ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI’S TIMELINE

1821

Pope Pius VII issues Papal bull creating the Diocese of Cincinnati and names Fr. Fenwick as the first bishop.

1820s

1831

Anti-Catholic sentiment prompts Bishop Fenwick to found The Catholic Telegraph.

1833

Father John B. Purcell, a teacher, named second bishop of Cincinnati.

1830s

1844

14 priests and brothers from the Congregation of the Precious Blood arrived in Cincinnati. Bishop Purcell sends them to Maria Stein. Women religious from the Sisters of the Precious Blood soon follow.

1840s

1829

Bishop Fenwick establishes the Athenaeum of Ohio, a seminary school. The Sisters of Charity arrive in the diocese.

1832

Bishop Fenwick dies of cholera.

1837

Bishop Purcell publicly debates Alexander Campbell. This debate marks the first time an American bishop engaged in a debate with a Protestant clergyman.

1879

Archdiocesan bank fails. Financial devastation affects archdiocese and laity who deposited life savings into the bank. The seminary closes and does not reopen until 1887. Archbishop Purcell resigns, and Bishop William Elder assumes administrative duties.

1885

Daniel Rudd, a Black Catholic and former slave, establishes the American Catholic Tribune, a Catholic newspaper for Black Americans.

1890

Second Black Catholic Congress is held in Cincinnati July 8 -10.

1845

Ursuline Sisters arrive in Cincinnati from France. Led by Sister Julia Chatfield, OSU, they open Ursuline Academy and lay the groundwork for what is now Chatfield College.

1904

Henry Moeller is installed as the fourth archbishop of Cincinnati.

1909

Hamilton Catholic High School becomes the first regional Catholic high school.

1870s 1880s

1883

With the death of Archbishop Purcell, Bishop Elder is appointed archbishop of Cincinnati.

1890s

1898

The first Knights of Columbus chapters are established in the archdiocese.

1900s

1907

The first Holy Name Rally is held in Mount Adams.

1850

Pope Pius IX issues bull on July 19, elevating the Diocese of Cincinnati to rank of archdiocese.

1853

Archbishop Bedini visits Cincinnati. On Christmas night, hundreds of rioters gather around St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, protesting the influence of the Vatican in America.

1859

Franciscan Fathers arrive in Cincinnati. Their parish ministry begins with St. John the Baptist and St. Francis Seraph, both in Over-the-Rhine.

1860

The faithful begin the practice of “praying the steps” at Holy Cross Immaculata.

1863

Editorial in The Catholic Telegraph by Father Edward Purcell calls for the emancipation of slaves, the most public declaration by a Catholic newspaper.

1850s 1860s

1852

Sisters of Charity found St. John’s Hotel for Invalids, the first Catholic hospital in the city with a teaching college attached to it. This private hospital has evolved and is now Good Samaritan Hospital.

1855

On Aug. 20, gunpowder destroys newlybuilt Holy Angels Church in Sidney.

1911

Cincinnati hosts the fifth National Eucharistic Congress.

1915

Father Henry Waldhaus is tasked with opening a school for the deaf. With the aid of benefactors, 237 acres of land are purchased for St. Rita School for the Deaf. The school opens with 11 students and three teachers from the Sisters of Charity.

1916

Bureau of Catholic Charities is created with Father Francis Gressle as director.

1913

Extensive flooding along the Miami River causes considerable damage and suffering in Dayton, Hamilton and Middletown. Relief funds are raised throughout the archdiocese to support those affected.

1910s

1861

Father Dwenger, C.PP.S., founds St. Charles Seminary in Carthagena, for the Congregation of the Precious Blood.

1919

Catholic Students Mission Crusade headquarters moves to Cincinnati.

ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI

A History of Catholicism in Western and Southwestern Ohio

1920

The Sisters of Charity open the College of Mount St. Joseph for women.

1936

Cardinal Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII, visits the U.S. and stops in Cincinnati. After this visit, the elementary school at Our Lord Christ the King Church is named the Cardinal Pacelli School.

1939

Father William Bishop, a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, founds the Glenmary Home Missioners and is invited by Archbishop McNicholas to establish the headquarters in Cincinnati.

1920s

1921

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley established.

1925

Following the death of Archbishop Moeller, John McNicholas is named archbishop.

1930s

1937

Flooding along the Ohio River causes extensive damage. In Cincinnati, the water crests at 80 feet, which is 30 feet over flooding levels. Many Catholic churches suffer damage, including St. Rose of Lima and St. Michael in Lower Price Hill, prompting relief efforts.

With the downtown population shrinking and St. Peter in Chains requiring much upkeep, Archbishop McNicholas decide to move the cathedral to St. Monica Church in Clifton. St. Peter in Chains is referred to as “the old cathedral.”

1970

Franciscan Friars of the St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati create Franciscan Media.

1972

Following the unexpected death of Archbishop Leibold, Joseph Bernardin is named Archbishop of Cincinnati.

1975

Archdiocese launches the Lay Pastoral Ministry program.

1970s

1976

Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visits Archbishop Bernardin, then the head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. (Two years later Cardinal Wojtyla is elected pope and takes the name John Paul II.)

1982

When Archbishop Bernardin is sent to the Archdiocese of Chicago, Dayton-born Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Pilarczyk is named the ninth archbishop of Cincinnati.

1980s

1971

Following the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Leibold launches the sixth archdiocesan synod, involving, for the first time, a significant number of laity in planning for the Church’s future.

1974

50 men enroll in the newly established permanent diaconate program.

Mother Teresa makes her first of three visits to the greater Cincinnati area.

1986-1989

Archbishop Pilarczyk serves as vice president (1986–1989) and president (1989–1992) of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

1941

Father Bishop founds Glenmary Sisters.

1940s

1954

Renovation and expansion of St. Peter in Chains begins.

1957

St. Peter in Chains rededicated. Week-long celebration takes place.

1950s

1962 - 1965

Archbishop Alter and Bishops Paul Leibold and Edward McCarthy participate in the Second Vatican Council, with Alter present at all four sessions. A leader among bishops in the U.S., he was a member of committees preparing materials prior to the council. At the conclusion of the council, he directs every parish to establish a parish council and begins the process of implementing liturgical reforms.

1960s

1950

Karl Alter named archbishop.

1993

Archdiocese publishes the Decree on Child Protection, establishing policies and procedures to prevent abuse of minors by the clergy, lay employees and volunteers.

1990s

2000

Archbishop Pilarczyk establishes The Futures Project to discuss and make plans for the future of the local Church in light of declining priest numbers. Among the accepted recommendations is the creation of pastoral regions.

2009

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr is named the 10th Archbishop of Cincinnati.

1969

Bishop Paul Leibold named archbishop and charged with implementing many of the conciliar reforms in the archdiocese. He dies suddenly at age 57, having served as archbishop for less than three years.

2020

COVID-19 pandemic closes churches and instigates year-long dispensation from Mass.

In June, 190-year-old Catholic Telegraph newspaper converts to magazine format.

2000s 2010 - present

1997

Su Casa Hispanic Center is founded as a program of Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio. It is the primary provider of social, case management, family reunification, educational and health-promotion services to the Hispanic/Latino community in Greater Cincinnati.

2001

Sacred Heart Radio begins, bringing Catholic content to the public 24/7.

2008

Bishop Dennis Marion Schnurr named Archbishop Pilarczyk’s coadjutor in October.

2016-2019

Archbisop Schnurr serves as Treasurer of the USCCB.

2021

June 19, 2021: Archdiocese turns 200.