SCRANTON, Diocese of. - Diocese and city in the State of Pennsylvania (U.S.A.).
In 1868 several dioceses were created in the United States. Apostolic vicariates were erected in Arizona, Utah and Colorado, Idaho. North Carolina was detached from Charleston and constituted an apostolic vicariate; Marysville was changed to Grass Valley, Rochester was detached from New York, Wilmington was erected for Delaware and a part of Maryland and Virginia; Harrisburg, S., Columbus, Green Bay, La Crosse and St. Joseph were elevated to dioceses. The year 1868 marks a historic moment in the affairs of the Catholic Church in the United States.
S. is a flourishing city and the center of coal mines. The first Catholics to settle there were Germans and Irish who worked in the mines; then came Slavs and Italians.
The first official visit by a priest dates back to 1787. James Pellentz came as far as Elmira on the Susquehanna River, and a few years later a small French village was founded at Azilum (1793-94), today Standing-stone. It was to serve as a retreat for the French nobility expelled from France by the Revolution. But the first permanent village was established at Friedsville. From time to time priests came from Philadelphia. In 1825 John O'Flynn was the first resident priest, and the first church was opened near Silvester Lake. In 1868 S. was elevated to a diocese with Msgr. William O'Hara, first bishop, consecrated on 12 July of the same year. The diocese then had 50 churches and 25 priests. Today there are 434 priests (101 religious from 8 different congregations) and 231 parishes, 108 chapels, 73 missions and 17 stations for a total population of 1,047,290 inhabitants and 345,037 Catholics scattered over a territory of 8,847 miles. There are furthermore 16 female congregations, 78 seminarians, 1 scholastic, 1 university (S. University directed by the Jesuits), 3 colleges, 5 orphanages and 6 hospitals.
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Gastone Carrière