The Diocese of Erie () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in western Pennsylvania in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The Diocese of Erie was founded on July 29, 1853. Its mother church is St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie.
Statistics
The Diocese of Erie is geographically the largest diocese in Pennsylvania, covering . It covers 13 counties in Northwestern Pennsylvania. About 220,000 Catholics (74,000 families) reside in the diocese. The diocese educates approximately 14,000 children and youth.
History
1700 to 1853
Unlike the other British colonies in America, the Province of Pennsylvania did not ban Catholics from the colony or threaten priests with imprisonment. However, the colony did require any Catholics seeing public office to take an oath to Protestantism. In 1784, a year after the end of the American Revolution, Pope Pius VI erected the Apostolic Prefecture of United States of America, including all of the new United States.
In 1789, Pius VI converted the prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore, covering all of the United States. With the passage of the US Bill of Rights in 1791, Catholics received full freedom of worship.
In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Philadelphia, covering all of Pennsylvania. As the Catholic population grew in Pennsylvania in the 19th century, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1843 to cover the northwestern part of the state.
1853 to 1868
On July 29, 1853, Bishop Michael O'Connor of the Diocese of Pittsburgh was appointed as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Erie by Pope Pius IX. The dividing line of the new diocese ran east and west along the northern boundaries of Cambria, Indiana, Armstrong, Butler, and Lawrence Counties, giving thirteen northern counties to the Diocese of Erie.
The pope named Reverend Joshua Young as the new bishop of Pittsburgh. However, Young did not want the job in Pittsburgh. In addition, a group of Pittsburgh Catholics petitioned the pope to bring back O'Connor. Five months later, the Vatican changed course, returning O'Connor to Pittsburgh and making Young the second bishop of Erie.
Due to the 1859 discovery of oil in Titusville and the ensuring oil rush, Young was forced to erect numerous churches to accommodate the new Catholic settlers along Oil Creek and the Allegheny River. At the beginning of Young's tenure, the diocese contained 28 churches and 14 priests, He established several Catholic schools and orphanages, and a hospital. He also introduced into the diocese the Sisters of St. Joseph from Buffalo, New York. By the time of Young's death in 1866, the number of churches and priests in the diocese were both over 50.
1868 to 1920
In 1868, Monsignor Tobia Mullen of Pittsburgh was appointed the third bishop of Erie by Pope Pius IX. He founded the weekly Lake Shore Visitor newspaper, an orphanage, and two hospitals. His greatest accomplishment was the erection of St. Peter's Cathedral. Originally dubbed as "Mullen's Folly", its cornerstone was laid in 1875 and Mullen dedicated it in 1893. After Mullen suffered a stroke in 1897, Pope Leo XIII named Reverend John Fitzmaurice of Philadelphia as coadjutor bishop to assist Mullen.
After Mullen died in 1899, Fitzmaurice automatically succeeded him as the next bishop of Erie. During his 21-year-long tenure as bishop, Fitzmaurice established several parishes and dedicated St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie (1911). The Sisters of St. Joseph added an annex to St. Vincent's Hospital in Erie and in 1901 a nursing school. Fitzmaurice died in 1920.
1920 to 1980
The next bishop of Erie was Auxiliary Bishop John Gannon of Erie, named by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Gannon founded Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie in 1921, St. Joseph's Home for Children in 1923 and Mercyhurst College in Erie in 1926. In 1933, he established Cathedral College, a two-year institution. Gannon organized religious education programs under the auspices of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in every part of the diocese and founded five regional high schools after age 80 alone. Gannon also established the following institutions:
Andrew Kaul Memorial Hospital in St. Marys (1922) Gannondale School for Girls in Erie (1934) Erie Day Nursery (1929)
Gannon also erected 28 parishes, 49 churches, seven rectories, and 12 convents.