The first Catholic immigrants to the Kentucky area came from Maryland in 1785. By 1796, approximately 300 Catholic families were living in the new state of Kentucky. Among the early missionaries was Stephen Badin who set out on foot for Kentucky on September 3, 1793, sent by Bishop John Carroll of the Diocese of Baltimore. For the next 14 years Badin traveled on foot, horseback and boat between widely scattered Catholic settlements in Kentucky and the Northwest Territory. For three years, Badin was the only priest in the whole of Kentucky.
In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown, covering Kentucky and most of the Northwest Territory. In 1841, Pope Leo suppressed the Diocese of Bardstown, which by this time encompassed only Kentucky. In its place, he created the Diocese of Louisville, with jurisdiction over Kentucky.[5] The Owensboro region would remain part of the Diocese of Louisville for the next 96 years.
1937 to 1961
Pope Pius XI erected the Diocese of Owensboro in territory taken from the Diocese of Louisville in 1937. The pope also elevated the Diocese of Louisville to an archdiocese and made the new Diocese of Owensboro as one of its suffragans. Pius XI named Reverend Francis Cotton as the first bishop of Owensboro. Cotton had first planned to establish his cathedral in Henderson, Kentucky at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, but then changed it to Owensboro. The diocese's cathedral is named after St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.[3]
After his consecration, Cotton embarked on visits to the parishes in the new diocese. He brought the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade, a national organization for helping the poor, to the diocese.[6] In early 1940, Cotton began the collection of relief supplies for refugees from World War II in Europe. By 1942, the diocese had collected over $1 million in supplies for distribution in Europe and China.[6] In February 1943, Cotton held a synod in the diocese to set its laws and constitution. Contemporary reports said that Cotton strictly enforced these rules in the diocese, but personally was a kind individual.[6] Cotton died in 1960.
The current bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro is William Medley from the Archdiocese of Louisville. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
Sexual abuse
Reverend Louis Piskula was arrested on sodomy and sexual abuse of a minor charges in February 2011. The victim had approached the diocese in 2010 and was told to notify the police.[11] After pleading guilty, Piskula was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014.[12] He died in prison in 2018.[13]
In October 2018, the diocese permanently removed Reverend Gerald Baker from active ministry after determining that sexual abuse accusations against him were credible. He had been accused by three minors in 2016 when he was serving at St. Mary of the Woods; at that point, the diocese put Baker on temporary suspension.[13][14]
In March 2019, the diocese temporarily suspended Reverend Ed Bradley after he was accused sexual abuse of a minor.[15] The incidents allegedly occurred during the 1980s when Bradley was volunteering as a chaplain at Owensboro Catholic High School. In May 2019, the diocese recommended that Bradley be permanently removed from public service.[16] In 2021, the Vatican removed Bradley's suspension, allowing him to perform priestly functions. However, noting his "imprudent behavior", he was banned from schools for the next five years.[17]
In April 2019, the Diocese of Owensboro released a list of 15 priests who were accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the diocese.[18]
United States
Western Kentucky
