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Diocese of Erie

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Diocese of Erie
Diocesis Eriensis
St. Peter Cathedral
St. Peter Cathedral
Location
Country United States
Ecclesiastical province Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Coordinates 42°07′27″N 80°05′13″W / 42.12417°N 80.08694°W
Statistics
Area 10,167 sq mi (26,330 km2)
Population
Total
Catholics 		(as of 2021)
813,513
195,243 (24%)
Parishes 96
Churches 120
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established July 29, 1853
Cathedral St. Peter Cathedral
Patron saint St. Patrick
Secular priests 169
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Bishop Lawrence T. Persico
Metropolitan Archbishop Nelson J. Perez
Map
Location of the Diocese of Erie in Pennsylvania
Website
eriercd.org

The Diocese of Erie (Latin: Dioecesis Eriensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in western Pennsylvania in the United States founded in 1853. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Its mother church is St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie.

Statistics

The Diocese of Erie is geographically the largest diocese in Pennsylvania, covering 10,167 square miles (26,332.41 km2). 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.[1]

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 seeking 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.[2][3]

In 1789, Pius VI converted the prefecture to the Diocese of Baltimore, covering all of the United States.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] The dividing line of the new diocese ran east and west along the northern boundaries of Cambria, Indiana, Armstrong, Butler, and Lawrence Counties, giving it 13 northern counties.[8]

The pope named 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 O'Connor back to Pittsburgh.[9] Five months later, the Vatican changed course, returning O'Connor to Pittsburgh and making Young the second bishop of Erie.[9]

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.[10] At the beginning of Young's tenure, the diocese contained 28 churches and 14 priests,[10] He established several Catholic schools and orphanages, and a hospital.[10] He also introduced into the diocese the Sisters of St. Joseph from Buffalo, New York.[11] In 1864, the sisters opened the St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum in Erie.[12] By the time of Young's death in 1866, the number of churches and priests in the diocese were both over 50.[10]

1868 to 1920

In 1868, Monsignor Tobia Mullen of Pittsburgh was appointed the third bishop of Erie by Pope Pius IX.[13] He founded the weekly Lake Shore Visitor newspaper, an orphanage, and two hospitals.[10] His greatest accomplishment was the erection of St. Peter's Cathedral.[14] Originally dubbed as "Mullen's Folly", its cornerstone was laid in 1875 and Mullen dedicated it in 1893.[14]

The Sisters of St. Joseph established Villa Maria Academy for girls in Erie in 1892; it became Gannon University in 1944.[15] After Mullen suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1897, Pope Leo XIII named John Fitzmaurice of Philadelphia as coadjutor bishop to assist Mullen.[10][14]

After Mullen died in 1899, Fitzmaurice automatically succeeded him as the next bishop of Erie.[16] During his 21-year-long tenure as bishop, Fitzmaurice established several parishes and dedicated St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie (1911).[17] 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.[16]

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.[18]

The Sisters of Mercy founded Mercyhurst College for women in Erie in 1926; it is today Mercyhurst University.[19] In 1933, he established Cathedral College, a two-year institution.[18] Gannon organized religious education programs under the auspices of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the diocese and founded five regional high schools.[20] The diocese opened the Erie Day Nursery in Erie in 1929.[21] The Benedictine Sisters of Erie in 1933 took over the operation of the Andrew Kaul Memorial Hospital in St. Marys; It is today the Penn Highlands Elk Hospital.[22] The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in 1934 opened the Gannondale School for Girls in Erie.[23] By the time Gannon retired in 1966, he had erected 28 parishes, 49 churches, seven rectories, and 12 convents.[18]

To replace Gannon, Pope Paul VI in 1966 named Auxiliary Bishop John Whealon from the Diocese of Cleveland as bishop of Erie. However, after only two years in Erie, Paul VI appointed Whealon as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford.[24] The pope then appointed Auxiliary Bishop Alfred Watson from Erie as its next bishop.[25] Critics accused Watson of being too slow to implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s and he met considerable opposition from the diocesan clergy.[26] During his tenure, Watson ordained 88 priests, but was forced to close or merge several Catholic schools.[26]

Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Michael Murphy of the Diocese of Cleveland as a coadjutor bishop in Erie in 1978.[27] Murphy soon visited every parish in the diocese and reorganized the diocesan administration to improve pastoral service to Catholics. He delegated some of his authority, allowing more participation in diocesan affairs of the religious sisters and the laity.[28]

1980 to present

When Watson retired in 1982, Murphy became the new bishop.[27] He founded the Emmaus Program, an annual convocation of diocesan clergy in 1983. In 1984, Murphy announced a three-year plan to raise $9 million to cover diocesan expenses, including educational and social needs and the renovation of St. Peter Cathedral; the appeal raised over $14 million in pledges.[29] In 1985, Murphy launched a spiritual growth process called RENEW, which attracted the participation of more than 20,000 people throughout the diocese and lasted until 1988.[29] He established the St. Mark Catholic Center in Erie and the diocesan Committee on Human Sexuality in 1987. Murphy merged several parishes and closed one school in 1989.[29] He retired in 1990.[27]

John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Donald Trautman of the Diocese of Buffalo as bishop of Erie in 1990.[30] As bishop, he improved the diocesan youth and vocational programs, renovated the interior of St. Peter Cathedral, and established a diocesan Deposit and Loan Fund and a retirement home for clergy named after Murphy. Trautman retired in 2011.[30] As of 2026, the current bishop of Erie is Lawrence T. Persico from the Diocese of Greensburg, named by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.[31]

Reports of sexual abuse

Gawronski case

Sean O'Hara reported to the diocese in April 2002 that he had been sexually assaulted by Chester Gawronski, a parish priest, in 1977. O'Hara said that when he told his father, Donald O'Hara, about the assaults in 1984, Donald immediately reported the allegations to the diocese. A diocesan official said that Gawronski would receive treatment and be restricted from minors in the future. The official asked the O'Hara family to keep discretion.[32]

The 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report criticized Bishops Trautman and Murphy for allowing Gawronski to remain in ministry despite numerous allegations of sexual abuse.[33][34] Gawronski had been reassigned multiple times between 1987 and 2002, and Trautman renewed Gawronski's five-year term as a chaplain in St Mary's Home in Erie in 2001.[33] In his own defense, Trautman noted that he had set guidelines in 1993 on handling sexual abuse and established the diocesan Office for the Protection of Children and Youth in 2003. Gawronski was laicized in 2006.[35]

Presley case

Also in April 2002, three individuals accused William Presley, a parish priest, of physical and sexual abuse when they were minors between 1963 and 1974. The victims said that Presley would punch and slap them as well as force them into sodomy and oral sex.[36] After Presley admitted to sexually abuse, Trautman permanently removed him from ministry. In 1987, two different victims had approached the diocese with similar complaints about Presley. Conceding that Presley had violent tendencies, the diocese sent him in 1990 to a psychologist for evaluation. After the evaluation, the diocese returned Presley to ministry.[36]

In 2005, the Vatican tasked Bishop Mark Bartchak of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, who had served as a priest in Erie, with investigating Presley. During his investigation, Bartchak continuously re-interviewed a male victim who had made allegations about Presley in 1982, 1987 and 2002.[37] In August 2005, Bartchak sent a secret memo to Trautman.[37] Parts of the memo read

"I was not surprised to learn from other witnesses from the Elk County area, that there are likely to be other victims" and that "it is likely that there may be others who were also of the age for the offenses to be considered delicts, but to what end is it necessary to follow every lead?"[37]

Bartchak stated in another memo, following a meeting with Trautman on August 29, 2005:

"Bishop Trautman decided that in order to preclude further scandal, these additional witnesses should not be contacted, especially given the fact that it is not likely that they will lead to information concerning delicts involving minors under 16 years of age."[37]

The 2018 grand jury report criticized Bartchak for how he interviewed the Presley's victim and for his communications with Trautman.[37]

Grand jury report

In early 2016, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro convened a special grand jury to investigate allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including the Diocese of Erie.[38] In April 2018, the diocese published a list of 34 priests and 17 laypeople who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children.[39][40] By July 2018, the list had grown to 64 names.[41]

In August 2018, the Pennsylvania grand jury report was released, revealing 41 clergy in the Diocese of Erie with credible accusations of sexually abusing children.[42][43] The report praised Bishop Persico, who acknowledged there had been a cover-up of sexual abuse crimes in the diocese.[33]

In October 2018, David Lee Poulson, a diocesan priest, pleaded guilty to charges of corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. Poulson had been accused of repeatedly sexually abusing one boy and attempting to sexually abuse another.[44] In January 2019, Poulson received a two-and-a-half to 14-year prison sentence.[45] In March 2019, the Vatican laicized Poulson.[46]

Bishops

Bishops of Erie

  1. Michael O'Connor (1853–1854), appointed Bishop of Pittsburgh
  2. Joshua Maria Young (1854–1866)
  3. Tobias Mullen (1868–1899)
  4. John Edmund Fitzmaurice (1899–1920)
  5. John Mark Gannon (1920–1966), elevated to Archbishop (ad personam) in 1953
  6. John Francis Whealon (1966–1968), appointed Archbishop of Hartford
  7. Alfred Michael Watson (1969–1982)
  8. Michael Joseph Murphy (1982–1990)
  9. Donald Walter Trautman (1990–2012)
  10. Lawrence T. Persico (2012–present)

Auxiliary bishops

  • John Mark Gannon (1917–1920), appointed Bishop of Erie
  • Edward Peter McManaman (1948–1964)
  • Alfred Michael Watson (1965–1969), appointed Bishop of Erie

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

Vicariates

The Diocese of Erie is divided into three vicariates:[47]

Eastern Vicariate

Northern Vicariate

  • Parishes in Erie, part of Forest and Warren counties
  • Erie East and Erie West deaneries in Erie and a deanery in Warren

Western Vicariate

Parishes

As of 2026, the Diocese of Erie has 76 parishes with 77 active diocesan priests and 58 permanent deacons.[49] Its historically significant parishes include:

Church Dedication Location History
St. Mary (closed) 1840 Erie First church built in 1839 by German immigrants, second church dedicated in 1885. Church closed in 2015, parish merged with St. Stanislaus[50]
St. Philip 1847 Crossingville First mass celebrated in 1807. Current church dedicated in 1847. Parish merged in 2007 into Saint Lawrence the Martyr in Albion.[51]
St. Mary 1853 St. Marys Parish founded in 1842 by German immigrants from Bavaria[52] First church constructed in 1845, current church dedicated in 1853.[53]
St. Stanislaus 1885 Erie Founded by Polish immigrants in 1886[54]
St. Francis Assisi 1886 Clearfield First church dedicated in 1832. Current church dedicated in 1886.[55]
St. Michael the Archangel 1887 Fryburg Founded in 1836 by German Catholics, current church completed in 1887[56]
St. Hippolyte 1888 Frenchtown Parish founded in 1834, current church dedicated in 1888[57]
St. Nicholas of Tolentino 1893 Crates Founded as a parish in 1828, first church dedicated by Kenrick in 1835. Current church dedicated in 1893. Now a mission church of St. Charles Parish in New Bethlehem.[58]
St. Peter Cathedral 1893 Erie Cathedral dedicated in 1893[59]
St. Patrick 1903 Erie First church built in 1837, current church built in 1903. Served as co-cathedral from 1852 to 1983[60]
St. Andrew 1916 Erie Parish founded in 1871, current church completed in 1916.

Education

As of 2026, the Diocese of Erie has 28 schools with an approximate enrollment of 4,300 students.[49] Unlike other dioceses, the Diocese of Erie does not operate a central school system.

School systems

Many of the dozens of schools in the diocese are run by independent school systems, some are run by parishes.[61]

Universities

Gannon University – Erie[62]

Cemeteries

Erie Diocesan Cemeteries operates the following cemeteries, all in the City of Erie:[63]

Canonical status and jurisdiction

Diocese of Erie is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[68]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Diocese of Erie, Diocese of (Eriensis), established 1853; it embraces the thirteen counties of North-Western Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: Erie, Crawford, Warren, McKean, Potter, Mercer, Venango, Forest, Elk, Cameron, Clarion, Jeferson, and Clearfield, an area of 10,027 square miles.

This territory enjoys the distinction of having been under three different national and ecclesiastical governments: under the French flag and the See of Quebec from 1753 to 1758; under the English flag and the Vicariate Apostolic of London from 1758 to the Treaty of Paris, September 3, 1783, and the erection of the See of Baltimore in 1789; under the American flag since the Treaty of Paris and a part of the See of Baltimore until the establishment of the Diocese of Philadelphia in 1808. In August, 1843, when the Diocese of Pittsburg was formed, it included all that part of the State of Pennsylvania west of a line running along the eastern border of Bedford, Huntingdon, Clearfield, Elk, McKean, and Potter counties, and consequently, the territory of the present Diocese of Erie.

In 1853 the Right Rev. Michael O'Connor, the first Bishop of Pittsburg, petitioned the Holy See, through the Fifth Provincial Council of Baltimore, for a division of his diocese, and took for himself the poorest part, and thus became the first Bishop of the Diocese of Erie. When Bishop O'Connor assumed the government of the diocese, July 29, 1853, there were only twenty-eight churches with eleven secular priests and three Benedictine Fathers to attend to the wants of the Catholics scattered throughout the thirteen counties. At the urgent request and petition of the priests and people of Pittsburg, Bishop O'Connor was restored to them, having governed the Diocese of Erie for the short period of seven months.

His successor at Erie was the Rev. Josue Moody Young, a member of an old Puritan, New England family, born October 29, 1808, at Shapleigh, Maine. He became a convert from Congregationalism and was baptized in October, 1828, by the famous New England missionary, Father Charles D. Ffrench, O.P., when he then changed the Moody of his name to Maria. He was ordained priest April 1, 1838, and consecrated second Bishop of Erie, in Cincinnati, by Archbishop Purcell, on April 23, 1854. The outlook at his accession was gloomy. Many of the priests who were affiliated with Pittsburg before the division, returned there with Bishop O'Connor. Among those who cast their lot with the new diocese the most noteworthy were the Very Rev. John D. Coady, Revs. Anthony Reek, Joseph Hartman, M. A. De La Roque, John Berbegier, Andrew Skopez, Kieran O'Brannigan, and also Messrs. John Koch and Thomas Lonnergan, at that time studying for the priesthood. There were but two churches in Erie city, St. Patrick's, the pro-cathedral, and St. Mary's, built for a German congregation by Rev. Joseph Hartman. Outside the city there were twenty-eight churches, with eleven secular priests and three Benedictines for a Catholic population of 12,000. The church buildings outside the city of Erie were mostly wooden structures. There was only one Catholic school. The discovery of petroleum on Oil Creek, August 28, 1859, gave a great impetus to both secular and religious progress throughout the diocese. To accommodate the settlers that located in the valleys of Oil Creek and the Allegheny River, where towns sprang up as by magic, churches were hastily erected, but the number of priests was still inadequate. As there were no railroads Bishop Young's labors were in the beginning very heavy. He died suddenly September 18, 1866. At his death the Catholic population had more than doubled, and several new churches and schools had sprung into existence.

The vicar-general, Very Rev. John D. Coady, governed the diocese during the interregnum until the third bishop, the Rev. Tobias Mullen, was consecrated, August 2, 1868. He was born in the County Tyrone, Ireland, March 4, 1818, and was ordained priest at Pittsburg, September 1, 1844, having gone there with Bishop O'Connor from Maynooth the previous year as a volunteer for the American mission. Under his direction a new era began, priests were ordained, new parishes sprang up, churches and schools were built, regular conferences for the clergy were held. Religious orders were introduced and new institutions arose for the maintenance and spread of religion, and for the enlightenment, and comfort, and shelter of suffering humanity. The frame churches gave place to brick and stone structures. The bishop himself was a tireless worker and infused his own spirit into his priests. A Catholic weekly, the "Lake Shore Visitor", was issued, edited mostly by the bishop himself, in the midst of labors that called him to every part of his extensive diocese. The Poles, the Slays, the Hungarians, and the Italians had churches and priests provided for them, the orphans a large new home, the sick were provided with two large hospitals, and finally his crowning work, St. Peter's Cathedral, was finished, clear of debt, and consecrated in 1893, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his consecration. In the following year he celebrated the golden jubilee of his priesthood. His strong active mind and body began to fail and on May 19, 1897, he suffered a paralytic stroke and a coadjutor, the Rev. John E. Fitz Maurice, president of St. Charles's Seminary, Overbrook, Philadelphia, was chosen by the Holy See and consecrated titular Bishop of Amisus with right of succession in Philadelphia, February 24, 1898. Bishop Mullen resigned, August 10, 1899, and died, April 22, 1900. Bishop Fitz Maurice succeeded as fourth bishop of the diocese, on September 19, 1899, and the good work inaugurated under the late bishop went on quietly and steadily. He was born at Newtown-Sandes, County Kerry, Ireland, January 9, 1840, and ordained priest in Philadelphia, December 21, 1862. After officiating in several parishes he was appointed rector of the diocesan seminary in 1886.

The religious orders in the diocese are the Benedictines, the Redemptorists, the Brothers of Mary, the Benedictine Nuns, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Felician Sisters. At one time the Franciscans, the Bridgettines, and the Sistersof the Humility of Mary had houses in the diocese. The Benedictines settled at St. Mary's, Elk county, under Bishop O'Connor and in 1858 took charge of St. Mary's, Erie. The Redemptorists in 1875 began their foundation, purchasing a Presbyterian college—at Northeast—which they made a seminary and college for young men who intended to join their order. They have 142 students.

The Sisters of St. Joseph entered the diocese in 1860, and have charge of the orphan asylum, the home for the aged, the two hospitals, the Academy of Villa Maria, the motherhouse in the diocese, and of fifteen parochial schools. The Sisters of Mercy, who entered the diocese September 24, 1870, besides the academy in Titusville, the motherhouse, have charge of eight parochial schools. The Sisters of St. Benedict (St. Mary's, Penn.) (July 22, 1852) have St. Benedict's Academy, the motherhouse at St. Mary's, and teach seven schools. The (Erie) Sisters of St. Benedict, besides the academy and school of St. Mary's Church, teach five parochial schools, and also conduct an academy in Sharon. The Felician Sisters teach St. Stanislaus' Polish school, in the city of Erie.

There are in the diocese 100 churches, with resident priests, 46 missions with churches, and 11 chapels; 160 priests—135 secular, 25 regular; 45 parochial schools, 3 academies for young ladies, 1 orphan asylum with 216 orphans, making a total of young people under the care of the Church, 10,385; two hospitals, and one home for the aged. The Catholic population of the diocese is estimated at 121,108.

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