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Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing

Latin Catholic jurisdiction in the US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansingmap
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The Diocese of Lansing (Latin: Diœcesis Lansingensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit.

Quick Facts Diocese of Lansing Diœcesis Lansingensis, Location ...

The mother church of the Diocese of Lansing is St. Mary's Cathedral in Lansing. As of 2025, the bishop of Lansing is Earl Boyea.

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Territory

The Diocese of Lansing encompasses an area of 6,218 square miles (16,100 km2) including the counties of Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw.[1]

History

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1700 to 1937

During the 17th century, present-day Michigan was part of the French colony of New France. The Diocese of Quebec had jurisdiction over the region. In 1763, the Michigan area became part of the British Province of Quebec, forbidden from settlement by American colonists. After the American Revolution, the Michigan region became part of the new United States. For Catholics, Michigan was now under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which then comprised the entire country.

In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky, with jurisdiction over the new Michigan Territory. In 1821, the pope erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking the Michigan Territory from the Diocese of Bardstown.[2]Pope Gregory XVI formed the Diocese of Detroit in 1833, covering the entire Michigan Territory. The Lansing area would be part of the Diocese of Detroit, followed by the Archdiocese of Detroit, for the next 104 years.

The first Catholic church in Flint, St. Michael's, was dedicated in 1848.[3] In 1864, St. Mary Church opened in Lansing, the first Catholic church in that city. The present St. Mary Cathedral was constructed in 1913.[4]

1937 to 1965

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Diocesan Center, Lansing, Michigan (2023)

Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Lansing May 22, 1937, removing its territory from the Archdiocese of Detroit. He named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph H. Albers of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as the first bishop of Lansing that same year.

In 1938, the rectory of St. Mary Cathedral caught fire. Albers, still suffering from lungs weakened from poison gas in World War I, collapsed at the scene and had to be rescued by firefighters.[5] In 1940, Albers moved into Meadowvue in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, his episcopal residence.[6][7]

During Albers's episcopacy, the diocese built 38 parishes, 42 elementary schools and two high schools. This earned Albers the appellation "The Builder".[5] Albers enjoyed a special devotion to St. Joseph; one of the new parishes was named for him.[8] In 1954, the diocesan newsletter Catholic Weekly, Lansing began publication. Albers was instrumental in its startup.[9] Pope Paul VI named Auxiliary Bishop Alexander M. Zaleski of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as coadjutor bishop in Lansing in 1964 to assist Albers.[10]

1965 to 2010

When Albers died in 1965, Zaleski automatically succeeded him as Bishop of Lansing. Zaleski died in 1975. The next Bishop of Lansing was Bishop Kenneth Joseph Povish of the Diocese of Crookston, appointed by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1970.

In July 1971, Pope Saint Paul VI separated territory from the Diocese to form the new Diocese of Kalamazoo.[11]

After 20 years of service in Lansing, Povish retired in 1995 due to poor health.[12] Monsignor Carl Mengeling from the Diocese of Gary was appointed Bishop of Lansing that same year by Pope Saint John Paul II.[13][14][15] During his tenure, Mengeling opened several parochial schools and churches. He also involved himself with the activities of Hispanic, Vietnamese, and African-American Catholics in the Diocese.[16] Mengeling retired in 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 appointed Auxiliary Bishop Earl Boyea of the Archdiocese of Detroit as the next and present Bishop of Lansing.[17]

2010 to present

In May 2017, Reverend Jonathan Wehrle was accused of embezzling $5 million from his parish in Okemos over a 30-year period. Wehrle had used the money to build an 11,300 square foot house with eight bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and a $45,000 swimming pool. During a July 2017 search, investigators found $63,000 in cash hidden in a ceiling.[18] Wehrle died in 2020 before he could go on trial.[19]

In January 2021, the diocese instituted a new policy for schools, parishes, and charities regarding the biological sex of students, parishioners and others. This policy included direction on the use of pronouns and requirements that bathrooms and sports be segregated according to biological sex. The policy also required school officials to avoid participating in the administration of hormonal treatment of students that was designed to alter their sexual characteristics.[20]

The diocese claimed that the new policy affirmed the reality and discomfort of gender dysphoria. The diocese recommended that transgender individuals visit counselors who "hold a correct Christian anthropology of the human person and understand and adhere to Catholic teaching."[20]

In 2022, St. John's Parish sued Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, claiming that the Michigan Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which deals with discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, violated the church's constitutional rights. Boyea expressed his support of the lawsuit.[21]As of 2025, Boyea is the current bishop of Lansing.

Sex abuse cases

The Diocese of Lansing paid a $225,000 settlement in August 2010 to a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Monsignor John Slowey at St. Vincent Home in Lansing in 1955.[22] That same month, the diocese announced that Reverend John Martin of Laingsburg had molested at least six boys during the 1950s and 1960s.[23]

Reverend Vincent DeLorenzo from Flint was charged by the Michigan Department of Attorney General in May 2019 with six counts of first- and second-degree sexual misconduct. Eight victims had accused him of sexual abuse.[24] In 2019, the diocese requested that the Vatican laicize DeLorenzo. In April 2023, DeLorenzo pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault. His victim was a five-year-old boy, whom he assaulted after officiating at a family funeral.[25] DeLorenzo was sentenced to one year in prison and five years of probation.[26]

In July 2021, the diocese announced that it had determined two sexual abuse allegations against the late Bishop James Sullivan from the Diocese of Fargo to be credible. Two men had accused Sullivan of inappropriate behavior with them as boys during the 1960s, when Sullivan was a priest in the Diocese of Lansing. Sullivan later served as an auxiliary bishop in Lansing.[27]The diocese in September 2019 published a list of 17 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1937. The list was updated in 2022.[28]

In September 2020, Joseph Comperchio, a former teacher at St. John Catholic School in Jackson, was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida. He was charged in Michigan with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Comperchio committed these acts at the school between 1974 and 1977.[29][30][31] He was convicted and sentenced in 2021 to 12 to 30 years in prison.[32]

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Churches

Bishops

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Bishop Zaleski (1956)

Bishops of Lansing

  1. Joseph H. Albers (1937–65)
  2. Alexander M. Zaleski (1965–75)
  3. Kenneth Joseph Povish (1975–95)
  4. Carl Frederick Mengeling (1995–2008)
  5. Earl Boyea (2008–present)

Auxiliary Bishops

Other diocesan priests who became bishops

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High schools

* Operates independently with the oversight of the diocese.

Media

The Diocese of Lansing owns the publisher Faith Catholic, which publishes Catholic magazines for dioceses and organizations. Faith Catholic also operates the website MassTimes.org.[34]

See also

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
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Notes
The coat of arms was designed and adopted when the Diocese was erected. It was designed in 1937 by Chaignon LaRose.
Adopted
1937
Escutcheon
The shield is charged with two lances crossed diagonally and a Cross moline overlaid on them. The heraldic colors are blue and silver (white).
Symbolism
The two crossed lances play on the name "Lansing". They also represent the juncture of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers. The Moline cross derives from the coat of arms of the Ingham family, which was a first family in Ingham County, Michigan, in which the see city of the Diocese is located. The blue and silver (white) colors of the escutcheon are the heraldic colors of Saint Mary, Mother of Jesus, the Patroness of the Diocese and of its cathedral church.
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References

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