The 60th anniversary edition of The Dialog, published Sept. 19, 2025, included a review of Catholic news from 1965-2025. This is the ninth of 10 parts.
2010
Thirteen Hispanic couples were married during a Mass on Valentine’s Day at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Georgetown.
The first Cross Pilgrimage for young people was held the day before Palm Sunday in Wilmington. Bishop Malooly joined the youth.
The first Asian-American and African-American priests were ordained for the Diocese of Wilmington.
The diocese closed its last remaining residential program for children. Seton Villa had operated in Bellefonte for 70 years.
Delaware became the 23rd state to offer “Choose Life” license plates.
St. Patrick’s Chapel in Pilottown, Md., built in 1819, was rededicated after a 10-year effort to renovate the building. The chapel had fallen into disrepair.
A Memorial Mass was held at Immaculate Conception in Elkton, Md., for 35 aborted babies whose remains were discovered at a secret abortion facility in town. Approximately 275 people attended. The remains were buried at the parish cemetery.
The diocese announced that St. Matthew’s, St. Catherine of Siena and Corpus Christi schools would close at the end of the school year, and a new school, All Saints School, would open in the fall of 2011.
A committee studying the sustainability of Ss. Peter and Paul High School in Easton, Md., submitted a plan to Bishop Malooly concluding that the school could remain open if certain goals were met.
For the first time since Delaware split high school football into two divisions in 1975, Catholic institutions won both titles. Saint Mark’s won its first championship since 1978, and St. Elizabeth captured its first since winning in 1996.
2011
The Diocese of Wilmington reached an agreement to pay $77.4 million to settle 150 claims of sexual abuse by clergy. The settlement included the assets of the Catholic Diocese Foundation, which had contributed to various projects around the diocese.
St. Paul School in Wilmington closed at the end of the school year after nearly 125 years of educating young people.
The diocese announced a reorganization after the abuse settlement that would result in the loss of jobs and a reduction in services.
Gene Alessandrini and Tom Rosa both retired after 41 years at Saint Mark’s High School in a variety of positions.
Pope John Paul II School in Bellefonte, which opened after a merger of St. Helena’s and Holy Rosary schools in 2008, closed.
The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales settled 39 claims of child sexual abuse by its members for $24.8 million.
The diocese announced that The Dialog, which would have been eliminated as part of the sexual-abuse settlement, would remain in business. The paper would be printed bi-weekly and expand its online presence.
All Saints Catholic School opened in the former Corpus Christi School in Elsmere. The school welcomed students from Corpus Christi, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Matthew’s schools.
An estimated 6,000 mourners traveled to the Chase Center on the Riverfront to pay their respects to New Castle County Police Lt. Joseph Szczerba, 44. Szczerba, a 1985 graduate of Salesianum, was killed in the line of duty in September.
Saint Mark’s played home football games at night for the first time after installing lights at its field thanks to a donation from the family of a graduate. The Spartans had long played home games at Baynard Stadium.
Bishop Malooly blessed a renovated St. Jude the Apostle Church in Lewes. The church underwent an extensive makeover and was closed for several months earlier in the year.
2012
Oblate Father Mike Vogt, a campus minister at Salesianum School, was ordained to the priesthood in the school gymnasium in front of the student body, family and others.
Bishop Malooly met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican during his ad limina visit in which he presented a report on the state of the Diocese of Wilmington. The priorities included developing new models of parish structure and leadership; beginning a new effort of evangelization; renewing catechism; and reinforcing the call to holiness in all vocations.
Bishop Malooly launched a diocesan-wide consultation process to help develop the diocesan mission and ministry priorities for the next five years.
Holy Family Parish celebrated a $1.1 million renovation and expansion at the Ogletown church.
2013
Bishop Malooly announced a series of Eucharistic Holy Hours as part of the U.S. bishops’ Call to Prayer movement.
The diocese launched “Sustaining Hope for the Future,” a three-year, $28 million capital campaign.
Benedictine Sister Jeannette Murray, director of the education program at Ridgely, Md., for 42 years, died at age 88.
Bishop Malooly wrote to Delaware legislators stating “marriage is a unique relationship between a man and a woman” a few days before a bill is introduced in Dover to legalize same-sex marriage in Delaware. The bill passed both houses and was signed in early May by Gov. Jack Markell.
Father William Jennings celebrated his 100th birthday at the Jeanne Jugan Residence in Newark.
Our Lady of Fatima School closed in June.
Oblate Father Roberto Balducelli, the longtime pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Wilmington, died Aug. 9, hours before his 100th birthday. His viewing stretched over two days, and his funeral drew more than 1,000 people.
Joe Hemphill, who coached football at St. Elizabeth High School for 42 years, retired.
The bishop blessed St. Patrick Church in Wilmington after extensive renovations.
2014
Benedictine Sister Anselma Biskach died at 99. She was a teacher in the Diocese of Wilmington in the 1930s, served as prioress of the Ridgely, Md., congregation through Vatican II, and oversaw the opening of the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children.
The diocese marked 75 years of “Catholic Forum,” formerly “Catholic Forum of the Air. The anniversary show featured an interview with 94-year-old Dorothy Arthur, one of the founders.
Catholic Cemeteries released a computer app that allows visitors to locate a grave on a smartphone or other Internet-connected device.
Father William Jennings, ordained in 1940, died at 101. He was the oldest priest in the history of the diocese.
Msgr. J. Thomas Cini, vicar general and moderator of the curia since 1977, retired in September.
2015
Bishop Malooly reported that pledges to the Sustaining Hope for the Future campaign reached more than $31 million, which was $3 million over the goal.
A funeral Mass was held in June at St. Anthony of Padua Church for Beau Biden, the former state attorney general and son of Vice President Joe Biden. Beau Biden succumbed to cancer.
The diocese began the observance of the 200th anniversary of St. Peter Cathedral and the 250th anniversary of St. Joseph Mission Church in Cordova, Md. St. Hedwig Parish in Wilmington closed its 125th anniversary.
Pilgrims from the Diocese of Wilmington flocked to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., to attend Masses celebrated by Pope Francis.
Fire gutted the rectory at St. Mary Refuge of Sinners in Cambridge, Md.
St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Ocean City, Md., was closed for renovations.
Bishop Malooly opened the Year of Mercy’s Holy Door at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Easton, Md.
