The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 in the New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 region of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The geographic boundaries of the diocese are the same as those of Worcester County, Massachusetts, the geographically largest county of the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

. It is led by a prelate

Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 which is pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 of the mother church

Mother Church

In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...

, Cathedral of Saint Paul

Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester

The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester in Worcester, Massachusetts....

 in the City of Worcester

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....

.

The diocese was canonically erected on January 14, 1950 by Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII

The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....

. Its territories were taken from the neighboring Diocese of Springfield

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...

. The current and fifth bishop is Robert Joseph McManus

Robert Joseph McManus

Robert Joseph McManus is the fifth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts. He has been in post since May 14, 2004, where he succeeded Daniel P. Reilly, who retired.-Life before Worcester:...

.

List of Bishops

1. John Joseph Wright, DD (1950-1959) appointed Bishop of Pittsburgh
   Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
   The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is a Roman Catholic diocese. It was established in Western Pennsylvania on August 11, 1843. The diocese includes 211 parishes in the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington, an area of with a Catholic population of 719,801...
   
   , later elevated to Cardinal
   Cardinal (Catholicism)
   A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
   
    in 1969 and appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
   Congregation for the Clergy
   The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
   
    (1969-1979)
2. Bernard Joseph Flanagan
   Bernard Joseph Flanagan
   Bernard Joseph Flanagan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Worcester .-Biography:...
   
   , DD (1959-1983) retired
3. Timothy Joseph Harrington
   Timothy Joseph Harrington
   Timothy Joseph Harrington was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Worcester from 1983 to 1994.-Biography:...
   
   , DD (1983-1994) retired
4. Daniel Patrick Reilly
   Daniel Patrick Reilly
   Daniel Patrick Reilly is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Worcester .-Biography:...
   
   , DD (1994-2004) retired
5. Robert Joseph McManus
   Robert Joseph McManus
   Robert Joseph McManus is the fifth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts. He has been in post since May 14, 2004, where he succeeded Daniel P. Reilly, who retired.-Life before Worcester:...
   
   , STD (2004-present)

Auxiliary Bishop

Auxiliary bishop

An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

s:

1. Timothy Joseph Harrington
   Timothy Joseph Harrington
   Timothy Joseph Harrington was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Worcester from 1983 to 1994.-Biography:...
   
   , DD (1968-1983) appointed Bishop
2. George Edward Rueger, DD (1988-2005) retired

Organization of Parishes

In 2004, Bishop Reilly grouped parishes into "clusters" . The purpose of this system is to allow communities to come together for a regional event. Also, priests may substitute for one another at a particular parish.

Parish	City/Town	Cluster
Ascension (closed 7/1/08)	Worcester	42
Blessed Sacrament	Worcester	44
Christ the King	Worcester	32
Good Shepherd	Linwood	22
Holy Angels	Upton	23
Holy Cross	Templeton (East Templeton)	2
Holy Family of Nazareth	Leominster	8
Holy Name of Jesus (French French people The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups... ; closed 7/1/08)	Worcester	43
Holy Spirit (Hispanic)	Gardner	3
Immaculate Conception	Fitchburg	6
Immaculate Conception	Lancaster	11
Immaculate Conception	Worcester	44
Immaculate Heart of Mary	Winchendon	2
Madonna of the Holy Rosary	Fitchburg	5
Mary, Queen of the Rosary	Spencer	33
North American Martyrs	Auburn	18
Notre Dame	Southbridge	29
Notre Dame & St. Joseph (renamed Holy Family) (French Canadian French Canadian French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries... )	Worcester	39
Our Lady Immaculate	Athol	1
Our Lady of Częstochowa (Polish)	Worcester	42
Our Lady of Fatima	Worcester	44
Our Lady of Good Counsel	West Boylston	14
Our Lady of Jasna Gora	Clinton	11
Our Lady of Loreto	Worcester	40
Our Lady of Lourdes	Worcester	40
Our Lady of Mercy	Worcester	Maronite
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel & St. Ann (Italian Italian people The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people... )	Worcester	39
Our Lady of Perpetual Help	Worcester	Melkite Melkite The term Melkite, also written Melchite, refers to various Byzantine Rite Christian churches and their members originating in the Middle East. The word comes from the Syriac word malkāyā , and the Arabic word Malakī...
Our Lady of the Angels	Worcester	37
Our Lady of the Assumption	Millbury	19
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary	Gardner	3
Our Lady of the Lake	Leominster	9
Our Lady of the Rosary	Clinton	11
Our Lady of the Rosary	Worcester	38
Our Lady of Vilna (historically Lithuanian, currently Vietnamese Vietnamese people The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam... )	Worcester	42
Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Mission	Royalston (South Royalston)	1
Prince of Peace	Princeton	10
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Fitchburg	5
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Gardner	3
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Hopedale	24
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Milford	24
Sacred Heart of Jesus (French French people The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups... )	Southbridge	29
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Webster	28
Sacred Heart of Jesus	West Brookfield	34
Sacred Heart of Jesus	Worcester	41
St. Aloysius	Hardwick (Gilbertville)	36
St. Aloysius & St. Jude	Leicester	31
St. Andrew Bobola (Polish)	Dudley	27
St. Andrew the Apostle	Worcester	37
St. Ann	Oxford (North Oxford)	26
St. Anna	Leominster	8
St. Anne	Ashburnham (South Ashburnham)	4
St. Anne	Shrewsbury	15
St. Anne	Southborough	17
St. Anne & St. Patrick (run by Assumptionists Assumptionists The Augustinians of the Assumption constitute a congregation of Catholic religious , founded in Nîmes, southern France, by Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon in 1845, initially approved by Rome in 1857 and definitively approved in 1864 . The current Rule of Life of the congregation draws its inspiration from... )	Sturbridge (Fiskedale)	30
St. Anne	Worcester (Manchaug)	21
St. Anthony di Padua	Fitchburg	6
St. Anthony of Padua	Dudley	28
St. Augustine Mission	Hardwick (Wheelwright)	36
St. Augustine	Millville	25
St. Bernadette	Northborough	16
St. Bernard	Fitchburg	7
St. Bernard	Worcester	38
St. Boniface	Lunenburg	9
St. Brigid	Millbury	19
St. Camillus de Lellis (historically French French people The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups... )	Fitchburg	7
St. Casimir (Lithuanian; closed 7/1/08)	Worcester	42
St. Catherine of Sweden	Worcester	41
St. Cecilia	Leominster	8
St. Charles Borromeo	Worcester	37
St. Christopher	Worcester	14
St. Columba	Paxton	32
St. Denis	Ashburnham	4
St. Denis	Douglas	21
St. Edward the Confessor	Westminster	4
St. Francis of Assisi	Athol	1
St. Francis of Assisi (Hispanic)	Fitchburg	6
St. Francis Xavier	Bolton	12
St. Gabriel the Archangel (established 2006) Merging of St. Michael the Archangel (Mendon) and Holy Angels (Upton) New Church due to be completed by 2008.	Upton	23
St. George	Worcester	13
St. Hedwig (Polish)	Southbridge	29
St. James	Grafton (South Grafton)	20
St. Joan of Arc (Hispanic)	Worcester	38
St. John St. John's Catholic Church (Worcester, Massachusetts) St. John's Catholic Church, established in 1834, is an historic Roman Catholic parish church in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest established Catholic religious institution in the city, and the oldest Catholic parish in New England outside of Boston...	Worcester	42
St. John the Baptist	East Brookfield	33
St. John the Evangelist	Clinton	11
St. Joseph	Auburn	18
St. Joseph	Barre	36
St. Joseph	Charlton	30
St. Joseph (Hispanic)	Fitchburg	5
St. Joseph	Gardner	3
St. Joseph & St. Pius X	Leicester	31
St. Joseph	North Brookfield	34
St. Joseph Basilica St. Joseph Basilica (Webster) St. Joseph Basilica was founded in 1887 as the first Catholic parish in Webster, Massachusetts designated for Polish immigrants in New England. The basilica is located in the Catholic Diocese of Worcester....	Webster	27
St. Joseph the Good Provider	Berlin	11
St. Leo (Hispanic)	Leominster	8
St. Louis	Webster	28
St. Luke the Evangelist	Westborough	17
St. Margaret Mary (closed 7/11/08)	Worcester	39
St. Mark	Sutton	19
St. Martin Mission	Templeton (Otter River)	2
St. Mary	Brookfield	34
St. Mary	Grafton (North Grafton)	20
St. Mary	Holden (Jefferson)	13
St. Mary	Shrewsbury	15
St. Mary (Hispanic)	Southbridge	29
St. Mary	Uxbridge	22
St. Mary of the Hills	Boylston	15
St. Mary the Assumption	Milford	24
St. Matthew	Southborough	17
St. Michael the Archangel	Mendon	23
St. Patrick	Northbridge (Whitinsville)	22
St. Patrick	Rutland	10
St. Paul	Blackstone	25
St. Paul	Warren	35
St. Paul Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester in Worcester, Massachusetts....	Worcester	44
St. Peter	Northbridge	22
St. Peter	Petersham	1
St. Peter (Hispanic and African-American African American African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States... )	Worcester	43
St. Philip	Grafton	20
St. Richard of Chichester	Sterling	10
St. Roch	Oxford	26
St. Rose of Lima	Northborough	16
St. Stanislaus	Warren (West Warren)	35
St. Stephen	Worcester	39
St. Theresa	Blackstone	25
St. Theresa, the Little Flower	Harvard	12
St. Thomas à Becket	Barre (South Barre)	36
St. Thomas Aquinas	Warren (West Warren)	35
St. Vincent de Paul	Templeton (Baldwinville)	2

High schools

• Holy Name Central Catholic High School
  Holy Name Central Catholic High School
  Holy Name Central Catholic Junior Senior High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...
  
  , Worcester
• Magnificat Academy
  Magnificat Academy
  Magnificat Academy is a Catholic middle school and high school located in Warren, Massachusetts, which opened in 2005 in the Parish Hall and Rectory of St. Paul Church with 20 students. It is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester....
  
  , Warren
• Notre Dame Academy
  Notre Dame Academy (Worcester, Massachusetts)
  Notre Dame Academy is a private, all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester.-Background:...
  
  , Worcester
• Notre Dame Preparatory School
  Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
  Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic high school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. The population of the school is average 32–42 students. It is a small sized boarding and day school...
  
  , Fitchburg
• St. Bernard's High School
  St. Bernard's High School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
  St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School is a diocesan, Roman Catholic high school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester on 45 Harvard Street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.-History:...
  
  , Fitchburg
• St. John's High School
  St. John's High School (Massachusetts)
  Saint John's High School is a private Catholic boys' high school located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...
  
  , Shrewsbury
• St. Mary's Central Catholic High School
  St. Mary's Central Catholic High School (Worcester, Massachusetts)
  -Notes and references:...
  
  , Worcester
• Saint Peter-Marian High School
  Saint Peter-Marian High School
  -Campus and location:Saint Peter-Marian's campus is situated upon a hill in a residential neighborhood. It is less than one mile to the town of Holden, Massachusetts. There is one main building with an annex that houses the senior high school, while another building is home to the junior high...
  
  , Worcester

Administrators

• Most Rev. Robert Joseph McManus
  Robert Joseph McManus
  Robert Joseph McManus is the fifth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts. He has been in post since May 14, 2004, where he succeeded Daniel P. Reilly, who retired.-Life before Worcester:...
  
  , STD
  Doctor of Sacred Theology
  The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....
  
  , Bishop
• Most Rev. Daniel P. Reilly, DD
  Doctor of Divinity
  Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
  
  , Bishop Emeritus
• Most Rev. George E. Rueger, DD
  Doctor of Divinity
  Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
  
  , Auxiliary Emeritus
• Rev. Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, JCL
  Licentiate of Canon Law
  Licentiate of Canon Law is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law...
  
  , Judicial Vicar
• Rev. Paul T. O'Connell, JCD
  Doctor of Canon Law
  Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D...
  
  , Associate Judicial Vicar
• Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, Chancellor and Director of Fiscal Affairs
• Rev. Rocco Piccolomini, Director of Priest Personal
• Sister Paula Kelleher, SSJ
  Josephite Fathers
  The Josephite Fathers and Brothers or, more properly, Saint Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart, Inc. are a society of Catholic priests and brothers, based in the United States. It was formed in 1871 by a group of priests from the English Foreign Mission Society of Saint Joseph, also known as...
  
  , Vicar for Religious

Resources

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
• Catholic Hierarchy Profile of the Diocese of Worcester