Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

Diocese of Albany Dioecesis Albanensis
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Counties of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington, and southern Herkimer, New York
Ecclesiastical province	New York
Metropolitan	40 North Main Avenue Albany, New York 12203
Deaneries	13
Population - Catholics	360,000
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	April 23, 1847
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Patron saint	St. Mary
Current leadership
Pope	Benedict XVI
Bishop	Howard J. Hubbard Bishop of Albany
Metropolitan Archbishop	Timothy Dolan Archbishop of New York
Map
Website
rcda.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany (Latin: Dioecesis Albanensis) covers all or part of 14 counties in Eastern New York (Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington, and southern Herkimer Counties). Its motherchurch is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the city of Albany.

History

Initially the diocese was part of the Archdiocese of New York. It became a diocese in its own right on April 23, 1847.

Territorial losses

Date	Reason
15 February 1872	to form the Diocese of Ogdensburg
26 November 1886	to form the Diocese of Syracuse

Ordinaries

The following is a list of the Roman Catholic Bishops of the Diocese of Albany and their periods of service.

• Bishop John McCloskey (1847-1865) (later the Archbishop of New York and first American Cardinal)
• Bishop John J. Conroy (1865-1877)
• Bishop Francis McNierney (1877-1894)
• Bishop Thomas Martin Aloysius Burke (1894-1915)
• Bishop Thomas Cusack (1915-1918)
• Bishop Edmund Gibbons (1919-1954)
• Bishop William Scully (1954-1969)
• Bishop Edwin Broderick (1969-1976)
• Bishop Howard J. Hubbard (1977-present)

During their terms as bishops of Albany, the first five named were accorded the title "Right Reverend" because the American church was still considered a province. From Bishop Gibbons on, they have been entitled "Most Reverend". John McCloskey was "Most Reverend" after his move to New York, where he later became "His Eminence". Six of Albany's deceased Bishops are buried in a crypt beneath the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. John McCloskey is interred beneath St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and Bishop Broderick is buried in a family plot in Westchester County.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Main article: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany

The cathedral, located on Madison Avenue at Eagle Street in Albany, was completed in 1852 and consecrated by the Most Reverend John Hughes, Archbishop of New York. The first bishop, John McCloskey, was coadjutor bishop of New York with succession rights. This is why he left upon Archbishop Hughes' death in 1865. The Cathedral has a stone exterior. It has the appearance of a stone interior but in fact it is of plaster and lath construction, painted to look like stone. This method was used to save time as McCloskey wanted to get the Cathedral finished in order to prove that the Catholic Church in America was permanent. Originally there was a flat wall at the back of the Cathedral in the area of the Lady window. This window, which depicts scenes in the life of the Virgin Mary, was later moved to the North transept when the semicircular sanctuary was added.

There is a door in the ceiling of the crypt so that the coffins may be lowered directly into it after the Solemn Requiem of the Bishop. This door, however, was not quite big enough for the ornate, modern coffin that contained Bishop Scully. As a result, those officiating had to remove his body from the coffin, carry it down the stairs, take the coffin apart to feed it through the door and then reassemble it and restore the body. The crypt cannot be seen from above because it is hidden by floor tiles which have to be removed to gain access.

The Cathedral is currently^[when?] undergoing a US$30M restoration project which started in 2000 with the then-expected date of completion being 2009.

Tours are offered of the Cathedral.^{[citation needed]}

Sam Rodino Controversy

On October 24, 2009, then-Fr. Sam Rodino was removed and placed on suspension by the Diocese for Sexual Acts that occurred in 1982 while assigned to Blessed Sacrament parish in Albany. The wake of the controversy caused many individuals to come out in support, and against Mr. Rodino. As of October 31st, two victims have reported to the Diocese that Rodino abused them. One victim reported abuse in the 1990s, but his claim was unable to be substantiated and no action was taken against Rodino at the time. The second victim's claim of abuse in 1982 was made in the summer of 2009 and investigated by the diocese. The investigation resulted in the Bishop determining that "reasonable grounds" existed to believe the victim. A website has been created as an advocacy site for the victims called Rodino's Victims

As of March 30, 2010, Mr. Rodino is still on administrative leave. He has indicated an interest in appealing to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. However, under canon law, even if Mr. Rodino were vindicated by the Vatican, the Bishop would not have to place him in active ministry again. It is therefore unlikely that Mr. Rodino will ever be able to present himself as a Roman Catholic priest again.

High schools

• Academy of the Holy Names, Albany
• Bishop Maginn High School, Albany
• Catholic Central High School, Troy
• Christian Brothers Academy, Albany
• La Salle Institute, Troy
• Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School, Schenectady
• Saratoga Central Catholic High School, Saratoga Springs

External links

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