Early history During the 17th century, present day Ohio was part of the French colony of
New France. The Diocese of Quebec, had jurisdiction over the region. However, unlike other parts of the future
American Midwest, there were no attempts to found Catholic missions in Ohio. In 1763,
Ohio Country became part of the British
Province of Quebec, forbidden from settlement by American colonists. After the
American Revolution ended in 1783,
Pope Pius VI erected in 1784 the
Prefecture Apostolic of the United States, encompassing the entire territory of the new nation. In 1787, the Ohio area became part of the
Northwest Territory of the United States. Pius VI created the
Diocese of Baltimore, the first diocese in the United States, to replace the prefecture apostolic in 1789. In 1808,
Pope Pius VII erected the
Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky, with jurisdiction over the new state of Ohio along with the other midwest states.
Pope Pius VII on June 19, 1821, erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking all of Ohio from Bardstown.
Diocese of Cleveland 1840 to 1870 Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Cleveland on April 23, 1847, with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. At that point, the diocese included counties going west to
Toledo and south to
Youngstown He named
Louis Rappe as the first bishop of Cleveland. When Rappe took office, the diocese contained 42 churches and 21 priests; the first and only Catholic church in
Cleveland was St. Mary's on the Flats. He soon established the city's first
parochial school, which doubled as a chapel. Rappe purchased an episcopal residence in 1848. He converted a frame house on the property into St. Mary's Seminary. Rappe also laid the cornerstone of
St. John's Cathedral in 1848. In 1849, Rappe went to Europe to recruit clergy for the diocese. He returned in 1850 with four priests, five
seminarians, two
Sisters of Charity and six Ursuline
nuns. The Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary opened St. Mary's Orphan Asylum for Females in 1851. Rappe in 1852 organized the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine, a new religious institute in Cleveland. That same year, the sisters opened St. Joseph's Hospital, the first general hospital in Cleveland Rappe consecrated St. John's Cathedral on November 7, 1852. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine opened St. Vincent's Asylum for Boys in 1852. He also introduced the
Grey Nuns to the diocese in 1856. In 1865, Rappe established St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland. He brought in the
Good Shepherd Sisters (1869), the
Little Sisters of the Poor (1870), the
Friars Minor (1867) and the
Jesuits (1869) Rappe retired in 1870 after 33 years as bishop of Cleveland.
1870 to 1900 In 1872,
Pope Pius IX appointed
Richard Gilmour as the second bishop of Cleveland. In 1873, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine opened St. Ann's Hospital in Cleveland for maternity patients and newborn babies. He was also wary of the public school system. He established St. Ann's Asylum and Maternity Home, St. Michael Hospital, and St. John Hospital. In 1882, Gilmour condemned the
Ladies Land League chapter in Cleveland. Founded in Ireland, the League was a women's organization that assisted tenants facing
eviction. After Gilmour died in 1891,
Pope Leo XIII named
Ignatius Horstmann of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as the new bishop of Cleveland. Horstmann founded the following institutions in the diocese: • Loyola High School in
Cleveland (1902), •
St. John's College in Toledo (1898), • St. Anthony Home for Working Boys in Cleveland. • The Catherine Horstmann Home in Cleveland for homeless women In the early 1890s, Horstmann faced a schism within the Diocese of Cleveland. Polish parishioners at St. Stanislaus Parish in Cleveland, led by Anton Kolaszewski, were demanding more control over their parish and more sensitivity to their customs. Despite Horstmann's refusal, Kolaszewski continued to press for independence and accused the bishop of
sexual abuse crimes.
1900 to 1945 In 1907, Horstmann faced a second schism, this time with Slovenian Catholics. After removing Kasimir Zakrajsek as pastor of St. Vitus Parish in Cleveland, he faced violent protests. After the parish rectory was stoned, the replacement priest was forced to flee. Over 100 people were arrested. On September 22, 1907, 5,000 Polish protesters marched on Horstmann's residence, demanding Zakrajsek's reinstatement and
home rule for St. Vitus. Horstmann died in 1908.
Pope Pius IX named
John Farrelly of the
Diocese of Nashville as bishop of Cleveland in 1909. The next year, Pius IX erected the
Diocese of Toledo, removing the Toledo area counties from the Diocese of Cleveland. During his 12-year-long tenure as bishop, Farrelly improved the
parochial school system; organized
Catholic Charities; and erected 47 churches and schools, including
Cathedral Latin High School in Chardon, Ohio. During
World War I, Farrelly was appointed by Cleveland Mayor
Harry L. Davis to the Cleveland War Commission. Farrelly also ordered English to be spoken at all German-language churches and schools in the diocese. Farrelly served as bishop until his death in 1921. Bishop
Joseph Schrembs of the Diocese of Toledo was appointed bishop of Cleveland in 1921 by
Pope Pius XI. In 1925, the pope presented the
relics of St. Christine to Schrembs. Christine, a 13-year-old girl who died for her Catholic faith around 300 AD, was moved from the
Roman catacombs to St. John's Cathedral in Cleveland. The diocese had previously donated money to the Vatican for the establishment of the House of Catacombs outside Rome. During his tenure, Schrembs erected 27 parishes in Cleveland and 35 outside the city. In 1942, as Schrembs'
diabetes worsened,
Pope Pius XII named Bishop
Edward Hoban from the
Diocese of Rockford as Schrembs' coadjutor bishop to help him with his duties. In 1943, Pius XII erected the
Diocese of Youngstown. taking counties from the Youngstown area away from the Diocese of Cleveland.
1945 to 1980 After Schrembs died in 1945, Hoban automatically succeeded him as bishop of Cleveland. As bishop, Hoban encouraged refugees displaced by
World War II to settle in
Cleveland. He also established national and ethnic
parishes, but insisted that their
parochial schools only teach in English. Hoban centralized Parmadale Family Services, constructed additional nursing homes, and opened Holy Family Cancer Home, a hospice in
Parma. When Hoban died in 1966, Issenmann automatically became his replacement in Cleveland. In November 1968, Issenmann asked all adults attending mass in the diocese to sign petitions of support for
Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI's 1969 encyclical against
artificial birth control. Issenmann was the only bishop in the country to make that request of parishioners. issenmann retired in 1974 due to poor health.
Pope Paul VI in 1974 named Auxiliary Bishop
James Hickey of the
Diocese of Saginaw as the new bishop of Cleveland. Six years later, in 1980, the pope named him as archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Washington.
1980 to present John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Anthony Pilla to replace Hickey as bishop of Cleveland in 1980. In 2005, 36 lay members of the diocese sued Pilla, accusing him of allowing $2 million in diocesan funds to be stolen. The judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that the plaintiffs did not have the
legal standing to sue in this case. After 26 years as bishop, Pilla resigned in 2006. In 2004, Pilla received an anonymous letter accusing Joseph Smith, the assistant
treasurer for the diocese, of theft. After meeting with Pilla, the bishop put Smith administrative leave; Smith later resigned his position. In 2005, 36 parishioners sued the diocese, claiming that Smith and two other diocesan officials had diverted $2 million of diocese funds to their own businesses. On April 5, 2006,
Pope Benedict XVI named Auxiliary Bishop
Richard Lennon of the
Archdiocese of Boston as the tenth bishop of Cleveland. In August 2007, Smith and Anton Zgoznik, a consultant hired by the diocese, were charged with 17 counts of
money laundering and
tax evasion. Smith steered contracts worth $17.5 to Zgonik, who gave Smith kickbacks of $784,000. Zgoznik was convicted in October 2007 of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and
mail fraud. In December 2008, Smith was acquitted of
embezzlement, but convicted of
tax evasion; he received one year in federal prison. In 2009, the diocese announced the closing or merging of 52 parishes, due to the shortage of priests, the migration of Catholics to the suburbs, and the financial difficulties of some parishes. The diocese also closed or merged several number of parish schools. The hardest hit were urban parishes in
Cleveland, Akron,
Lorain, and Elyria. Parishioners from 13 urban parishes appealed Lennon's action to the
Congregation for the Clergy in Rome. In 2012, the Congregation for the Clergy overturned all 13 closings because Lennon did not follow proper procedure or
canon law. Lennon resigned in 2016 due to poor health.
Pope Francis in 2017 appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Nelson J. Perez of the
Diocese of Rockville Centre to replace Lennon. Three years later, the pope name Perez as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. As of 2023, the current bishop of Cleveland is Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the
Diocese of Greensburg, named by Francis in 2020. ==Reports of sex abuse==