east of the Apalachicola River; this was constituted a separate vicariate in 1857 under Bishop Augustin Verot as vicar apostolic, and erected into the Diocese of St. Augustine in 1870, with Bishop Verot—who had headed the Diocese of Savannah since 1861—as first bishop. Bishop Verot's unwearied activity and zeal in promoting religion and education soon bore fruit; schools were opened by the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy in 1858, but the outbreak of the Civil War frustrated all hopes of success. In 1866, the Sisters of St. Joseph were introduced from France, and despite the most adverse conditions, they had several flourishing schools and academies in operation before many years. The era of progress inaugurated by Bishop Verot continued under the administration of Bishop John Moore (1877–1901), whose successor, the Right Rev. William John Kenny, was consecrated by Cardinal Gibbons 18 May 1902, in the historic Cathedral of St. Augustine. Modern era Sex abuse In March 2020, the Diocese of St. Augustine removed former Gainesville Father John H. Dux from ministry after determining that sex abuse allegations against him from 1976, which were now well beyond the state of Florida statute of limitation for a criminal case, were credible. In November 2020, the state of Florida released a list of 97 Catholic priests who were "credibly accused" of committing sex abuse, with five accused of committing sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of St. Augustine. However, a total of 13 priests on this statewide list were tied to the Diocese of St. Augustine. Bishops Bishops of Saint Augustine The list of ordinaries of the diocese and their years of service: Augustin Verot, P.S.S. (1870–1876) John Moore (1877–1901) William John Kenny (1902–1913) Michael Joseph Curley (1914–1921), appointed Archbishop of Baltimore-Washington Patrick Joseph Barry (1922–1940) Joseph Patrick Hurley (1940–1967), Archbishop (personal title) in 1949 Paul Francis Tanner (1968–1979) John J. Snyder (1979–2000) Victor Galeone (2001–2011) Felipe de Jesús Estévez (2011–2022) Erik T. Pohlmeier (2022-present) Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Joseph McDonough (1947-1957), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Savannah and later Bishop of Savannah and Archbishop of Louisville Other priests of this diocese who became bishops Maurice Patrick Foley, appointed Bishop of Tuguegarao in the Philippines in 1910 William Turner, appointed Bishop of Buffalo in 1919 John Joseph Fitzpatrick (priest here, 1948-1958), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Miami in 1968 and later Bishop of Brownsville William Thomas Larkin, appointed Bishop of Saint Petersburg in