Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington

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.[3] Among the early missionaries was Stephen Badin who set out on foot for Kentucky on in 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.[4]

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown, covering Kentucky and most of the Northwest Territory. St. Mary's Church, the first Catholic church in Covington, was dedicated in 1834.[5]

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 the entire state.[6]

Old St. Mary Cathedral in Covington

Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Covington on July 29, 1853, taking its territory from the Diocese of Louisville. He appointed Reverend George Carrell, the president of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, as its first bishop. The new diocese consisted of eastern Kentucky.[7]

Historically, the Catholic population of the diocese was composed primarily of descendants of German immigrants to Covington and Newport in the mid-19th century, who came to the United States in the wake of the German revolutions of 1848 to 1849. Much of the parish architecture in the diocese reflects this German cultural heritage.

At the time of Carrell's consecration, the Diocese of Covington contained only ten churches and seven priests. He immediately commenced the erection of the Cathedral Church of St. Mary's, which opened in 1854. Carrell build numerous churches and schools in the diocese and advanced education there. He introduced into the diocese the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, the monks and nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict, the Sisters of the Visitation, and the Ursuline Nuns. Carrell died in 1868.

In 1869, Reverend Augustus Toebbe of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati was appointed as the second bishop of Covington by Pope Pius IX.[8] He opened a boys' orphanage in Cold Spring in 1870, erected a hospital in Lexington in 1874, and established a diocesan seminary in 1879. He also introduced the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of the Good Shepherd into the diocese. During his 14 years as bishop, Toebbe saw the diocesan Catholic population increase to 40,000, the number of churches to 52, and the number of priests to 56.[9]

After Toebbe died in 1884, Pope Leo XIII named Monsignor Camillus Maes of the Diocese of Detroit as the next bishop of Covington. At the time of his arrival, the diocese counted a Catholic population of 38,000 people, 42 parishes, and 38 priests[10]

By the beginning of Maes' tenure as bishop, St. Mary's Cathedral had fallen into disrepair.[11] In 1890, he purchased property in Covington to build a new cathedral[12] To design the building, Maes hired a Detroit architect who based his plans on Notre-Dame de Paris. The cornerstone was laid in 1895.[12] Although parts of the cathedral remained unfinished past his death, Maes dedicated the new cathedral in 1901 and opened it for services.[12] By 1914, the diocese had a population of 60,000 Catholics served in 57 parishes, and 25 missions by 85 diocesan and religious priests.[10] Maes died in 1915.

Diocese of Covington Curia

To replace Maes, Pope Benedict XV in 1915 named Reverend Ferdinand Brossart as the next bishop of Covington. He resigned in 1923. Pope Pius XI appointed Reverend Francis Howard that same year as bishop of Covington.

During his 20-year tenure, Brossart established a strong system of Catholic grade schools and high schools for the diocese.[13] Following the 1937 Ohio River flood, he opened all Catholic churches in Covington for relief purposes.[14] In 1937, Pius XI elevated the Diocese of Louisville to a metropolitan archdiocese, designating the Diocese of Covington as one of its suffragans. Howard died in 1944.

The next bishop of Covington was Monsignor William Mulloy of the Diocese of Fargo, named by Pope Pius XII in 1944. In addition to rural issues, Mulloy was also dedicated to civil rights. Speaking to the Catholic Committee of the South in 1951, he declared that "racial justice is a moral question" and that Catholic leaders in the Southern United States "cannot remain silent," even at the expense of being labeled with "the opprobrious accusation of being 'anti-Southern."[15]

After Molloy died in 1959, Pope John XXIII named Auxiliary Bishop Richard Ackerman of the Diocese of San Diego as the next bishop of Covington. He died in 1978. The next bishop of Covington was Auxiliary Bishop William Hughes of the Diocese of Youngstown, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1979.

In 1988, John Paul II erected the Diocese of Lexington, taking its territory from the Archdiocese of Louisville and the Diocese of Covington. This action established the present territory of the Diocese of Covington. During his tenure, Hughes was criticised for inviting pro-choice figures, such as US Representative Robert Drinan, S.J., and actress Marlo Thomas to speak at church-sponsored events,[16] and for saying Mass for gays and lesbians at Chicago in 1992.[17] Hughes retired in 1995.

John Paul II in 1996 named Auxiliary Bishop Robert Muench from the Archdiocese of New Orleans as Hughes' replacement in Covington. In 2001, the pope selected Muench as the new bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.[18] The next bishop of Covington was Roger Foys of the Diocese of Steubenville, named by John Paul II in 2002.

The current bishop of the Diocese of Covington is John Iffert, appointed by Pope Francis in 2021.

Reverend Earl Bierman was arrested in December 1992 on two counts of sodomy. The complainant said that Bierman assaulted him several times when he was age 15 in July and August 1974. Two other men had also accused Bierman of assaulting them when they were minors.[19] Bierman was arrested again in February 1993 for threatening a reporter.[20] In May 1993, Bierman pleaded guilty to 29 counts of sexual assaults, combining cases from three counties into one. Over 60 individuals had filed complaints against him.[21] In July 1993, Bierman was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[22] He died in prison in 2006.

In 2005, the Diocese of Covington announced that it had settled with more than 100 victims of sexual abuse by paying up to $120 million.[23] The diocese agreed that any person who claimed to have been sexually abused by a member of the clergy or a lay employee could seek compensation, regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred. Under terms of the settlement, victims would be placed into one of four categories, depending upon the severity of their abuse. Payments would range from $5,000 to $450,000 for each victim, minus attorneys' fees. This was the largest settlement for any diocese in the United States at the time. The diocese acquired $40 million by liquidating real estate assets, including the Marydale Retreat Center in Erlanger, and other investments. The remaining $80 million was paid by its insurance carriers.[24] Additionally, Bishop Foys vowed to meet with every victim of abuse who was willing to meet, saying,

"Those harmed by these shameful, despicable deeds now need the institutional Church and, more importantly, the pastoral Church to provide as much comfort and peace as possible. Our hearts must remain open, like Christ's."[25]

In 2009, local media reported that 243 victims of clergy sexual abuse in the diocese had received an average of $254,000 each, totaling approximately $79 million. The perpetrators included 35 priests.[26] In November 2019, it was reported that when the 2009 settlement was finalized, it totaled $90.5 million.[27]

In August 2019, Reverend David Glockner was arrested after being accused of inappropriately touching two high school girls who were volunteering in a construction project at a farm in Vanceburg.[28] Shortly after his arrest, the diocese removed Glockner from ministry at his parish.[28] In February 2020, the diocese cleared Glockner of any wrongdoing, and the criminal charges against him were dismissed.[29] He was restored to ministry in Vanceburg.

In July 2020, the diocese released a report on sexual abuse. It found that 59 priests and 31 other persons associated with the church had sexually abused children since at least 1950.[30] However, it was reported in November 2019 that 92 priests and brothers who served in the diocese were accused of sexual abuse by not just the Vatican, but also by prosecutors and in civil litigation since 1959.[27]

1. George Aloysius Carrell (1853–1868)
2. Augustus Toebbe (1869–1884)
3. Camillus Paul Maes (1884–1915)
4. Ferdinand Brossart (1915–1923)
5. Francis William Howard (1923–1944)
6. William Theodore Mulloy (1944–1959)
7. Richard Henry Ackerman (1960–1978)
8. William Anthony Hughes (1979–1995)
9. Robert William Muench (1996–2001), appointed Bishop of Baton Rouge
10. Roger Joseph Foys (2002–2021)
11. John C. Iffert (2021–present)

James Kendrick Williams (1984–1988), appointed Bishop of Lexington

Thomas More University – Crestview Hills

• Assumption Academy – Walton
• Bishop Brossart High School – Alexandria
• Covington Catholic High School – Park Hills (all boys)
• Covington Latin School – Covington
• Holy Cross District High School – Covington
• Newport Central Catholic High School – Newport
• Notre Dame Academy – Park Hills (all girls)
• St. Henry District High School – Erlanger
• St. Patrick's High School – Maysville
• Villa Madonna Academy – Villa Hills