Diocese of Pueblo

Contents

The Diocese of Pueblo (Latin: Dioecesis Pueblensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in southern Colorado in the United States. Created in 1941, it is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Denver. The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pueblo is the seat of the diocese.

History

1800 to 1940

Until the Mexican-American War (1846 to 1849), the Southern Colorado area was controlled by Mexico, with the few Catholics in the area under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Durango. After the war, the United States assumed control of the region. In 1851, Pope Pius IX created the Apostolic Vicariate of New Mexico, including Colorado. The Vatican converted the vicariate into the Diocese of Santa Fe in 1853.[1]

The first church in the Pueblo area was the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, constructed in 1858 in Conejos by colonists from New Mexico.[2] In 1868, Pope Pius IX removed territory from the Diocese of Santa Fe and the Diocese of Grass Valley to form the Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado and Utah. In 1870, the pope erected the Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado, covering only the state of Colorado. [3]St. Mary's Hospital was founded in 1882 in Pueblo when the Sisters of Charlity converted a two-story boarding house to a medical facility. Today it is CommonSpirit - St. Mary-Corwin Hospital.[4]

In 1884, St. Joseph was founded as a mission church in Grand Junction, the first in that city[5]. On August 16, 1887, Pope Leo XIII converted the vicariate into the Diocese of Denver.[6]The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in 1896 founded St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. It is today St. Mary's Regional Hospital.[7] In 1898, St. Ignatius was founded as a mission church in Durango, serving Native American Catholics.[8]The first Catholic church in Alamosa was Sacred Heart, dedicated in 1928.[9]

1940 to present

On November 15, 1941, Pope Pius XII separated territory from the Archdiocese of Denver to form the Diocese of Pueblo. He appointed Joseph Willging from the Diocese of Helena as the first bishop of Pueblo.[10] During his 17-year-long tenure, Willging oversaw an increase in the number of parishes from 39 to 60, and the number of priests from 84 to 151.[11] He encouraged the establishment of parochial schools and Catholic hospitals.[11]

In 1944, Willging founded Catholic Social Service Inc. in the diocese. Today it is Catholic Charities Diocese of Pueblo.[12] The last crusad tax, referring to the tax levied by the Vatican taken to fund the Crusades during the Middle Ages, was abolished by the Diocese of Pueblo in 1945.[13][14] Willging died in 1959 after 17 years as bishop.[10]

Pope John XXIII appointed Charles Buswell of the Diocese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa in 1959 as the second bishop of Pueblo. Buswell resigned as bishop of Pueblo in 1979.[15] He was replaced by Arthur Tafoya of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1980 by Pope John Paul II.[16] In 1983, John Paul II removed several counties from the Diocese of Pueblo to form the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

In 2006, the Costilla County Sheriffʼs Office began an investigation of the desecration of the All Saints Chapel and the Shrine of the Mexican Martyrs in San Luis. Pictures found on social media showed four male missionaries of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) engaged in disrespectful conduct at the shrine, including holding the head of a statue. LDS Church elders apologized to the diocese and said the men had been disciplined. Tafoya said that he had forgiven the missionaries asked the Sheriff's Office not to press charges against them.[17]

After 29 years as bishop, Tafoya retired as bishop of Pueblo in 2009.[16] In 2009, the diocese had nearly 100,000 registered Catholics, about 16% of the population.[18] That same year, Fernando Isern of the Archdiocese of Miami was appointed the fourth bishop of Pueblo by Pope Benedict XVI.[19]

After Isern retired in 2013, Pope Francis named Stephen Berg of the Diocese of Fort Worth to replace him.[19][20] As of 2026, Berg is the current bishop of Pueblo.

Reports of sex abuse

Lucas Antonio Galvan, a diocesan priest, pleaded guilty in 1989 to sexually fondling an 11-year-old girl; he was sentenced to a one to two year suspended sentence. After finishing his sentence, the priest moved to Mexico, where he was allowed to serve in several parishes. The diocese paid the victim a $90,000 settlement.[21]

In 1990, William Groves, a priest as St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Ignacio, pleaded guilty to assaulting a 14-year-old in September 1989. Groves received four years probation and sex abuse treatment.[22][23]

In October 2006, the diocese paid a $4 million settlement to 23 male victims of William Mueller, a Marianist band director at Roncalli High School in Pueblo between 1966 and 1971.[24] John Yengich sued the diocese for $1 million in 2009, claiming that he had been sexually abused by Daniel Maio from 1968 to 1969.[25] A second man accused Maio of sexual abuse in April 2010.[26] The diocese settled the Yengich lawsuit in March 2011.[27]

In October 2019, an investigation by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser revealed that 43 Catholic clergy were credibly accused of sexually abusing at least 166 children throughout Colorado since 1950.[28] At least 36 of these children were molested by 19 clergy serving in the Diocese of Pueblo.[29] In October 2020, it was revealed that all three of Colorado's Catholic dioceses, including the Diocese of Pueblo, had paid a total of $6.6 million in compensation to 81 victims of clergy sex abuse within the past year.[30] In December 2020, Weiser's final report revealed that there were an additional nine credibly accused clergy and 46 alleged victims in both the Diocese of Pueblo and the Archdiocese of Denver.[31][32]

Bishops

Bishops of Pueblo

Other diocesan priest who became a bishop

Education

As of 2026, the Diocese of Pueblo has four schools:

  • Holy Family Catholic School – Grand Junction, pre-K to grade 8[33]
  • St. Columba Catholic School – Durango, pre-K to grade 8[34]
  • St. Therese Catholic School – Pueblo, pre-K to grade 8[35]
  • St. John Neumann Catholic School – Pueblo, pre-K to grade 8

Pueblo Catholic High School closed in 1971.[36]

Coat of arms of Diocese of Pueblo
Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected Adopted 1941 Escutcheon The shield contains a crenelated wall with curving lines below the wall. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is flanked on each side by a rose above the wall Symbolism The crenelated wall symbolizes old Fort Pueblo and the curving lines represent the Arkansas River. The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pueblo. The rose on the left represents Mary, mother of Jesus, under the title of "Mystical Rose." The rose on the right represents Therese of Lisieux, principal patroness of the diocese.

References

  1. 1."Santa Fe (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  2. 2.Howlett, William (1908). "Denver". The Catholic Encyclopedia. NewAdvent.org. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. 3."Denver (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  4. 4."St. Mary-Corwin Hospital | Pueblo | CommonSpirit Health". www.mountain.commonspirit.org. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  5. 5."St. Joseph Catholic Church (Grand Junction, Colorado) |..." Steamboat Springs Community Libraries. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  6. 6."Diocese of Pueblo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. 7."About us". St. Mary's Regional Hospital. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  8. 8."About". 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  9. 9."Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Alamosa) | History Colorado". www.historycolorado.org. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  10. 10.[10.2]"Bishop Joseph Clement Willging [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  11. 11.[11.2]"Our Mission". Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo.
  12. 12."Catholic Charities Diocese of Pueblo marks 75 years of caring". Catholic Charities USA. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  13. 13.Crawford, Paul (1997). "Crusades: Legacy". ORB Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  14. 14.Cline, Austin (25 June 2019). "The Military and Political Effects of the Crusades". LearnReligions.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. 15."Bishop Charles Albert Buswell [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  16. 16.[16.2]"Bishop Arthur Nicholas Tafoya [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  17. 17."Colorado Catholics forgive Mormon missionaries during Holy Week". EWTN News. 2008-03-24. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  18. 18.Davis, James D. (16 October 2009). "Priest From Miami Appointed Bishop". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  19. 19.[19.2]"Bishop Fernando Isern". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  20. 20."Bishop Stephen Jay Berg [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  21. 21.McKiernan, Terry (2021-02-27). "Diocese of Pueblo CO - BishopAccountability.org". Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  22. 22."Fr. William Groves - Diocese of Pueblo". 12 May 2019.
  23. 23."Bishop Accountability". www.bishop-accountability.org.
  24. 24."$4 million settlement in church sex abuse case". NBC News. 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  25. 25.ABERNETHY, SAMANTHA (2010-03-18). "Man sues Pueblo Catholic diocese for alleged abuse". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  26. 26.TUCKER, JEFF. "Diocese faces new sex abuse lawsuit". Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  27. 27."Sex abuse victim awaits bishop's promised call to his mom". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  28. 28."Investigator finds 43 Catholic priests in Colorado sexually abused at least 166 children". October 23, 2019.
  29. 29."Report names 43 Colorado Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing at least 166 children since 1950". KUSA.com. 23 October 2019.
  30. 30.Padilla, Anica (October 16, 2020). "Catholic Dioceses In Colorado Pay $6.6 Million To Sex Abuse Survivors". CBS 4 Denver. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  31. 31.Schmelzer, Elise (December 1, 2020). "Further investigation into Colorado Catholic Church IDs 46 more victims, 9 more abusive priests — including Denver's Father Woody". Denver Post. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  32. 32.Sherry, Allison. "Final State Report Concludes More Than 200 Colorado Children Were Abused By Priests, Catholic Church Vows Reform". Colorado Public Radio.
  33. 33."Holy Family Catholic School". www.holyfamily-gj.org. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  34. 34."St. Columba School". www.stcdurango.org. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  35. 35."STCS Pueblo | St. Therese Catholic School, CO". STCS. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  36. 36.Beck, Kathy Bribari. "Reunion planned for Pueblo Catholic High Class of '65 Archived 2017-07-02 at the Wayback Machine." Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. July 2015. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. "celebrates its 50th reunion this fall, Sept. 11 to 13, some 40 years since all Pueblo's Catholic schools closed." - The article was published in 2015 so all Catholic schools would have closed by 1975.