On Oct. 21, 1944, Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Steubenville.
The bishops of Ohio decided that they would take the eastern part of the Diocese of Columbus and a make a missionary diocese out of it.
The new Diocese of Steubenville would consist of 13 counties in southeastern Ohio and become a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
In March 1945, Msgr. John King Mussio, chancellor of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, was announced the first bishop of Steubenville. At 42, he would become the youngest bishop in the country.
He arrived in Steubenville May 22 and was met by thousands of people in a parade through downtown Steubenville. “I saw a sea of faces. I was quite surprised, quite pleased, when I found out that these people had turned out to see me,” said the newly appointed bishop.
Bishop John King Mussio was installed the following day at Holy Name Cathedral, Steubenville.
The idea behind the formation of the new diocese was that the other dioceses in Ohio would support it. Bishop Mussio said the other Ohio dioceses did not help with man power, financing or anything for Steubenville.
The bishop said most of the bishops in the United States didn’t think the Diocese of Steubenville would last because there weren’t enough people in the territory to support a diocese. Bishop Mussio said they were wrong because “they underestimated Steubenville, Bellaire, and places like that.”
At the time, the only Catholic institution that existed in the diocese, other than parishes and schools, was a small hospital, Gill, in the North End of Steubenville, which Bishop Mussio said made it difficult for a new diocese. He said when other dioceses were established, they usually had a number of Catholic institutions to work with. He said he “started with nothing and worked from there.”
The first bishop dedicated the new diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, conducted a drive for funds to set things in motion and began purchasing needed properties.
The diocese purchased the old Ohio Bell Telephone Co. in 1945, at 422 Washington St. It was renovated for use as diocesan offices, which are still there to this day.
“I wouldn’t let the diocese buy me a house. I lived at Holy Name rectory for a while and then for years on the (third) floor of the chancery building,” said Bishop Mussio.
When the bishop came to Steubenville, there were four downtown parishes: St. Stanislaus, St. Anthony, Holy Name and St. Peter.
During his tenure, 37 new parishes and missions were created; 49 new churches were constructed. Bishop Mussio established 11 new elementary schools and three new high schools.
In the west end of Steubenville, the bishop established a housing subdivision. His idea was to have moderately priced lots available for young Catholic families. The Diocesan Community Arena, later St. John Arena, was completed in 1960.
St. John Vianney Seminary was founded by Bishop Mussio. It began at the property known as the Villa Maria on North Seventh Street, Steubenville, and later was established in Bloomingdale. St. John Vianney Seminary started as a high school seminary that also offered two years of college. Later a major seminary was built. The seminary closed in 1978 and since has been sold to the Apostolate for Family Consecration.
Bishop Mussio also founded the Catholic Woman’s Club. In each parish, a club of Catholic women was established to work not only for the parish, but also for the needs of the diocese.
The Steubenville Register, the diocesan newspaper, was founded in 1945 and continues as the main source of communication with the people of the Diocese of Steubenville. Bishop Mussio said the purpose of the paper was to unify all the divisions of the diocese into some form where everybody could hear what was happening in this territory.
The College of Steubenville (now Franciscan University of Steubenville) was the dream of Father John Bocella. He was the minister provincial of the Franciscan Fathers in Loretto, Pennsylvania. In 1945, he asked Bishop Mussio if he could do anything for the young new Diocese of Steubenville. The bishop asked Father Bocella to start a college in Steubenville and the priest sent Father Dan Egan as the first president of the college. Their first building was at 420 Washington St., next to the chancery office. The college kept growing and it moved to the northern hills above the city, where it is currently located.
To honor religious and laypeople who work in a very particular way for the advancement of the diocese, Bishop Mussio initiated citations, patterned after papal awards. He called the diocesan award the Caritas medal. The bishop also awarded many papal medals, such as the Knights of St. Gregory, the Cross “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice,” the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and the Knights of St. Sylvester.
One of the bishop’s concerns was ecumenism. He started the diocesan ecumenical committee, including a group for people of the Jewish faith, and for nonbelievers. These groups met actively and at one time were attended by several thousand people. One year the bishop honored Protestant ministers and Protestant laypeople with Caritas medals.
During the 25th anniversary of the diocese in 1970, the bishop reflected on his years as shepherd, “The response I got from the people in the diocese whenever we needed help was tremendous. I mean, when we were worthy of the help, I have no recollection of any time when I was turned down. I can say that both about the people and the priests.”
Bishop Mussio retired Oct. 11, 1977. He died April 15, 1978.
Bishop Albert H. Ottenweller was appointed the second bishop of Steubenville. He was installed Nov. 22, 1977.
Prior to his coming to Steubenville, a survey was sent out through the diocese to sound out its needs. Religious education appeared a top priority. In response, Bishop Ottenweller developed religious education centers around the diocese to train religious education teachers and to develop and monitor programs for the parishes.
The second priority was improved liturgy in the churches. The Office of Worship was created. Efforts were made to assist parishes with their music ministry and formation programs for lectors, cantors and eucharistic ministers.
He called the second Diocesan Synod, which began in 1982. The synod of 1983 asked the people to become more involved in the church and to establish a direction for the diocese to take over the next 10 years. From the synod came the Alliance of Pastors and the Lay Deanery Council structure. Other works of Synod 1983 included the Diocesan/Parish Share Campaign, the Priests’ Council, the Diocesan Finance Board and computerization.
“Our synod was a time of great spiritual growth and blessing for the Diocese of Steubenville. It was an extraordinary time of grace for myself, for the priests, the religious and God’s people – the laity,” said Bishop Ottenweller.
The bishop was particularly proud of the “adoption” of a mission relationship with the Archdiocese of Cusco in Peru. “We must help those who need us,” Bishop Ottenweller stated. Cusco is the oldest church in the New World – more than 475 years old and the Diocese of Steubenville considers the Archdiocese of Cusco as its sister diocese and still provides assistance to them.
He also established the Ministry to Priests program, pastoral staff and the core staff.
Bishop Ottenweller visited Narcotics Anonymous meetings and made weekly visits to cancer patients at the former Ohio Valley Hospital. He was always aware of the needs of the poor. He worked for Habitat for Humanity and was active in the pro-life movement. He retired April 2, 1991. He died Sept. 23, 2012.
Bishop Gilbert I. Sheldon was named the third bishop of Steubenville and installed April 2, 1992.
He called his first three years in the Diocese of Steubenville “a time of retrenchment, the ‘ebb tide’ that seems to follow every flow in nature.”
Most of the mission parishes of the diocese were closed in that time period, due to the shortage of priests and declining population.
Bishop Sheldon called his early years “a time for the diocese to regroup and reorganize our efforts as we approach the next era in our history.”
During his time as bishop, he served on U.S. bishops’ committees for Latin America, Administration, National Advisory Council, Missions and Nominations as well as a member of the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus Board.
Bishop Sheldon began a series of articles in The Steubenville Register, introducing the people of the diocese to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
He conducted workshops for teachers of religion throughout the diocese and was active in promoting the catechism’s use.
In preparation for the Great Jubilee of the New Millennium, Convocation 2000 was introduced. It began in Advent of 1998. Parishioners were asked to meet to discuss the three themes of the Holy Father – faith, hope and charity – in preparation for the millennium. The fourth week focused on the future of the parish. In Lent 1999, a Holy Hour was held in each deanery. In Advent 1999, the opening of the Jubilee Door was celebrated at Holy Name Cathedral.
Bishop Sheldon established the Office of Buildings and Property, responsible for the supervision of all diocesan and parish properties.
Also inaugurated in the diocese during his tenure was an annual jubilee celebration for religious. He also brought back the “Red Mass,” an annual celebration in observance of law week.
The bishop said, “The one thing that I treasure most is the people with whom I have been privileged to work for and with. They were and are there with me in every assignment that I have had.”
Bishop Sheldon retired Aug. 6, 2002, but he continues his biweekly articles in the diocesan newspaper and serves as a judge on the diocesan Tribunal, which handles marriage cases.
Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville, was ordained and installed at Franciscan University of Steubenville Aug. 6, 2002.
One of Bishop Conlon’s concerns was with the quality of catechetics within the diocese. In 2003, he convened the priests and lay catechetical leaders of the diocese for workshops to study the General Catechetical Directory. This was the first such workshop ever held in the diocese.
The crisis of child abuse, especially the abuse of young people by priests and the way some bishops handled it, took a top priority for Bishop Conlon. The bishop put into effect the “Decree on Child Protection” on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2003. A review board was established and assistance coordinators were appointed.
The Diocese of Steubenville continues to work toward the goals established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in assisting those who have been sexually abused and in preventing further abuses.
In 2003, deanery pastoral councils were formed. The purpose of the councils was to provide a consultative structure for clergy and laity to work prayerfully and collaboratively to provide for the most effective way to build up the church in the Diocese of Steubenville, especially at the deanery level.
In May 2003, the first meeting of the Steubenville Task Force was held, a commission charged to look at the entire life and work of the church within the city of Steubenville. The first annual men’s conference was held the following year.
In 2005, Triumph of the Cross Parish was formed. The decree stated that a new parish was to be established in the city of Steubenville and be composed of the parishioners from the following parishes: Holy Name , St. Anthony, St. Stanislaus , Holy Rosary, St. Pius the Tenth, and Servants of Christ the King. It read, “This new parish shall be formed gradually, as provided in the Steubenville Task Force Pastoral Plan: Renewing the Church in Steubenville.” The parishes merged in 2005 and closed June 8, 2008.
Bishop Conlon started the first-ever capital campaign in 2007, “Lift High the Cross,” in order to construct a new cathedral in Steubenville. This cathedral was to be built on a site below Catholic Central High School.
In 2009, Bishop Conlon initiated the Permanent Diaconate Program. In his call to potential candidates he said, “Although the Diocese of Steubenville has benefited from the ministry of several deacons for a number of years, we have not had a formal program of calling and forming candidates. By God’s grace and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we are now able to initiate such a program.”
On July 14, 2011, Bishop R. Daniel Conlon was installed as the bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.
The Diocese of Steubenville for the first time in its history had a vacant see. Msgr. Kurt H. Kemo was elected unanimously by the College of Consultors to serve as the diocesan administrator until the announcement was made on July 3, 2012 of the appointment of Msgr. Jeffrey M. Monforton, from Detroit, as the fifth bishop of Steubenville.
Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton was ordained and installed as bishop on Sept. 10, 2012.
Bishop Monforton, in his first year as bishop of Steubenville, doubled the number of seminarians preparing for the priesthood from five to 10.
During his first year in the diocese, Bishop Monforton visited all 13 of the diocesan Catholic schools during Catholic Schools Week. Also, prior to his first anniversary, he celebrated a Sunday Mass in each one of the 58 parishes.
On Nov. 10, 2012, Bishop Monforton ordained six deacons for service in the diocese. It was the first permanent deacon class in the diocese.
From the results of a diocesan survey, the bishop outlined four priorities in 2017. They are: reach out more effectively to our youth and young adults; strengthen our Catholic schools and religious education programs; assist our clergy; and provide additional formation to the parish community.
On June 24, 2017, Bishop Monforton reconsecrated the Diocese of Steubenville to its patroness, the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, Marietta.
Since his appointment as bishop of Steubenville, he has been a member of the board of governors of the Pontifical North American College, Rome, from 2012-18, as well as a member of the development committee of the PNAC.
He has also served on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, and earlier this year was named chairman of the subcommittee.
Bishop Monforton became a member of the USCCB Committee on National Collections this year.
Since 2013, he has served on the board of regents and the priestly formation board at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
In 2018, he accepted the position of episcopal moderator to the Diocesan Information Systems Conference (DISC).
Bishop Monforton was named a member of the board of trustees and chairman of priestly formation and seminary life committee at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio.
The bishop has been an adjunct faculty member at Franciscan University of Steubenville. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in sacred theology from Franciscan University.
In 2023, the Diocesan Pastoral Center (chancery) was purchased by the College of St. Joseph the Worker.
On Sept. 28, 2023, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Monforton as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit. Retired Bishop Paul J. Bradley of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was named apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Steubenville.
On May 2, 2024, Bishop Bradley blessed and celebrated Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, located on the first floor of the Diocesan Pastoral Center. The chapel was restored by the diocese and the College of St. Joseph the Worker after being closed since Nov. 1, 1995. Masses are celebrated at the bishop'sdiscretion.
On June 14, 2024, Bishop Bradley concluded his duties as apostolic administrator. Bishop Edward M. Lohse, bishop of Kalamazoo, was given the additional appointment as apostolic administrator of Steubenville.
On Oct. 21, 2024, the Diocese of Steubenville celebrated the 80th anniversary of its establishment. Bishop Lohse blessed a new section of Mount Calvary Cemetery, Steubenville, and celebrated Mass at Holy Rosary Church, Steubenville, for the occasion. An apostolic blessing was given at the Mass, and a plenary indulgence was available. A reception followed in the church hall.