- Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown
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Diocese of Youngstown
Dioecesis Youngstonensis
Location Country United States Territory Counties of Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Stark, Portage, and Ashtabula, Ohio Ecclesiastical province Archdiocese of Cincinnati Metropolitan Youngstown, Ohio Population
- Catholics
250,000Information Denomination Roman Catholic Rite Roman Rite Established May 15, 1943 Cathedral St. Columba Cathedral Patron saint St. Columba Current leadership Pope Benedict XVI Bishop George V. Murry, S.J.
Bishop of YoungstownMetropolitan Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr
Archbishop of CincinnatiMap 
Diocesan map of Ohio with the Diocese of Youngstown in cyan.Website doy.org 
St. Columba's Church (1916), which became the diocesan cathedral in 1943 and was destroyed in a 1954 fire.
The Diocese of Youngstown is a particular church or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, consisting of six counties in Northeast Ohio: Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Stark, Portage, and Ashtabula.
As of 2003, the Diocese of Youngstown has 116 parishes, 158 Diocesan Priests, 22 Religious Priests, 68 Permanent Deacons, 45 Religious Men, 229 Religious Women. As of 2010, the diocese has 8 seminarians studying at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus and at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in Cincinnati. There are approximately 250,000 Catholics within the diocesan limits.
On May 28, 2010, Bishop George V. Murry, S.J. announced the plan for the reconfiguration of parishes. The number of parishes will be reduced to 87 over the next two years.[1]
Contents
History
The Diocese of Youngstown was created from the Diocese of Cleveland in 1943 by Pope Pius XII.[2] Bishop James A. McFadden (former auxiliary bishop of Cleveland) was named its first bishop and St. Columba Church on the North Side of Youngstown became the Cathedral. The new diocese comprised 3,404 square miles (8,820 km2) and featured 110 churches, three hospitals run by religious orders, 54 parochial elementary schools, one parochial junior high school, and three Catholic high schools.[3]
When Bishop McFadden died on November 16, 1952, Emmet M. Walsh became the new bishop. Walsh had been named Coadjutor Bishop and was formerly the Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1954, St. Columba Cathedral was destroyed by a fire. Bishop Walsh undertook the task of building a new cathedral, which was dedicated in 1958. St. Patrick Church on the south side of Youngstown became the Pro-Cathedral until the new St. Columba Cathedral was ready.
In 1962, when Pope John XXIII convened the Vatican Council II, Bishop Walsh and his Auxiliary Bishop, James W. Malone, attended the council in the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter. Upon the illness of Bishop Walsh, Bishop Malone was named Apostolic Administrator; after Bishop Walsh died on March 16, 1968, Bishop Malone was named the Bishop of Youngstown on May 2, 1968. Bishop Malone was the Bishop of Youngstown for almost thirty years; Bishop William A. Hughes (later Bishop Emeritus of Covington, Kentucky) was his auxiliary for several years.
Following Bishop Hughes' appointment to Covington, Bishop Benedict Franzetta was named the Auxiliary of Youngstown. In 1996, Bishop Malone reached the age at which bishops must turn in their resignation. Bishop Thomas J. Tobin was named his successor and was installed as Bishop of Youngstown on February 2, 1996. Bishop Franzetta, who retired on September 4, 1996, died on September 26, 2006. On March 31, 2005, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Tobin as Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island.[4] On 30 January 2007, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop George Murry, S.J. as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown.[5]
Politics
Politically speaking the City of Youngstown and surrounding areas were traditionally strongholds for the Democratic Party. However, the northern counties comprising the Diocese of Youngstown often supported Republican politicians, especially for US Congress.
From 1950 to 1973, the stated interests of the diocese politically were often local interests and aligned somewhat with labor unions and what had been a traditional democratic, blue-collar political base, although the rural districts of the diocese tended to support more conservative political perspectives. After 1973, US Catholics began to transitition from their traditional allegiances to the Democratic Party and seek out political candidates that supported Catholic perspectives on the need to protect human life.
Education initiatives
In an interesting departure from traditional party lines, school choice initiatives were strongly supported by the diocese, including Ohio’s Fair Bus law (passed by the Ohio House, July 30, 1965; enacted 1966 see Cleveland Plain Dealer archives.)[6]
Like other Ohio dioceses, the Diocese of Youngstown also supported other initiatives at the state and federal level to provide equity to students and families enrolled in Catholic schools, including busing, textbooks, and participation in federally subsidized school lunch and other programs.
Legal challenges to Ohio’s Fair Bus Law arose but these challenges were declared unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court (1968–1970), which cited Ohio’s state constitution which assures the fair treatment of all students in the state.
Tuition programs that were enacted at the state level in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s did not survive legal challenges. However, later initiatives for students in poorly performing school districts were enacted and survived legal challenges.
Social justice and subsidized housing
In pursuit of social justice efforts, the diocese supported efforts in the 1980’s to construct subsidized housing—especially in the northern counties of the diocese, where it was often unneeded to serve the needs of the existing populace—as well as to expand federally subsidized Section 8 housing programs. This efforts served to temporarily boost the economies of local builders but accelerated the urbanization of some areas without a renewal of infrastructure or a growth in economic base to support the services such a population would require.
As a result, by 2005, over 70% of the housing units in Ashtabula County were not owner-occupied.
Politically this policy ensured that Democratic candidates for federal office would have a larger voter base in areas that previously had elected Republicans to the US Congress, while also significantly changing the demographics and education levels of the electorate.
Nuclear disarmament
In the mid 1980’s, Bishop Malone became president of the USCCB. Under his leadership, the USCCB issued a major policy statement condemning the nuclear armament stockpiles held by the United States and supporting unilateral disarmament by the United States, despite an aggressive and hostile Soviet military threat. The USCCB’s position was that funds spent on defense should be invested instead in domestic programs. U.S. President Ronald Reagan ignored criticisms from the USCCB and pursued a military build-up.
Many steel mills in Youngstown, Ohio closed in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Economic pressures continued to affect Catholic institutions in the diocese, resulting in lowered school enrollments for diocesan schools. In addition, population left the region to pursue better opportunities in other areas of the United States. Demographically, the population of Ohio in general became statistically older as more young people left the state after college graduation.
Same-sex marriage opposition
In July of 2009 the Diocese of Youngstown contributed $10,000 of its money to overturn a law in the New England state of Maine allowing same-sex civil marriage.[7] In early 2009, Maine, through its legislature and with the approval of its catholic governor extended the civil rights of same sex couples to marry in Maine. According to Maine's "Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices", the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Maine spent over $553,000 to rescind those rights. The Diocese of Youngstown's $10,000 was part of that $553,000.[8]
Bishops
Ordinaries
- James A. McFadden (1943–1952)
- Emmet M. Walsh (1952–1968)
- James W. Malone (1968–1995)
- Thomas J. Tobin (1995–2005)
- George V. Murry, S.J. (2007– )
Auxiliary bishops
- Benedict C. Franzetta (1980–1996)
Education
Elementary Schools
The Diocese of Youngstown operates the following elementary schools:[9]
- Assumption School, Geneva
- Blessed Sacrament School, Warren
- Byzantine Catholic Central School, Youngstown
- Holy Family School, Poland
- Our Lady of Peace School, Canton
- Regina Coeli-St. Joseph School, Alliance
- Sacred Heart of Mary School, Louisville
- Saint Aloysius School, East Liverpool
- Saint Barbara School, Massillon
- Saint Charles School, Boardman
- Saint Christine School, Youngstown
- Saint James School, Waynesburg
- Saint Joan of Arc School, Canton
- Saint Joseph and Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Austintown
- Saint Joseph Canton School, Canton
- Saint Joseph Mantua School, Mantua
- Saint Joseph Randolph School, Mogadore
- Saint Joseph the Provider School, Youngstown
- Saint Luke School, Boardman
- Saint Louis School, Louisville
- Saint Mary School, Massillon
- Saint Michael School, Canton
- Saint Nicholas School, Struthers
- Saint Patrick School, Kent
- Saint Patrick Hubbard School, Hubbard
- Saint Peter School, Canton
- Saint Paul School, North Canton
- Saint Paul School, Salem
- Saint Pius X School, Warren
- Saint Rose School, Girard
- Saint Stephen School, Niles
- SS. John and Paul K-6, Ashtabula
- SS. Mary and Joseph School, Newton Falls
- SS. Philip and James School, Canal Fulton
- Villa Maria (Pre K-K), Hubbard
High Schools
- Cardinal Mooney High School, Youngstown
- Central Catholic High School, Canton
- John F. Kennedy High School, Warren
- St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Louisville
- Saints John & Paul High School*, Ashtabula
- Ursuline High School, Youngstown
- * Independently operated with blessing of diocese.
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Pope Names Bishop In Youngstown Area; New Diocese Is Created Under The Most Rev. J. A. McFadden". The New York Times. June 4, 1943.
- ^ McFadden, James A. The March of the Eucharist from Dungannon (Youngstown, OH: Diocese of Youngstown, 1951), p. 22
- ^ The Vindicator, Youngstown, Ohio, January 31, 2007.
- ^ The Vindicator, Youngstown, Ohio, January 31, 2007.
- ^ [See Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 3327, retrieved on 5 June 2010 from http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3327 and AFSCME article at http://www.afscme.org/publications/2465.cfm ]
- ^ Colbert, Chuck (November 25, 2009). "Dioceses major contributors to repeal same-sex marriage". National Catholic Reporter (Kansas City, Missouri). http://ncronline.org/news/politics/dioceses-major-contributors-repeal-same-sex-marriage. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Diocese of Youngstown Parishes & Schools". Diocese of Youngstown. http://www.doy.org/Schoollist.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
External links
Categories:- Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati
- Youngstown, Ohio
- Religious organizations established in 1943
- Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
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