The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus (Latin: Dioecesis Columbensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati covering 23 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The episcopal see of the diocese is situated at Columbus. The diocese was erected on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX out of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. On October 21, 1944 the diocese lost territory when Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Steubenville.
The Catholic faith was brought in the area by the Dominican Order in Somerset. They established St. Joseph's Parish in Somerset, the state's oldest parish, while under the direction of Edward Fenwick. These Dominican friars spread the faith in various areas of Central and Southern Ohio. Pennsylvania Germans and Irish immigrants settled in this part of the state, which led to the establishment of the older parishes. While the Germans and Irish settled in the southeastern part of Ohio, French immigrants came to the northern part of the diocese. In addition, small groups of Italians, Hungarians, and Slovaks moved into farming communities or in the city of Columbus.
The bishops of the diocese, in the order they served, are::
- Sylvester Horton Rosecrans (1868–1878) died
- John Ambrose Watterson (1880–1899) died
- Henry Moeller (1900–1903) appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Cincinnati
- James Joseph Hartley (1903–1944) died
- Michael Joseph Ready (1944–1957) died
- Clarence George Issenmann (1957–1964) appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Cleveland
- John Joseph Carberry (1965–1968) appointed Archbishop of Saint Louis and elevated to Cardinal in 1969
- Clarence Edward Elwell (1968–1973) died
- Edward John Herrmann (1973–1982) retired
- James Anthony Griffin (1983–2004) retired
- Frederick Francis Campbell (2005—)
note: Father Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher served as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante between Rosecrans' death in 1878 and Watterson's appointment in 1880. He would later be appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Galveston in 1882 and succeed in 1892.
Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, Bishop of Galveston (1892-1918) was a priest in the Diocese of Columbus (1868-1882)
Francis William Howard, Bishop of Covington (1923–1944) was a priest in the Diocese of Columbus (1891–1923)
Edward Gerard Hettinger was Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus (1941–1977)
George Avis Fulcher was Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus (1976–1983) before being appointed Bishop of Lafayette (1983–1984)
As of 2011, the Diocese of Columbus comprises 106 parishes and three missions. The parishes are divided into the following deaneries:
Center - South Columbus Deanery
Community of Holy Rosary/St. John the Evangelist, Columbus (African American; 1979)
Corpus Christi, Columbus (1923)
Holy Cross, Columbus (German; 1846)
Sts. Augustine & Gabriel, Columbus (Vietnamese; 1925)
St. Dominic, Columbus (African American; 1889)
St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus (1866)
St. Ladislas, Columbus (Hungarian/Croatian 1908)
St. Mary of the Assumption, Columbus (German; 1865)
St. Patrick, Columbus (Irish; 1852)
St. Thomas the Apostle, Columbus (1900)
Northwest Columbus Deanery
Our Lady of Victory, Columbus (1922)
St. Agatha, Columbus (1940)
St. Andrew, Columbus (1955)
Saint Brendan the Navigator Church, Hilliard (1956)
St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin (1987)
St. Christopher, Columbus (1947)
St. Joan of Arc, Powell (1987)
St. Margaret of Cortona, Columbus (Italian; 1921)
St. Peter, Columbus (1970)
St. Timothy, Columbus (1961)
North High Deanery
Holy Name, Columbus (1905)
Immaculate Conception, Columbus (1916)
Our Lady of Peace, Columbus (1946)
Parroquia Santa Cruz, Columbus (Hispanic; 1993)
Sacred Heart, Columbus (1875)
St. Francis of Assisi, Columbus (1892)
St. John the Baptist, Columbus (Italian; 1895)
St. Michael the Archangel, Worthington (1946)
St. Thomas More Newman Center, Columbus (1906)
Northland Columbus Deanery
Church of the Resurrection, New Albany (1983)
St. Anthony, Columbus (1963)
St. Elizabeth, Columbus (1967)
St. James the Less, Columbus (1947)
St. John Neumann, Sunbury (1977)
St. Matthias, Columbus (1956)
St. Paul, Westerville (1913)
West Columbus Deanery
Holy Family, Columbus (Irish; 1877)
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City (1954)
Sts. Simon & Jude, West Jefferson (German/Irish; 1867)
St. Agnes, Columbus (1954)
St. Aloysius, Columbus (1906)
St. Cecilia, Columbus (1882)
St. Joseph, Plain City (1864)
St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus (1928)
St. Patrick, London (German/Irish; 1866)
St. Stephen the Martyr, Columbus (Hispanic; 1963)
East Columbus Deanery
Blessed John XXIII, Canal Winchester (2000)
Christ the King, Columbus (1946)
Holy Spirit, Columbus (1947)
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Columbus (1967)
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Pickerington (1978)
St. Catharine of Siena, Columbus (1931)
St. Mary, Groveport (1871)
St. Matthew, Gahanna (1959)
St. Philip the Apostle, Columbus (1956)
St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg (1958)
Marion Deanery
Immaculate Conception, Kenton (1866)
Our Lady of Lourdes, Ada (1874)
Our Lady of Lourdes, Marysville (1866)
Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary, Cardington (1971)
St. Mary, Delaware (1854)
St. Mary, Marion (1864)
Perry County-Zanesville Deanery
Church of the Atonement, Crooksville (1902)
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mattingly Settlement (1856)
Holy Trinity, Somerset (1826)
St. Ann, Dresden (1877)
St. Bernard, Corning (1885)
St. Joseph, Somerset (1818)
St. Nicholas, Zanesville (German; 1842)
St. Patrick, Junction City (1827)
St. Rose of Lima, New Lexington (1867)
St. Thomas Aquinas, Zanesville (Irish/Italian; 1842)
Knox-Licking Deanery
Church of the Ascension, Johnstown (1912)
Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Newark (1904)
Church of the Nativity, Utica (1912)
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Buckeye Lake (1928)
St. Edward the Confessor, Granville (1947)
St. Francis de Sales, Newark (1844)
St. Leonard, Heath (1962)
St. Luke, Danville (1823)
St. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon (1839)
Tuscawaras-Holmes-Coshocton Deanery
Holy Trinity, Zoar (1995)
Immacualte Conception, Dennison (Irish; 1870)
Sacred Heart, Coshocton (1897)
Sacred Heart, New Philadelphia (1895)
Sts. Peter & Paul, Glenmont (1855)
St. Francis de Sales, Newcomerstown (1918)
St. Joseph, Dover (German/Italian; 1848)
St. Peter, Millersburg (1877)
Lancaster Deanery
St. Bernadette, Lancaster (1963)
St. Mary, Bremen (1917)
St. Mark, Lancaster (1959)
St. Mary of the Assumption, Lancaster (1819)
St. John the Evangelist, Logan (1838)
St. Joseph, Sugar Grove (1892)
Chillicothe Deanery
Holy Trinity, Jackson (1880)
Sts. Peter & Paul, Wellston (1881)
St. Colman of Cloyne, Washington Courthouse (1881)
St. Joseph, Circleville (1845)
St. Mary, Chillicothe (1837)
St. Mary Queen of the Missions, Waverly (1878)
St. Peter, Chillicothe (German; 1846)
St. Sylvester, Zaleski (Irish; 1864)
Scioto County Deanery
Holy Redeemer, Portsmouth (Irish; 1853)
Holy Trinity, Pond Creek (French; 1854)
Our Lady of Lourdes, Otway (1916)
Our Lady of Sorrows, West Portsmouth (1945)
St. Mary of the Annunciation, Portsmouth (German; 1880)
St. Monica, New Boston (1916)
St. Peter in Chains, Wheelersburg (1849)
Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Columbus
Ohio Dominican University, Columbus
Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus (Jurisdiction of the Apostolic Nuncio)
Bishop Hartley High School, Columbus
Bishop Ready High School, Columbus
Bishop Rosecrans High School, Zanesville
Bishop Watterson High School, Columbus
Cristo Rey Columbus High School, Columbus
Newark Catholic High School, Newark
Notre Dame High School, Portsmouth
Saint Charles Preparatory School, Columbus
St. Francis DeSales High School, Columbus
Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, New Philadelphia
William V. Fisher Catholic High School, Lancaster
Marion Catholic High School, Marion (closing in 2013)
St, Ladislas School, Columbus
Corpus Christi School, Columbus
St. Mary High School, Columbus
Holy Family School, Columbus
Bishop Flaget High School, Chillicothe
Father Wehrle High School, Columbus
St. Leo School, Columbus
St. Peter, Chillicothe
St. Mary, Chillicothe
All Saints Academy, Columbus
Bishop Fenwick, Zanesville
Bishop Flaget, Chillicothe
Blessed Sacrament, Newark
Holy Spirit, Columbus
Holy Trinity, Somerset
Immaculate Conception, Columbus
Immaculate Conception, Dennison
Notre Dame Elementary, Portsmouth
Our Lady of Bethlehem, Columbus
Our Lady of Peace, Columbus
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City
Sacred Heart, Coshocton
St. Agatha, Columbus
St. Andrew, Columbus
St. Anthony, Columbus
St. Bernadette, Lancaster
St. Brendan, Hilliard
St. Brigid of Kildare, Dublin
St. Catharine, Columbus
St. Cecilia, Columbus
St. Francis de Sales, Newark
St. James the Less, Columbus
St. John, Logan
St. Joseph Montessori, Columbus
St. Mary Elementary, Lancaster
St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus
St. Mary, Columbus
St. Mary, Delaware
St. Mary, Marion
St. Matthew, Gahanna
St. Matthias, Columbus
St. Michael, Worthington
St. Patrick, London
St. Paul, Westerville
St. Pius X, Reynoldsburg
St. Rose of Lima, New Lexington
St. Timothy, Columbus
St. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon
Sts. Peter and Paul, Wellston
Trinity Elementary, Columbus
Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary School, Dover
Genesis HealthCare System, Zanesville (combination of Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda Hospital). Good Samaritan Hospital began in 1900 and is co-sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Mt. Carmel Hospitals, Columbus (Mt. Carmel, East; Mt. Carmel, West; St. Ann, Westerville). Mt. Carmel opened in 1886, by the Sisters of the Holy Cross from St. Mary's, Indiana. In 1972, Mt. Carmel East opened to serve the suburbs. Also, St. Ann's Hospital was bought by Mt. Carmel in 1995. At one time, St. Ann's was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity.
Trinity Hospital Twin City, Dennison. Bought by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania in May 2011.
Former Hospitals
The following list are the closed hospitals of the Diocese, which stopped operations due to high costs and other factors:
St. Francis Hospital, Columbus (1862–1955). Operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The building was razed in 1957 and today it is the site of Grant Hospital.
St. Anthony's Hospital, Columbus (1891–1991). Also operated by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis. The original building was razed in 1971 and was finally sold in 1991. It is now part of the Ohio State University hospital system.
San Antonio Hospital, Kenton (1897–1963). The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati owned the facilities.
Mercy Hospital, Mt. Vernon (1919–1975). Owned by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. This hospital closed and merged with the local public hospital of Mt. Vernon.
Mercy Hospital, Portsmouth (1917–1981). This hospital was owned by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes from Rochester, Minnesota. It was sold to the community hospital in the city.
The Diocese of Columbus has many religious institutes of men and women serving in parishes, schools, colleges, and hospitals.
Religious priests and brothers
Dominicans (Province of St. Joseph)
Holy Trinity Parish, Somerset
Pontifical College Josephinum
Ohio Dominican University
St. Joseph Parish, Somerset
St. Patrick Parish, Columbus
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Zanesville
Paulist Fathers
St. Thomas More Newman Center
Precious Blood Fathers
St. James the Less Parish, Columbus
Society of Jesus
Pontifical College Josephinum
Sons of the Immaculate Conception Congregation
Mt. Carmel Hospitals
Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Columbus
Holy Cross Sisters, Columbus
Dominican Sisters of Peace, Columbus
Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Columbus
Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, Columbus
Missionary Servants of the Word, Columbus
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, Columbus
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Chillicothe
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Worthington
Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, Zanesville
WVSG 820 AM Saint Gabriel Radio (the former WOSU (AM))
WFOT at 89.5 FM licensed to Lexington and serving the Mansfield area. Annunciation Radio airs programming from EWTN Global Catholic Radio. WFOT broadcasts as a simulcast of WNOC.
WULM "Radio Maria" 1600 AM in Springfield which reaches towards Columbus in some areas during daylight hours and can also be heard 24/7 on the internet, Android, iPhone and BlackBerry via their respective phone applications which can be downloaded at radiomaria.us Radio Maria USA is based at originating station KJMJ 580 AM in Alexandria, Louisiana.
WNOP "Sacred Heart Radio" 720 AM licensed to Newport, Kentucky and based in Cincinnati which also airs local and EWTN programming...plus an FM sister, WHSS 89.5 in Hamilton.
