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Roman Catholic Diocese of San José in California

Coordinates: 37°18′07″N 121°52′31″W / 37.30194°N 121.87528°W / 37.30194; -121.87528
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Diocese of San José in California

Diœcesis Sancti Josephi in California

Diócesis de San José en California
Giáo Phận Thánh Giuse
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Diocese of San Jose Crest
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryCounty of Santa Clara
Ecclesiastical provinceSan Francisco
Headquarters1150 N. First St., San Jose CA 95112
Statistics
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2017)
1,918,044
633,000 (33.0[1]%)
Parishes52 (including missions)
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedJanuary 27, 1981
CathedralCathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Co-cathedralSaint Patrick Proto-Cathedral
Patron saintSaint Joseph
Saint Clare of Assisi[2]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopOscar Cantú
Metropolitan ArchbishopSalvatore Cordileone
Map
Website
dsj.org

The Diocese of San José in California (Latin: Diœcesis Sancti Josephi in California) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Santa Clara County in California in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The mother church of the Diocese of San José in California is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose.

Statistics[edit]

The patron saints of the Diocese of San José in California are Saint Joseph and Clare of Assisi. The diocese serves approximately 600,000 Catholics in 54 parishes and missions, three university campus ministries, and 34 schools.[3]

History[edit]

1777 to 1981[edit]

Carmelite Convent of the Infant Jesus in Santa Clara (1917)

The first Catholic presence in the present day San Jose area, then part of the Spanish empire, was the Mission Santa Clara de Asís, built in 1777. The missionary Junipero Serra established the mission on the Guadalupe River to minister to the Ohlone Native Americans.[4]

San Jose de Guadalupe Church was dedicated in San Jose in 1803. It was the first church built for Spanish settlers in California, as opposed to mission churches established for evangelizing Native Americans.[5] In 1840, the Vatican moved California, now part of the Republic of Mexico, into the Diocese of Alta and Baja California.

After the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, all of California became an American territory. In 1850, the Vatican transferred California from the Mexican diocese to the new American Diocese of Monterey.[6] Santa Clara College, the first higher education institution in California, was founded in 1851 by Franciscan Fathers in Santa Clara.[7]

In 1853, the Vatican moved the northern half of Santa Clara County into the newly erected Archdiocese of San Francisco. In 1922, the Vatican transferred the southern half of Santa Clara County from the Diocese of Monterey to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.[6] Saint Clare Parish was established in 1925 as the successor to the Mission Santa Clara de Asís.

1981 to 2000[edit]

Pope John Paul II in 1981 erected the Diocese of San José in California, taking Santa Clara County from the Diocese of San Francisco.[8] He named Auxiliary Bishop Pierre DuMaine of San Francisco as the first bishop of the new diocese.[9] Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral was designated as the diocesan cathedral.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in northern California cause $22 million in damage to St. Joseph's Cathedral.[10] The earthquake also caused one death and extensive damage to Saint Joseph's Seminary in Mountain View.[11] The diocese decided to closed Saint Joseph's, demolish the building and sell part of the property to a developer. It used the cash proceeds to repair the cathedral. The diocese donated the remaining 138 acres (0.56 km2) to Rancho San Antonio County Park.[10] John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop Patrick J. McGrath of San Francisco as coadjutor bishop of the diocese in 1998 to assist Dumain. After Dumain retired in 1999, McGrath automatically succeeded him as the next bishop of San José.[12]

2000 to present[edit]

In 2017, Hien Minh Nguyen, director of the Vietnamese Catholic Center in San Jose, was sentenced to three years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion after stealing US$1.4 million in donations to the center.[13][14]

In 2018, the diocese, with McGrath's approval, paid US$2.3 million for a 3,269 square foot, five-bedroom home in Silicon Valley to serve as McGrath's retirement residence. McGrath explained that the money for house came from a fund that was dedicated only for housing expenses for retired bishops.[15][16] However, facing criticism about the purchase, McGrath said a day later that the diocese would sell the house and he would retire to a parish rectory instead.[17][18] Pope Francis appointed Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Diocese of Las Cruces as coadjutor bishop of San José in 2018 to assist McGrath.[19]

As of 2023, Cantú is the current bishop of San José, having taken office immediately after McGrath retired in 2019

Reports of sex abuse[edit]

Mission Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara (1777)

In 2005, the Archdiocese of San Francisco agreed to a $21 million settlement to 15 alleged victims of sexual abuse. The plaintiffs were abused by several priests during the 1960s and 1970s when they were minors in the San Jose area, then part of the archdiocese.[20]

In 2018, the diocese released the names of 15 former diocesan priests who were "credibly accused" of sexual abuse of minors. It was also reported that the diocese knew about the allegations against these priests and shielded them from potential prosecution.[21]

In 2019, California State Attorney Xavier Becerra subpoenaed personnel records from the diocese. This was in preparation for a new California law that temporarily removed the statute of limitations on sexual abuse lawsuits.[22][23]

Bishops[edit]

Five Wounds Portuguese National Church In San Jose (1914)

Bishops of San José in California[edit]

  1. Pierre DuMaine (January 27, 1981 – November 27, 1999)
  2. Patrick Joseph McGrath (November 27, 1999 – May 1, 2019)
  3. Oscar Cantú (May 1, 2019–present)

Coadjutor Bishops[edit]

Auxiliary Bishop[edit]

Thomas A. Daly (May 25, 2011 – May 20, 2015), appointed Bishop of Spokane

Other diocesan priest who became bishop[edit]

Richard John Garcia, appointed auxiliary bishop of Sacramento in 1997, appointed Bishop of Monterey in 2006

Education[edit]

Saint Patrick School in San Jose (1925)
Saint Leo the Great School in San Jose (1915)
Notre Dame High School in San Jose (1850)

In terms of student population, the diocese is the second largest education provider in the county, trailing only San Jose Unified School District.[citation needed] Most of the primary schools are parochial, or operated by a parish, while all the high schools are operated by either the diocese or by a religious institute.

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit-run university at the site of Mission Santa Clara.

Primary schools[edit]

High schools[edit]

Closed schools[edit]

Parishes[edit]

Main article: List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California

Arms[edit]

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of San José in California
Notes
Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected
Adopted
1981
Escutcheon
The diocesan arms consists of three mountains, a diagonal band of Latin crosses, a rose and a carpenter's set square.
Symbolism
The crosses symbolize the California missions, including Santa Clara de Asis. The rose represents Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and the carpenter's square represents St. Joseph. The mountains symbolize the Santa Clara Valley.

Media[edit]

The Diocese of San José in California publishes a quarterly tri-lingual magazine, The Valley Catholic.

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California.

References[edit]

Specific references[edit]

  1. ^ "San Jose in California (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved Apr 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diocese of San Jose by Pope John Paul II".
  3. ^ "About Us".
  4. ^ "Mission Santa Clara de Asís - Santa Clara University". www.scu.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  5. ^ "History". Mission San Jose. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Monterey in California (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  7. ^ "History - About SCU - Santa Clara University". www.scu.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  8. ^ "San Jose in California (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  9. ^ "Roland Pierre DuMaine". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Zinko, Carolyne (1998-07-08). "Diocese Expected to Seal St. Joseph's Land Deal / Parkland and homes slated for Cupertino site". SF GATE. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  11. ^ ID. Wilshire, H.G. 12ct from the U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library
  12. ^ "Bishop Patrick Joseph McGrath [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  13. ^ CNA. "California priest who embezzled donations gets prison time, $1.9 million fine". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  14. ^ Wood, Robert W. "Catholic Priest Gets Prison For Tax Evasion: Don't Lie To IRS". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  15. ^ Woolfolk, John (August 26, 2018). "San Jose Diocese buys bishop $2.3 million retirement home". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  16. ^ "Church buys five-bedroom, $2.3m Silicon Valley home for retiring bishop". The Guardian. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  17. ^ Green, Jason (August 27, 2018). "Retiring S.J. bishop confesses error in judgment, won't move into $2.3 million home". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  18. ^ "Statement of Bishop Patrick J. McGrath Diocese of San Jose". August 27, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  19. ^ "Bishop Oscar Cantú [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  20. ^ "Archdiocese of San Francisco agrees to $21-million settlement with abuse victims". Catholic News Agency. June 12, 2005. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  21. ^ Veklerov, Kimberly; McBride, Ashley (Oct 19, 2018). "San Jose bishop names 15 priests accused of child sex abuse". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved Apr 5, 2021.
  22. ^ "Half of California's Catholic Dioceses to Be Subpoenaed in Priest Abuse Inquiry". KTLA 5. December 10, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  23. ^ "California: half of Catholic dioceses expect subpoenas over sexual abuse". the Guardian. Dec 11, 2019. Retrieved Apr 5, 2021.
  24. ^ "Pope appoints New Mexico bishop as coadjutor for San Jose". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

General references[edit]

External links[edit]

 WikiMiniAtlas
37°18′07″N 121°52′31″W / 37.30194°N 121.87528°W / 37.30194; -121.87528

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