Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne

The Diocese of Cheyenne (Latin: Dioecesis Cheyennensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses the entire state of Wyoming. It is suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of metropolitan Archdiocese of Denver.

Diocese of Cheyenne

Dioecesis Cheyennensis
St. Mary's Cathedral
Location
Country United States
Territory Wyoming
Ecclesiastical provinceDenver
Population
- Catholics (including non-members)
49,459 (8.5%)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedAugust 2, 1887
CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral
Patron saintOur Lady of the Assumption
St. Joseph
St. Therese of Lisieux
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopSteven Biegler
Metropolitan ArchbishopSamuel Joseph Aquila
Bishops emeritusJoseph Hubert Hart
Map
Website
dioceseofcheyenne.org

The cathedral and mother church is St. Mary's Cathedral, located in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

History

On August 2, 1887, Pope Leo XIII erected the diocese from territory that had been a part of the Diocese of Omaha.[1]

Reports of sex abuse

In June 2019, the Diocese of Cheyenne released the names of 11 priests who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Diocese.[2] Gerald Chleborad, an accused former Jackson priest who was transferred to Colorado in at least the early 2000s, had previously been arrested in Wyoming in 1995 for displaying public lewdness and had been accused of molesting children in the Diocese of Cheyenne between 1984 and 1985 and between 1995 and 2003 as well.[3] In July 2019, Bishop Steven Biegler acknowledged in a handwritten statement the history of sex abuse in the Diocese of Cheyenne and apologized.[4] In August 2019, Cheyenne police recommended criminal charges be filed against former Bishop Joseph Hart.[5] Pope Francis had authorized a canonical penal process against Hart by June 2019 as well.[6]

The original list of "credibly accused clergy" included 30 victims, 29 of whom were male and female minors,[7] with more victims coming out in August 2019 as well.[7] Some of these victims were also abused on Diocese-sponsored trips in and outside Wyoming as well.[8] Hart's successor David Ricken, who wrote a letter defending Hart and who was later made Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, has also come under scrutiny for quite possibly obstructing a previous criminal investigation against Hart which occurred in 2002.[9]

Statistics and extent

As of 2014, it pastorally served 54,995 Catholics (9.5% of 576,412 total) on 252,552 km² in 37 parishes, 64 priests (61 diocesan, 3 religious), 37 deacons, 17 lay religious (3 brothers, 14 sisters), 10 seminarians.[1]

The diocese covers the state of Wyoming, as well as the parts of Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Idaho.

Bishops

Bishops of Cheyenne
  1. Maurice Francis Burke (1887-1893), appointed Bishop of Saint Joseph
  2. Thomas Mathias Lenihan (1896-1901)
  3. James Keane (1902-1911), appointed Archbishop of Dubuque
  4. Patrick McGovern (1912-1951)
  5. Hubert Newell (1951-1978)
  6. Joseph Hubert Hart (1978-2001)
  7. David L. Ricken (2001-2008; coadjutor bishop 2000-2001), appointed Bishop of Green Bay
  8. Paul D. Etienne (2009-2016), appointed Archbishop of Anchorage
  9. Steven Biegler (2017–present)

Former Auxiliary Bishops of Cheyenne

See also

References
  1. http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/chey0.htm GCatholic
  2. Klamann 307-266-0544,seth.klamann@trib.com, Seth. "Wyoming diocese names 11 former clergy accused of sexual abuse". Casper Star-Tribune Online.
  3. Mieure, Emily. "Former Jackson priest accused of sex abuse". Jackson Hole News&Guide.
  4. Klamann, Seth. "Wyoming bishop apologizes to abuse survivors, explains inquiry into allegations against one of his predecessors". Casper Star-Tribune Online.
  6. "Wyoming police recommend sex abuse charges for two Catholic leaders". National Catholic Reporter. August 15, 2019.
  7. Klamann, Seth. "Diocese says more victims of priest abuse in Wyoming have come forward since June". Casper Star-Tribune Online.
  8. Klamann, Seth. "Attorney says boys were abused on trips to, from Wyoming; former bishop denies allegations". Casper Star-Tribune Online.
  9. Leland, Mark (August 26, 2019). "Charges recommended in clergy sexual abuse case with connection to Green Bay". WLUK.

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