The Diocese of Lansing (Latin: Diœcesis Lansingensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Detroit. The see's mother church is St. Mary's Cathedral in Lansing. The bishop is Earl Boyea.
== Territory ==
The Diocese of Lansing encompasses an area of 6,218 square miles (16,100 km2) including the counties of Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Shiawassee and Washtenaw.
== History ==
=== 1700 to 1937 ===
During the 17th century, present-day Michigan was part of the French colony of New France. For Catholics, the Diocese of Quebec had jurisdiction over the region. In 1763, after the end of the French-Indian War, the Michigan area became part of the British Province of Quebec, forbidden from settlement by American colonists. After the American Revolution, the Michigan region became part of the new United States. For Catholics, Michigan was now under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which then comprised the entire country.
In 1808, Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown in Kentucky, with jurisdiction over the new Michigan Territory. In 1821, the pope erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, taking the Michigan Territory from the Diocese of Bardstown. Pope Gregory XVI formed the Diocese of Detroit in 1833, covering the entire Michigan Territory. The Lansing area would be part of the Diocese of Detroit, followed by the Archdiocese of Detroit, for the next 104 years.
The first Catholic church in Flint, Michigan, St. Michael's, was dedicated in 1848. In 1864, St. Mary Church opened in Lansing, Michigan, the first Catholic church in that city. The present St. Mary Cathedral was constructed in 1913.
=== 1937 to 1965 ===
Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Lansing May 22, 1937, removing its territory from the Archdiocese of Detroit. He named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph H. Albers of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as the first bishop of Lansing that same year.
In 1938, the rectory of St. Mary Cathedral caught fire. Albers, still suffering from lungs weakened from his exposure to mustard gas during World War I, collapsed at the scene and had to be rescued by firefighters. In 1940, Albers moved into Meadowvue in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, his episcopal residence.
During Albers's episcopacy, the diocese built 38 parishes, 42 elementary schools and two high schools. This earned Albers the appellation "The Builder". Albers enjoyed a special devotion to St. Joseph; one of the new parishes was named for him. In 1954, the diocesan newsletter Catholic Weekly, Lansing began publication. Albers was instrumental in its startup. Pope Paul VI named Auxiliary Bishop Alexander M. Zaleski of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as coadjutor bishop in Lansing in 1964 to assist Albers.
=== 1965 to 2010 ===
When Albers died in 1965, Zaleski automatically succeeded him as Bishop of Lansing. Zaleski died in 1975. The next Bishop of Lansing was Bishop Kenneth Joseph Povish of the Diocese of Crookston, appointed in 1970. In July 1971, Pope Paul VI separated territory from the diocese to form the new Diocese of Kalamazoo.
After 20 years of service in Lansing, Povish retired in 1995 due to poor health. Carl Mengeling was appointed Bishop of Lansing that same year. During his tenure, Mengeling opened several parochial schools and churches. He also involved himself with the activities of Hispanic, Vietnamese, and African-American Catholics in the Diocese. Mengeling retired in 2008.
Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 appointed Auxiliary Bishop Earl Boyea of the Archdiocese of Detroit as the next and present Bishop of Lansing.
=== 2010 to present ===
In January 2021, the diocese instituted a new policy for schools, parishes, and charities regarding the biological sex of students, parishioners and others. This policy included direction on the use of pronouns, along with requirements that bathrooms and sports be segregated according to biological sex. The policy also required school officials to avoid participating in the administration of hormonal treatment of students that was designed to alter their sexual characteristics.
As of 2025, Boyea is the current bishop of Lansing, with plans of him retiring in 2026.
=== Sex abuse cases ===
The Diocese of Lansing paid a $225,000 settlement in August 2010 to a man who said he was sexually assaulted by Monsignor John Slowey at St. Vincent Home in Lansing in 1955. That same month, the diocese announced that John Martin of Laingsburg had molested at least six minors during the 1950s and 1960s.
Vincent DeLorenzo from Flint was charged by the Michigan Department of Attorney General in May 2019 with six counts of first- and second-degree sexual misconduct. Eight victims had accused him of sexual abuse. In 2019, the diocese requested that the Vatican laicize DeLorenzo. In April 2023, DeLorenzo pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault. His victim was a five-year-old whom he assaulted after officiating at a family funeral. DeLorenzo was sentenced to one year in prison and five years of probation.
In July 2021, the diocese announced that it had determined two sexual abuse allegations against the late Bishop James Sullivan from the Diocese of Fargo to be credible. Two men had accused Sullivan of inappropriate behavior with them during the 1960s, when Sullivan was a priest in the Diocese of Lansing. Sullivan later served as an auxiliary bishop in Lansing. The diocese in September 2019 published a list of 17 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1937. The list was updated in 2022.
In September 2020, Joseph Comperchio, a former teacher at St. John Catholic School in Jackson, was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida. He was charged in Michigan with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Comperchio committed these acts at the school between 1974 and 1977. He was convicted and sentenced in 2021 to 12 to 30 years in prison.
== Churches ==
== Bishops ==
=== Bishops of Lansing ===
Joseph H. Albers (1937– 1965)
Alexander M. Zaleski (1965–1975)
Kenneth Joseph Povish (1975–1995)
Carl Frederick Mengeling (1995–2008)
Earl Boyea (2008–present)
=== Auxiliary Bishops ===
Michael Joseph Green (1962–1967), appointed Bishop of Reno
James Stephen Sullivan (1972–1985), appointed Bishop of Fargo
=== Other diocesan priests who became bishops ===
Paul Vincent Donovan, appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo in 1971
James Albert Murray, appointed Bishop of Kalamazoo in 1997
Steven John Raica, appointed Bishop of Gaylord from 2014 to 2020, appointed Bishop of Birmingham in 2020
Gerald Lee Vincke, appointed Bishop of Salina in 2018
== High schools ==
Father Gabriel Richard High School – Ann Arbor
Lansing Catholic High School – Lansing
Lumen Christi Catholic High School – Jackson
Powers Catholic High School – Flint
St. Thomas More Academy – Burton
== Media ==
The Diocese of Lansing owns the publisher Faith Catholic, which publishes Catholic magazines for dioceses and organizations. Faith Catholic also operates the website MassTimes.org.
== References ==
== External links ==
Roman Catholic Diocese Of Lansing Official Site
Faith Magazine – diocesan magazine