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Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane

Coordinates: 47°39′32″N 117°25′30″W / 47.65889°N 117.42500°W / 47.65889; -117.42500
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Diocese of Spokane

Dioecesis Spokanensis
Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryNorthern and Eastern Washington State
Ecclesiastical provinceProvince of Seattle
Population
- Catholics
103,000[1] (13.0%)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedDecember 17, 1913
CathedralCathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes
Patron saintOur Lady of Lourdes[2]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopThomas Anthony Daly
Metropolitan ArchbishopPaul Etienne
Bishops emeritusWilliam S. Skylstad
Map
Website
dioceseofspokane.org

The Diocese of Spokane (Latin: Dioecesis Spokanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Washington State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Seattle.

The mother church of the Diocese of Spokane is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane. As of 2023, the bishop of Spokane is Thomas Daly. The diocese was erected on December 17, 1913.

Territory

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The Diocese of Spokane encompasses the following counties:

Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin.

Approximately 90,000 Catholics are served by the diocese in 82 parishes.[3]

History

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1830 to 1913

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The Catholic Church presence in the present-day state of Washington dates to the 1830s. At that time, missionary priests traveled from the British Province of Quebec to minister to Catholics in present-day Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia.

In 1843, the Holy See established the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory, which covered a huge swath of territory from California to Alaska.[4] In 1846, Pope Gregory XVI divided the vicariate into three dioceses, with the Washington area part of the new Diocese of Walla Walla.[5]

In 1847, dissident Cayuse tribesman killed 11 Protestant missionaries and kidnapped others in southeastern Washington in what became known as the Whitman massacre.[6] It was followed that same year by the Cayuse War, lasting several years between the tribe and the territorial government of Oregon.[7] As the result of these conflicts, the Vatican in 1850 abandoned the Diocese of Walla Walla, shifting jurisdiction of the areas to the Diocese of Oregon City.[5] Later that year, Pope Pius IX suppressed the Diocese of Walla and erected the Diocese of Nesqually to replace it. In 1859, the church reestablished itself in Walla Walla, opening St. Patrick's Parish.[8]

In 1881, the Church of St. Joseph was started in a converted carpenter's shop, the first Catholic church in Spokane.[9]Gonzaga University was opened by 1887 by the missionary Reverend Joseph Cataldo in Spokane.[10] In 1907, the Vatican suppressed the Diocese of Nesqually, replacing it with the Diocese of Seattle, covering all of what was now Washington State.[11]

1913 to 1950

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The Diocese of Spokane was erected by Pope Pius X on December 17, 1913, its territory taken from the Diocese of Seattle.[12] While the canonical decree was signed in December of 1913, the news was publicly broken by The Catholic Bulletin in the Diocese of Saint Paul on February 7, 1914.[13][14]

The pope named Bishop Augustine Schinner from the Diocese of Superior as the first bishop of Spokane.[15] Schinner retired in 1925.

The second bishop of Spokane was Monsignor Charles Daniel White from the Diocese of Grand Rapids, named by Pope Pius XI in 1927.[16] During his 28-year tenure, White built St. Anthony School and convent, Sacred Heart School and convent, Sisters of the Good Shepherd Home in Spokane, Marycliff High School for Girls in Spokane, St. Charles Parish, St. Joseph Parish in Trentwood, and St. John Vianney Parish in Spokane.[17]

In other areas of the diocese, White built the Grand Coulee Dam Parish in Grand Coulee, the nurses' home and school in Colfax and Tonasket Hospital in Tonasket. For Native Americans, he established St. Gertrude Parish in Monse and St. Jude in Usk.[17] He also established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in the diocese.[17]

1950 to 2015

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In 1951, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Yakima, taking territory from the Diocese of Spokane.[12] In early 1955, Pius XII named Reverend Bernard Joseph Topel of the Diocese of Helena as coadjutor bishop to assist White. When White died later that year, Topel automatically succeeded him as bishop of Spokane.[18]

During his 22-year tenure, Topel established several parishes and schools, the Mater Cleri Seminary in Colbert, the Bishop White Seminary on the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane, the Immaculate Heart Retreat House, homes for unwed mothers, and housing for the elderly.[19][20] Topel retired in 1978. To replace Topel, Pope John Paul II named Reverend Lawrence Welsh of Helena in 1978.[21] In 1990, shortly after Welsh was arrested in Spokane for driving under the influence of alcohol, he resigned as bishop of Spokane.[22][21] John Paul II appointed Bishop William S. Skylstad of Yakima as the next bishop of Spokane in 1991. He retired in 2010.[22] To replace Skylstad, Pope Benedict XVI selected Bishop Blase J. Cupich of the Diocese of Rapid City in 2010.[23]

In 2011, Cupich discouraged priests and seminarians in his diocese from participating in demonstrations in front of Planned Parenthood clinics or supporting 40 Days for Life, an anti-abortion movement that conducts vigils at facilities that offered abortion services. Cupich later clarified his position through a statement that said that he wouldn't forbid priests from praying outside the clinics. In 2012, Cupich supported the decision of Gonzaga University to invite Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu to speak at its graduation ceremonies and receive an honorary degree, against which the Cardinal Newman Society and others active in the anti-abortion movement were protesting.[24] In 2014, Cupich became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

2015 to present

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In 2015, Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Daly from the Diocese of San Jose as the next bishop of Spokane.[25] In a February 19, 2020, statement, Daly wrote that he was concerned by the Gonzaga University School of Law's establishment of an LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic without first consulting him.[26] In his statement Daly speculated that the clinic might bring the law school "into conflict with the religious freedom of Christian individuals and organizations," and expressed fear that it "will be actively promoting, in the legal arena and on campus, values that are contrary to the Catholic faith and Natural Law."[26]

In June 2020, Dr. Rob McCann, the head of Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, posted a video in which he endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement and described the Catholic Church as racist. In the video, McCann stated that "For me, as a White person, saying 'I'm not a racist' is like saying 'a fish is not wet'". He also said that "My Catholic Church and my Catholic Charities organization is racist... Our Catholic faith tradition was built on a tradition that a baby born in a manger in the Middle East was a White baby."[27]

Daly met with McCann, then posted a statement disapproving of McCann's statements along with the violence at some George Floyd protests. Daly further stated that "BLM is in conflict with Church teaching regarding marriage, family and the sanctity of life."[28] He condemned the "horrific and unjustified" murder of George Floyd and outlined steps that the diocese would take with Catholic Charities to address racism.

As of 2023, Daly is the current bishop of the Diocese of Spokane.

Sex abuse and bankruptcy

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In December 2004, the Diocese of Spokane declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to manage the claims of people credibly abused by its priests. As part of its bankruptcy agreement, the diocese agreed to pay at least $48 million to the victims as compensation. The money for the settlement was to come from insurance companies, the sale of church property, contributions from Catholic groups and from the diocese's parishes.[29]

On April 12, 2007, four prominent donors to the diocese wrote private letters to Skylstad asking him to resign. In the letters, the donors termed the sexual abuse settlement he approved as a "complete disaster". Skylstad expressed disappointment that the Spokesman-Review had published the contents of private letters.[30]

In May 2012, the diocese made an agreement with mediators and litigants to settle outstanding claims,[31][32] In 2015, the diocese reached a settlement with its former legal firm during the bankruptcy process, thus avoiding trial.[33]

Bishops

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Bishops of Spokane

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  1. Augustine Francis Schinner (1914–1925)
  2. Charles Daniel White (1926–1955)
  3. Bernard Joseph Topel (1955–1978)
  4. Lawrence Welsh (1978–1990), resigned; later appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 1991
  5. William S. Skylstad (1990–2010)
  6. Blase J. Cupich (2010–2014), appointed Archbishop of Chicago (Cardinal in 2016)
  7. Thomas Anthony Daly (2015–present)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishop

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Education

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High Schools

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College

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Gonzaga University – Spokane

Province

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See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of Seattle

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Diocese of Spokane". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Devotion to the Blessed Mother".
  3. ^ US Church offers abuse settlement, 2007-1-5, BBC News, Retrieved 2007-6-30
  4. ^ "Portland in Oregon (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  5. ^ a b "Walla Walla (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  6. ^ Drury (2005) Vol. 2, pp. 250-252.
  7. ^ Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
  8. ^ "St. Patrick's Church is established in Walla Walla in 1859". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  9. ^ "Cathedral History". The Cathedral of Our Lady Of Lourdes. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "Gonzaga's History". www.gonzaga.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  11. ^ "Seattle (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  12. ^ a b "Spokane (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  13. ^ "Spokane Center of New Diocese, Catholic Church". Spokane Chronicle. 11 February 1914. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Diocese of Spokane". The Catholic Bulletin. 7 February 1914. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Bishop Augustine Francis Schinner [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  16. ^ "Bishop Charles Daniel White". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  17. ^ a b c "A Short History of the Diocese". Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane. Archived from the original on 2009-05-11.
  18. ^ "Bishop Bernard Joseph Topel". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  19. ^ "A Short History of the Diocese". Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009.
  20. ^ Estes, Jane (November 13, 1978). "In Spokane: A Pauperish Yet Princely Churchman". Time. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
  21. ^ a b "Bishop Lawrence Harold Welsh". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Carla K. Johnson; Kevin Taylor (October 25, 2002). "Late bishop had secret". The Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013.
  23. ^ "Pope Benedict XVI Accepts Bishop Skylstad's Resignation". KXLY.com. June 30, 2010. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  24. ^ Morris-Young, Dan (April 18, 2012). "Tutu commencement invitation sparks controversy at Gonzaga". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  25. ^ "Bishop Thomas Anthony Daly [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  26. ^ a b "Statement Regarding the new Gonzaga LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic". Catholic Diocese of Spokane. Archived from the original on 2020-02-22. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  27. ^ Walters, Daniel. "After a Catholic Charities video accuses the church of racism, Spokane's bishop wades into the Black Lives Matter fray". Inlander. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  28. ^ "Catholic discourse on Black Lives Matter must amplify women founders". National Catholic Reporter. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  29. ^ "US Church offers abuse settlement". BBC News. 2007-01-05.
  30. ^ "Four asked Skylstad to resign | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  31. ^ GALLAGHER, TOM (20 July 2012). "Mediation: A new model for settling sex abuse cases". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  32. ^ "Following mediation, diocese avoids foreclosure of parishes, schools | News Headlines".
  33. ^ MORRIS-YOUNG, DAN (26 January 2015). "Spokane diocese and law firm reach resolution, avoid trial". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  34. ^ "Schools". Diocese of Spokane. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
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47°39′32″N 117°25′30″W / 47.65889°N 117.42500°W / 47.65889; -117.42500

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