The 60th anniversary edition of The Dialog, published Sept. 19, 2025, included a review of Catholic news from 1965-2025. This is the fourth of 10 parts.
1983
Bishop Mardaga met privately with Pope John Paul II during his ad limina visit, mandated every five years to report on the state of each diocese.
More than 700 protesters attended a prayer vigil in Dover, where an abortion clinic is planned. Holy Cross Parish followed with a 10-week pro-life prayer effort.
St. Agnes Church dedicated its new building two years after a fire destroyed the original structure.
Resurrection Parish announced plans for a worship center, a multipurpose facility to be built near Saint Mark’s High School.
Norbertine Father Edward McLaughlin was appointed headmaster at Archmere Academy, beginning a long association with the school. Father McLaughlin is currently Archmere’s chaplain.
The Annual Catholic Appeal surpassed $1 million for the first time in its eight-year history.
Ground was broken for St. Andrew’s Catholic Center, which would become the fourth Catholic church in Ocean City, Md.
St. Joseph Parish in Middletown and St. John the Baptist Church in Newark both marked their 100th anniversaries.
1984
St. Francis Hospital dedicated its new medical-surgical unit, marking the end of a long road to add 70 beds to the facility.
Nexus ’84, sponsored by the Office of Youth Ministry, draws 400 teenagers to Saint Mark’s High School. It is the largest such gathering in the diocese since the late 1960s.
Bishop Mardaga died on May 28 at age 71 following a four-year battle with cancer. Msgr. Paul J. Taggart was elected administrator and ran the diocese for the rest of 1984 and into 1985 while awaiting the next bishop.
St. Edmond’s Parish in Rehoboth Beach announced that a new mission church would be built in the Angola-Millsboro area.
Siena Hall, a home for children operated by the Diocese of Wilmington, suffered $100,000 in damages during a fire. All of the residents were evacuated safely.
The Ministry of Caring began a hot breakfast program at Emmanuel Dining Room West, which opened in a former firehouse the year before.
1985
Two teenagers were convicted of vandalism at Cathedral Cemetery. A total of 150 tombstones were damaged.
Bishop Robert E. Mulvee, an auxiliary bishop with the Diocese of Manchester, N.H., was named the ordinary for the Diocese of Wilmington, succeeding the late Bishop Thomas Mardaga. The diocese went nearly nine months without a bishop.
St. Polycarp Parish in Smyrna celebrated its centennial. As far back as 1868, Catholics in the area rented a room in the Odd Fellows Hall for Mass and a Sunday school.
The name of the new church in Millsboro was revealed to be Mary, Mother of Peace. The name was at the top of a poll of parishioners from 1983.
Saint Mark’s won its first baseball state championship. As of 2025, the Spartans have 14 titles, the most of any school in the state.
Vince Filliben retired after a 31-year coaching career at Archmere. Filliben coached basketball and baseball for that entire time, and he also coached football for the first four years. He also served as athletic director and taught math.
St. Luke’s-St. Andrew’s becomes a parish in Ocean City, Md.
Nineteen pro-life protesters were arrested after occupying the Delaware Women’s Health Organization on Orange Street for more than four hours. The group entered behind two demonstrators who posed as clients. They were found guilty of trespassing.
St. Mary Refuge of Sinners in Cambridge, Md., also marked its centennial anniversary.
1986
A member of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Wilmington was among the victims of a terrorist attack at the airport in Rome.
Father Edward Storck is appointed chaplain to the nursing homes in New Castle County, a new ministry created after a survey of such facilities revealed the need.
The first Secular Franciscan fraternity is established with the approval of the bishop.
St. Helena Parish in Bellefonte celebrated its 50th anniversary, as did Catholic Youth Organization.
Bishop Mulvee announced the formation of a diocesan Pro-Life Committee to more effectively communicate the diocese’s efforts and message.
The bishop dedicated a statue of the Blessed Mother at the shrine of Our Lady of the Highways. The statue overlooks Interstate 95 in Childs, Md.
Mary, Mother of Peace Church was dedicated by Bishop Mulvee.
Eight contemplative Capuchin Poor Clare nuns arrived from Mexico to open their second house in the United States. The sisters served as a spiritual source of strength for the Capuchin Friars at the Ministry of Caring.
1987
Father Greg Corrigan and a group of friends create an album of Christian music, “To Give Light.” Father Corrigan conceived of the idea, designed the album cover, organized the production and wrote one of the 10 songs.
Six Catholic high schools in the diocese halted distribution of The Eye, a magazine edited by and for high school students and published by the Resource Center of the YMCA of Delaware. The action was taken because the magazine ran advertisements for birth control services.
Fire destroyed a significant portion of Our Lady of Grace Home for Children in Newark. Most of the seven Felician Sisters who staffed the residence lost all of their possessions.
Twenty-three men are ordained permanent deacons for the diocese in two ceremonies, one in Wilmington, the other in Ocean City. It is the second class of permanent deacons for the diocese since the ministry was reinstated, the first for Bishop Mulvee.
A fire at the diocesan office building on Union Street forced several departments to relocate temporarily.
Richard Carter, an inmate at the Delaware Correctional Center, was received into the Catholic Church during a service at the prison. It was believed to be the first time such an event took place in Delaware.
Holy Cross High School closed at the end of the school year because of declining enrollment and financial constraints.
Several divisions in the diocese became part of Catholic Charities. The reorganization was meant to emphasize the diocese’s commitment to human services. Further reorganization of the diocesan offices was announced shortly thereafter.
The current St. Ann’s Church in Wilmington celebrated its centennial. A statue of Mary and her child, created by local sculptor Charles Parks, was erected in front of the church.
1988
A bomb found in the parking lot of Good Shepherd School in Perryville, Md., was defused without incident.
Former abortionist Dr. Bernard Nathanson was the keynote speaker at the first Delaware Pro-Life Coalition conference in Wilmington.
Mary, Mother of Peace Church was transferred from a mission of St. Edmond Parish in Rehoboth Beach to St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Georgetown.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Wilmington began a $2 million fundraising drive for a new church and expansion projects.
Bishop Mulvee made his first trip to Vatican City for an ad limina visit. He was joined by Bishop James C. Burke, a Dominican prelate who served the Diocese of Wilmington as vicar for urban affairs and other roles.
Oblate Father Roberto Balducelli retired as pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Wilmington after 42 years.
The Thomas More Society held the diocese’s first Red Mass for members of the legal profession.
Msgr. Thomas Reese, the longtime director of the diocesan Catholic Social Services and peace activist, died suddenly at age 67. He was pastor of St. John the Apostle, Milford, at the time of his death.
