Edward Cornelius O'Leary
- Catholic Church
- Latin Church
- Auxiliary Bishop of Portland (1971–1974)
- Titular Bishop of Moglaena (1971–1974)
Portland, Maine
- College of the Holy Cross (AB)
- St. Paul's Seminary (LST)
History | |
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Priestly ordination | |
Ordained by | Joseph Edward McCarthy |
Date | June 15, 1946 |
Place | Diocese of Portland |
Episcopal consecration | |
Principal consecrator | Peter Leo Gerety |
Co-consecrators | |
Date | January 25, 1971 |
Place | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Portland, Maine) |
Episcopal succession | |
---|---|
Bishops consecrated by Edward Cornelius O'Leary as principal consecrator | |
Amédée Wilfrid Proulx | November 12, 1975 |
Edward Cornelius O'Leary (August 21, 1920 – April 2, 2002) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Latin Church diocese of Portland in Maine from1974 to 1988 and as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from 1970 to 1974
Biography
Early life
Edward O'Leary was born on August 21, 1920, in Bangor, Maine, in 1920. He studied at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, obtaining his bachelor's degree.[2] He then attended St. Paul's Seminary in Ottawa, Ontario, where he received a Licentiate of Sacred Theology.[2]
Priesthood
O'Leary was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Portland by Bishop Joseph McCarthy on June 15, 1946.[1] He was assigned as a curate at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish, then served at Sacred Heart Parish in Portland and at St. Margaret's Parish in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.[2] O'Leary was named chancellor of the diocese, and a domestic prelate by Pope John XXIII in 1959.[2] O'Leary served as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Brunswick, Maine, from 1967 to 1971.[3]
Auxiliary Bishop of Portland
On November 16, 1970, O'Leary was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Portland and Titular Bishop of Moglaena by Pope Paul VI.[1] He received his episcopal consecration on January 25, 1971, from Bishop Peter Gerety, with bishops Bernard Flanagan and Lawrence Graves serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.[1]
Bishop of Portland
Following the promotion of Bishop Gerety to Archbishop of Newark in New Jersey in April 1974, Paul VI appointed O'Leary as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Portland on October 16, 1974.[1] He was installed on December 18, 1974.[1]
During his tenure, O'Leary was forced to address the problems of an increasing population but a decline in priestly vocations.[4] He encouraged the greater involvement of laity and women in church administration, and developed a system of parish councils.[2] The Portland Diocese also joined the Maine Council of Churches during this time.[4] O'Leary took frequent public stands on a number of social issues of importance to the Church, endorsing a referendum on pornography and opposing the Maine Equal Rights Amendment (which he believed would enforce taxpayer-funded abortions).[2] He also worked to assist HIV/AIDS victims through the Church's social services program.[2] It was also customary for O'Leary to visit all the hospitals every Christmas Day.[citation needed]
Death and legacy
On September 27, 1988, Pope John Paul II accepted O'Leary's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Portland.[1] Edward O'Leary died in Portland on April 2, 2002, at age 81.[1]
See also
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Hierarchy of the Catholic Church
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops in the United States
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bishop Edward Cornelius O'Leary". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. February 25, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Most Rev. Edward C. O'Leary, D.D." Diocese of Portland. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ "Parish History". St. Charles Borromeo Church. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "History of the Portland Diocese". Diocese of Portland.
Catholic Church titles | ||
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Preceded by | Bishop of Portland 1974–1988 | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
- Ordinaries
- David William Bacon
- James Augustine Healy
- William Henry O'Connell
- Louis Sebastian Walsh
- John Gregory Murray
- Joseph Edward McCarthy
- Daniel Joseph Feeney
- Peter Leo Gerety
- Edward Cornelius O'Leary
- Joseph John Gerry
- Richard Joseph Malone
- Robert Deeley
- James T. Ruggieri
- Auxiliary
- Amédée Wilfrid Proulx
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Portland.svg/100px-Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Portland.svg.png)
- Cathedral
- Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
- Basilica
- Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Lewiston
- Parish churches (list)
- Holy Cross Church, Lewiston
- Sacred Heart Church, Portland
- St. David Church, Madawaska
- St. Denis Church, North Whitefield
- St. Joseph's Church, Biddeford
- St. Mary's Church, Augusta
- St. Patrick's Church, Newcastle
- St. John's Church, Bangor
- Former churches
- St. Andre's, Biddeford
- St. Mary's Church, Biddeford
- St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church, Lisbon Falls
- St. Dominic's, Portland
- St. Joseph's Church, Lewiston
- St. Patrick's Church, Lewiston
- Higher education
- St. Joseph's College
- High schools
- Cheverus High School, Portland
- Saint Dominic Academy, Auburn
- Former schools
- St. Joseph's School, Biddeford
- Catherine McAuley High School, Portland
- Denis Mary Bradley
- Charles M. Murphy
- Mercy Hospital, Portland
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