| John Brendan McCormick | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Manchester | |
| Province | Boston |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Enthroned | 1998 |
| Reign ended | 2011 |
| Predecessor | Leo Edward O'Neil † |
| Successor | Peter Anthony Libasci |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | February 2, 1960 |
| Consecration | December 27, 1995 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 12, 1935 Winthrop, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
John Brendan McCormack (born August 12, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the ninth Bishop of Manchester, serving in that capacity from 1998 until 2011.
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John McCormack was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, to Cornelius and Eleanor (née Noonan) McCormack. Raised in Cambridge, he attended Boston College High School and St. John's Seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Richard Cushing on February 2, 1960, and then served as an associate pastor at St. James Parish in Salem.
McCormack was the executive director of North Shore Catholic Charities Center in Peabody from 1967 to 1981. During this time, he also pursued his graduate studies at Boston College, from where he obtained a Master's degree in social work in 1969. In 1981 he was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Malden.
In 1984 he became Secretary for Ministerial Personnel in the Archdiocese of Boston. In this position, McCormack was Cardinal Bernard Francis Law's point person on hearing complaints against priests accused of sexual misconduct and removing some of them from active duty.[1] He was made pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Weymouth in 1994.
On November 21, 1995, McCormack was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Boston and Titular Bishop of Cerbali by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 27 from Cardinal Law, with Cardinal William Wakefield Baum and Bishop Alfred Clifton Hughes serving as co-consecrators. He chose for his episcopal motto: "Christ in all things."
As an auxiliary, he served as regional bishop for the South Region of the Archdiocese.
McCormack was later named the ninth Bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 21, 1998, succeeding the late Leo O'Neil. He was formally installed on September 22,1998.
In early 2002, McCormack publicly announced the names of 14 priests in the diocese who had been accused of sexually abusing children (cf Sexual abuse scandal in Manchester diocese).[1]
On August 10, 2010, in accordance with Canon Law, Bishop McCormack, submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI as bishop of the Diocese of Manchester. His resignation was accepted on Monday, September 19, 2011, when Pope Benedict XVI appointed then-Auxiliary Bishop Peter Anthony Libasci of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, as his successor.[2]
| Episcopal lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Bernard Francis Law |