Founding of The Diocese
On June 17, 1968, the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg was formally established with Bishop Charles B. McLaughlin as its first and founding bishop and the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg as its seat. The newly created diocese stretched from Crystal River to Ft. Myers encompassing eleven counties. The first task of the Bronx native and former auxiliary bishop of Raleigh, North Carolina was to establish a new diocesan structure to unify priests, personnel, policy, and people from the two dioceses. He also faced the challenge of dealing with the rapidly increasing population within his diocese.
McLaughlin inherited many priests from the Diocese of St. Augustine and Miami and relied on their cooperation and assistance. He also fostered native vocations and was a strong supporter of the Floridian seminaries. McLaughlin had the responsibility of meeting the pastoral demands of over two hundred miles from end to end. McLaughlin, who was a pilot, often flew from event to event to try to keep pace with this task, a characteristic that earned him the nickname "Hurricane Charlie."
He died on December 14, 1978.
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