This week in Christian history: NY diocese formed, Friedrich Myconius dies, Thomas Brownell ordained

New York diocese formed – April 8, 1808

This week marks the anniversary of when the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York was founded, which would later be elevated to the level of an archdiocese.

At the time of its founding, nearly one quarter of New York’s 60,000 residents belonged to the Catholic Church, with the first official leader of the regional body being Bishop Richard Luke Concanen.

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The New York diocese was one of four new dioceses established that year, the others being based in Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and a frontier regional body headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Before then, there was only one Catholic diocese for the entire United States, which was based in Baltimore, Maryland, The New York Times reported back in 1983 when marking the 175th anniversary of the event.

“It was perhaps the most decisive event in the history of the American Catholic Church,” said Msgr. Joseph N. Moody, an archdiocese historian, as quoted in the 1983 NY Times article.

“It was the cautious step from being a tiny enclave in Maryland into the broad mainstream of America.”