Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona–Rochester


The Diocese of Winona–Rochester is the Roman Catholic diocese which ministers to the people of southern Minnesota. The diocese includes Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Jackson, Martin, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Olmsted, Pipestone, Rock, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan, and Winona Counties.

History

erected the Diocese on November 26, 1889.
The episcopal see is located in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona, Minnesota. Its present Bishop is John M. Quinn. It is bordered to the north by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, of which it is a suffragan see, and the Diocese of New Ulm. On March 27, 2018, the diocese announced that the Congregation for Bishops decided the diocese will be called the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. As part of this name change, St. John the Evangelist Church in Rochester was designated as co-cathedral.

Sex abuse cases and bankruptcy

In September 2018, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal the Diocese filed to block lawsuits for past cases of sex abuse. In November 2018, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester released a statement claiming that the Diocese would soon file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy due to the financial burden caused by the sex abuse lawsuits. The Diocese then officially filed for bankruptcy in December 2018. As part of its bankruptcy filing, the Diocese agreed to not file an objection to having more plaintiffs added to the lawsuits so long as they could come forward by April 8, 2019.

Bishops

This is a list of the bishops who have served the Diocese through its history.

Bishops of Winona

  1. Joseph Bernard Cotter
  2. Patrick Richard Heffron
  3. Francis Martin Kelly
  4. Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald
  5. Loras Joseph Watters
  6. John George Vlazny, appointed Archbishop of Portland in Oregon
  7. Bernard Joseph Harrington
  8. John M. Quinn

    Bishops of Winona-Rochester

Superintendents of schools

High schools