Roman Catholic 
Diocese of Ogdensburg

HISTORY

1300s - The first to establish settlements in the North Country were the Iroquois (14th century).

1600s - French, Dutch, and English fur-traders came; followed shortly after by the French missionaries, Father Issac Jogues, S.J. and companions who were martyred establishing the first missions among the Five Nations.For a long time the Church of the North Country was served by the Bishops of Quebec because of the Intolerance of the English and later the American rule. The Catholic Church was suspect because of the ties to the English enemy, France.

1752 - The Mission of The Holy Trinity at La Presentation Fort (Ogdensburg) was established May 29, 1752.

1808- Established as part of the Diocese of New York1847 - Established as part of the Diocese of Albany

1872 - The Diocese of Ogdensburg was acknowledged on February 16, 1872 by Pope Pius IX, "We, with definite knowledge, mature deliberation, and by our Apostolic Authority, in virtue of the present document, separate and sever from the Diocese of Albany, the following territory -- the counties of St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Jefferson, Lewis, and Essex, together with that part of the counties of Herkimer and Hamilton which lies above the northern line of the townships of Ohio and Russia; and this same territory we erect and constitute as a true and properly called diocese.

"Ref. A History of Catholicism in the North Country by Sister Mary Christine Taylor, S.S.J., Ph.D.

Former bishops of ogdensburg

Right Reverend Edgar P. Wadhams, D.D. First
Bishop of Ogdensburg

May 5, 1872 - December 5, 1891

Former Vicar General of Albany, NY Born - Lewis, NY 1817

Right Reverend Henry 
Gabriels, D.D.
Second Bishop of Ogdensburg

May 5, 1892 - April 23, 1921

Former Rector St. Joseph's Seminary, Troy, NY
Born - Wannegem-Lede, Belgium, 1838

Most Reverend Joseph Henry Conroy, D.D.,LL.D.
Third Bishop of Ogdensburg

January 18, 1921 - March 20, 1939

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Ogdensburg
Born - Watertown, NY 1858

Most Reverend Francis Joseph   Monaghan, D.D., LL.D.
Fourth Bishop of Ogdensburg

May 2, 1939 - November 13, 1942

Former Coadjutor of Diocese of Ogdensburg
Born - Newark, NJ 1890

Most Reverend Bryan Joseph McEntegart, D.D., LL.D
Fifth Bishop of Ogdensburg

August 10, 1943 - August 18, 1953

Former Organizer of Catholic Charities
Born - Manhattan, NY 1893
Appointed - Rector of Catholic University, Wash. DC& Later Bishop of Brooklyn, NY

Most Reverend Walter Philip Kellenberg, D.D.
Sixth Bishop of Ogdensburg

March 25, 1954 - May 26, 1957

Former Auxiliary Bishop of New York
Born - New York, NY 1901
Appointed - Bishop of Rockville Centre, NY

Most Reverend James Johnston Navagh, D.D.
Seventh Bishop of Ogdensburg

June 14, 1957 - May 8, 1963

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Raleigh, NC
Born - Buffalo, NY 1901
Appointed - Bishop Of Paterson, NJ

Most Reverend Leo Richard Smith, Ph.D., J.C.D.
Eighth Bishop of Ogdensburg

May 13, 1963 - October 9, 1963

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo
Born - Attica, NY 1905

Most Reverend Thomas Andrew   Donnellan, J.C.D.
Ninth Bishop of Ogdensburg

April 13, 1964 - July 14, 1968

Former Rector of the Major Seminary of New York
Born - Bronx, NY 1914
Appointed Archbishop of Atlanta, GA

Most Reverend 
Stanislaus Joseph Brzana, S.T.D., LL.D.
Tenth Bishop of Ogdensburg

October 22, 1968 - November 11, 1993

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo
Born - Buffalo, NY 1917
Retired at age 75

Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, D.D.,  S.T.L., 
Eleventh Bishop of Ogdensburg

January 17, 1994 - January 25, 1999

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford, CT
Born - Framingham, MA 1940
Appointed Bishop of Arlington, VA

Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito, D.D., J.C.L.
Twelfth Bishop of Ogdensburg

January 7, 2000 - July 1, 2003

Former Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn, NY
Born - Brooklyn, NY 1950
Appointed Bishop of Palm Beach, FL

Most Reverend Robert J. Cunningham, D.D., J.C.L.
Thirteenth Bishop of Ogdensburg

May 18, 2004 - April 21, 2009

Rector of St. Louis Church of Buffalo, NY
Born - Buffalo, NY 1943
Appointed Bishop of Syracuse, NY