United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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| Abbreviation | USCCB |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1966 |
| Type | NGO |
| Legal status | Civil nonprofit |
| Purpose/focus | To support the ministry of bishops |
| Headquarters | Washington, DC |
| Region served | United States |
| Membership | Active and retired Catholic bishops of the United States |
| General Secretary | Monsignor David Malloy |
| Main organ | Conference |
| Affiliations | National Council of Catholic Women, the National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Catholic Relief Services |
| Budget | US$144 million |
| Staff | 300 |
| Website | http://www.usccb.org |
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the official leadership body of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy (i.e., bishops and archbishops) in the United States. The USCCB adopted its current name in July 2001. The organization is a registered corporation based in Washington, DC. As with all bishops' conferences, certain decisions and acts of the USCCB must receive the recognitio, or approval of the Roman dicasteries, which are subject to the immediate and absolute authority of the Pope.
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[edit] History
[edit] Archdiocese of Baltimore
Because of Maryland having been one of the few regions of the colonial United States that was predominantly Catholic, diocese of Baltimore achieved a pre-eminence over the other dioceses in the U.S. It was established as a diocese on November 6, 1789 and was established an Archdiocese on April 8, 1808.
In 1858, the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda, with the approval of Pius IX "Prerogative of Place" was conferred on the Archdiocese of Baltimore. This decree gave the Archbishop of Baltimore precedence over all the Archbishops of the United States (but not Cardinals) in councils, gatherings, and meetings of whatever kind of the Hierarchy (in conciliis, coetibus et comitiis quibuscumque) regardless of the seniority of other Archbishops in promotion or ordination.[1]
[edit] Plenary Councils of Baltimore
In the latter half of the 19th century, the first attempt at standardizing discipline in the American Church occurred with the convocation of the Plenary Councils of Baltimore. One of the results of these councils was the development of the Baltimore Catechism which became the standard text for Catholic education in the United States and remained so until the 1960s when Catholic churches and schools began moving away from catechism-based education. Another result of the councils was the establishment of the Catholic University of America, the national Catholic university in the United States.
[edit] National Catholic War Council
The first national organization of Catholic bishops in the United States was founded in 1917 as the National Catholic War Council (NCWC), formed to enable U.S. Catholics to contribute funds for the spiritual care of Catholic servicemen during World War I.
[edit] National Catholic Welfare Council
In 1919 Pope Benedict XV urged the college of bishops around the world to assist him in promoting the labor reforms first articulated by Pope Leo XIII in Rerum Novarum. In response, the U.S. Catholic episcopate organized the National Catholic Welfare Council in 1919. They also created the first Administrative Committee of seven members to manage daily affairs between plenary meetings, with archbishop Edward Joseph Hanna of San Francisco as the first chairman. Headquarters were established in Washington, D.C.
After a threatened suppression of the National Catholic Welfare Council, the administrative board decided to rename the organization to be the National Catholic Welfare Conference, with the purpose of advocating reforms in education, immigration, and social action.
[edit] Formation, Structure, and Membership
In order to fulfill the new requirements of the Second Vatican Council for national conferences of bishops, American bishops established — in 1966 — the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and its secular arm, the United States Catholic Conference (USCC). As separate organizations with distinct responsibilities, the NCCB focused on internal ecclesiastical concerns while the USCC carried forward work in society at large. The NCCB enabled the bishops to deliberate and respond collectively on a broad range of issues, with work being carried out through various secretariats, standing committees, and ad hoc committees.
On July 1, 2001, the NCCB and the USCC were combined to form the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The merger resulted in the continuation of all of the work formerly done by the NCCB and the USCC, with the same staff.
The structure of the conference (USCCB) consists of 20 standing committees (whose members are bishops) and various departments, secretariats, and offices (with executive directors and staff members). The departments, secretariats, and offices report to a priest who serves as general secretary of the conference.
The membership of the USCCB consists of all active and retired Latin-rite Catholic and Eastern Catholic bishops (i.e., archbishops, bishops, coadjutor bishops, and auxiliary bishops) of the United States and the Territory of the Virgin Islands, but not the bishops of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of American Samoa, and the Territory of Guam. The bishops of the latter four U.S. overseas dependencies belong to other episcopal conferences.
The USCCB has two semiannual meetings, in November (in Washington, D.C.) and June. Between these meetings, the conference is governed by the Administrative Committee. There is also an Executive Committee, whose members include the conference president, vice-president, and secretary (all of whom are bishops). The officers of the conference are elected for three-year terms. The conference also elects chairmen and chairmen-elect of the standing committees.
[edit] Organizational structure
[edit] Programmatic Committees and Related Subcommittees
- Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance – Archbishop John Myers
- Committee on Catholic Education – Bishop Robert McManus
- Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations – Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap.
- Committee on Communications – Archbishop George Niederauer
- Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church – Archbishop Jose Gomez
- Committee on Divine Worship – Bishop Arthur Serratelli
- Committee on Doctrine – Bishop William Lori
- Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs – Bishop Richard Sklba
- Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis – Archbishop Donald Wuerl
- Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development – Bishop William Murphy
- Committee on International Justice and Peace – Bishop Thomas Wenski
- Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth - Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, OMI
- Committee on Migration – Bishop John Wester
- Committee on National Collections – Archbishop John Vlazny
- Committee on Pro-Life Activities – Cardinal Justin Rigali
- Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People – Archbishop Gregory Aymond
[edit] Executive Level and Management Committees
- Administrative Committee – Cardinal Francis George, OMI
- Committee on Budget and Finance – Bishop Dennis Schnurr
- Committee on Priorities and Plans – Bishop George Murry, SJ
- Executive Committee – Cardinal Francis George, OMI
[edit] USCCB departments and programs
Office of the General Secretary
General Secretary
Associate General Secretary – Pastoral Ministry and Planning
Associate General Secretary and Secretary of Policy and Advocacy
Associate General Secretary and Secretary of Administration
Assistant General Secretary for Planning
Office of the General Counsel
Pastoral Ministry
Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations
Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church
Secretariat of Divine Worship
Secretariat of Doctrine
Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis
Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth
Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection
Policy and Advocacy
Secretary of Policy and Advocacy
Government Relations
Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development
Executive Director
Office of International Justice and Peace
Office of Domestic Social Development
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Education and Outreach
Department of Migration and Refugee Services
Executive Director
Office of Migration and Refugee Policy
Office of Refugee Programs
Secretariat of Catholic Education
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities
Communications
Secretary of Communications
Catholic Communication Campaign
Office of Film and Broadcasting
Office of Digital Media
Office of Media Relations
USCCB Publishing
Administration and National Collections
Secretary of Administration
Office of Finance
Office of Accounting and Business Services
Office of General Services
Office of Human Resources
Office of National Collections
The Church in Central and Eastern Europe
Catholic Home Missions
The Church in Latin America
Peter's Pence
The Catholic Relief Services Collection
The Church in Africa
Catholic Communication Campaign (promotion)
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (promotion)
Office of Information Technology
[edit] Pastoral Initiatives
National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage
In November 2004, the USCCB kicked off the National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage (NPIM), a multi-year, far-reaching effort to promote traditional marriage values.
Led by Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, and the USCCB's Office of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, as well as the Catholic Communication Campaign, the Initiative synthesizes social-science research, Catholic teaching and pastoral practice, and the everyday experiences of married men and women to bolster marriage as a social institution and Christian sacrament. The NPIM is largely being promoted among the general public in the United States through radio and television public-service announcements.
In the advertising, couples speak candidly about the everyday things done for each other to show love and commitment as they answer the question: “What have you done for your marriage today?” Viewers are then directed to visit ForYourMarriage.org, an online repository of resources, tips and stories that can help strengthen a marriage.
The NPIM will run through 2011, with the next phase including a bishops’ pastoral letter. The final phase will see the development of pastoral resources.
[edit] Presidents
- John Cardinal Dearden, Archbishop of Detroit (1966-1971)
- John Cardinal Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia (1971-1974)
- Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, Archbishop of Cincinnati (1974-1977; later became archbishop of Chicago and was created a cardinal)
- Archbishop John Quinn, Archbishop of San Francisco (1977-1980)
- Archbishop John Roach, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1980-1983)
- Bishop James Malone, Bishop of Youngstown (1983-1986)
- Archbishop John May, Archbishop of Saint Louis (1986-1989)
- Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk, Archbishop of Cincinnati (1989-1992)
- William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore (1992-1995)
- Bishop Anthony Pilla, Bishop of Cleveland (1995-1998)
- Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, Bishop of Galveston-Houston (1998-2001; last NCCB/USCC President and first USCCB President; became an archbishop in December 2004, when the then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston was elevated to a metropolitan archdiocese)
- Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, Bishop of Belleville (2001-2004; later became archbishop of Atlanta)
- Bishop William S. Skylstad, Bishop of Spokane (2004-2007)
- Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago (2007-present)
[edit] See also
- List of the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of the Roman Catholic cathedrals of the United States
- List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of the United States
- Plenary Councils of Baltimore
[edit] References
- ^ "Archdiocese of Baltimore - Our History". http://www.archbalt.org/our-history/index.cfm. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.
