Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church that encompasses the northern 39 counties of the U.S. state of Alabama.[1] It was erected on December 9, 1969, when it was split from what is now the Archdiocese of Mobile. The diocese is part of the ecclesiastical province of Mobile.

Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama

Dioecesis Birminghamiensis
Cathedral of St. Paul
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryNorthern Alabama
Ecclesiastical provinceMobile
Statistics
Area28,091 sq mi (72,760 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2012)
2,995,000
103,900 (3.5%)
Parishes54
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
RiteRoman Rite
Established28 June 1969
(split from Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham)
CathedralCathedral of Saint Paul
Patron saintSaint Paul
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopSteven John Raica
Metropolitan ArchbishopThomas John Rodi
Bishops emeritusRobert Joseph Baker
Map
Website
bhmdiocese.org

The Cathedral of Saint Paul, in Birmingham, Alabama serves as the Episcopal see of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. EWTN television network's studios are located within the borders of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama.

History

Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Birmingham, with territory taken from the Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham, on 28 June 1969, simultaneously renaming the mother diocese to Diocese of Mobile.

On 29 July 1980, Pope John Paul II elevated the Diocese of Mobile to a metropolitan archdiocese and designated the Diocese of Birmingham as one of its suffragans.

Reports of sexual abuse

In 2004, four priests accused of sexual abuse who were serving in the Diocese of Birmingham agreed to pay a settlement of $45,000 to eleven of their victims.[2] In December 2018, then-Birmingham Bishop Robert J. Baker released of list of six clergy who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving the Diocese of Birmingham.[3][4] Bishop Baker also acknowledged the abuse committed by these six priests, stating that "they committed these deplorable acts,” and apologized.[3][4] Five were removed from ministry and one died.[2] One accused priest who was later acquitted, Francis Mary Stone, was also revealed to have maintained his clerical status after violating his vow of celibacy and also fathering a child with an employee at EWTN while serving as a host of the network's show Life on the Rock.[5][6] After these revelations were made public, Stone was initially suspended from public ministry.[6]

Bishops

Bishops of Birmingham
  1. Joseph Gregory Vath (1969–1987)
  2. Raymond James Boland (1988–1993), appointed Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph
  3. David Edward Foley (1994–2005)
  4. Robert Joseph Baker (2007–2020)
  5. Steven John Raica (2020–present)

Other priests of the diocese who became bishops

Elementary schools
  • Anniston: Sacred Heart School | 3K-8
  • Bessemer: St. Aloysius School | 3K-8
  • Birmingham: Holy Family Catholic Academy | 3K-8 (Operated Independent of Diocese)
  • Birmingham: Our Lady of Fatima | 4K-8
  • Birmingham: Our Lady of Sorrows | 3K-8
  • Birmingham: Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School | 3K-8
  • Birmingham: Prince of Peace | 3K-8
  • Birmingham: St. Barnabas | 4K-8
  • Birmingham: St. Francis Xavier | 5K-8
  • Birmingham: St. Rose Academy | 4K-8 (Operated Independent of Diocese)
  • Cullman: Sacred Heart, Cullman | 3K-6
  • Decatur: St. Ann School | 3K-8
  • Florence: St. Joseph Regional School | 3K-8
  • Gadsden: St. James School | 3K-8
  • Huntsville: Holy Family Regional School | 4K-8
  • Huntsville: Holy Spirit Regional School | 5K-8
  • Madison: St. John the Baptist | 4K-8
  • Tuscaloosa: Holy Spirit Catholic School | 3K-6

High schools

See also

References
  1. http://www.bhmdiocese.org/content.asp?id=208778
  2. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/usccb/natureandscope/dioceses/birminghamal.htm
  3. https://www.wvtm13.com/article/diocese-of-birmingham-releases-list-of-clergy-accused-of-child-abuse/25588980
  4. Garrison, Greg (December 14, 2018). "Birmingham bishop releases names of priests accused of abuse". The Birmingham News. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  5. https://bishop-accountability.org/member/psearch.jsp
  6. https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2016/05/jury_decides_on_child_abuse_ch_1.html
  7. "Bishop William Dermott Molloy McDermott". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  8. "Rinunce e Nomine, 11.10.2019" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 11 October 2019.

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