocese of Albany to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[6] "We want to do this in a way that is fair," Scharfenberger said. "So that all of those who are entitled to some form of restorative justice or restitution – if we want to use that word – will be able to get a fair share of that."[6] On May 8, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the 2019 New York Child Victims Act's statute of limitation deadline to file sex abuse lawsuits from August 14, 2020 to January 14, 2021.[7]

The following is a list of the Ordinaries (Bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany) and their periods of service.

1. John McCloskey (1847-1864), appointed Coadjutor Bishop and later Bishop and Archbishop of New York (elevated to Cardinal in 1875)
2. John J. Conroy (1865-1877)
3. Francis McNeirny (1877-1894)
4. Thomas Martin Aloysius Burke (1894-1915)
5. Thomas Cusack (1915-1918)
6. Edmund Gibbons (1919-1954)
7. William Scully (1954-1969)
8. Edwin Broderick (1969-1976)
9. Howard J. Hubbard (1977-2014)
10. Edward Bernard Scharfenberger (2014–present)[8]

The cathedral, located on Madison Avenue at Eagle Street in Albany, was completed in 1852 and consecrated by the Most Reverend John Hughes, Archbishop of New York. The first bishop, John McCloskey, was coadjutor bishop of New York with succession rights. This is why he left upon Archbishop Hughes' death in 1865. The Cathedral has a stone exterior. It has the appearance of a stone interior but in fact it is of plaster and lath construction, painted to look like stone. This method was used to save time as McCloskey wanted to get the Cathedral finished in order to prove that the Catholic Church in America was permanent. Originally there was a flat wall at the back of the Cathedral in the area of the Lady window. This window, which depicts scenes in the life of the Virgin Mary, was later moved to the North transept when the semicircular sanctuary was added.

There is a door in the ceiling of the crypt so that the coffins may be lowered directly into it after the Solemn Requiem of the Bishop. This door, however, was not quite big enough for the ornate, modern coffin that contained Bishop Scully. As a result, those officiating had to remove his body from the coffin, carry it down the stairs, take the coffin apart to feed it through the door and then reassemble it and restore the body. The crypt cannot be seen from above because it is hidden by floor tiles which have to be removed to gain access.

The Cathedral underwent a US $30M restoration project which started in 2000 with a date of completion being 2009.

Tours are offered of the Cathedral.

The current President of the Diocesan School Board is Carolyn Kelly.

Enrollment data was obtained from New York State Department of Education Non-Public Enrollment[9]

• National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville
• National Shrine of St. Kateri Tekawitha, Fonda
• Our Lady of La Salette, Altamont (closed)

WOPG 1460 AM in Albany; simulcast on WOPG-FM 89.9 in Esperance

• Index of Catholic Church articles
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• Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany Official Site