Daniel Patrick Reilly
Daniel Patrick Reilly (born May 12, 1928) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich (1975–1994) and Bishop of Worcester (1994–2004).
Biography
Daniel Reilly was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Francis and Mary Ann (née Bums) Reilly.[1] He studied at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick (1943–1948) before studying at the Grand Seminary in Saint-Brieuc, France.[1] He was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1953.[2] He briefly served in a parish before completing his graduate studies at Boston College.[1] Serving the Diocese of Providence, he was successively named assistant chancellor (1954), secretary to Bishop Russell McVinney (1956), chancellor (1964), and vicar general (1972).[3] He attended two sessions of the Second Vatican Council, and was raised to the rank of Monsignor in 1965.[3]
On June 5, 1975, Reilly was named the third Bishop of Norwich, Connecticut, by Pope Paul VI.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 6 from Archbishop John Francis Whealon, with Bishops Vincent Joseph Hines and Louis Edward Gelineau serving as co-consecrators.[2] After nineteen years at Norwich, Reilly was named the fourth Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, on October 27, 1994.[2] During his tenure at Worcester, he reopened St. Joseph Church but merged it with Notre Dame des Canadiens.[3] He raised over $50 million for his Forward in Faith campaign to place the diocese in a stable financial condition.[3] In 2002 he became the first Catholic bishop to open the annual synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[3] In 2003 he expressed his unequivocal opposition same-sex marriage and civil unions, but declared he was open to discussion on giving public benefits to same-sex couples.[4]
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Reilly retired as bishop on March 9, 2004.[2] He was succeeded by Robert Joseph McManus, then-auxiliary bishop of Providence.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Curtis, Georgina Pell (1977). The American Catholic Who's Who XXI. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Shaw, Kathleen (2003-05-06). "Bishop Reilly to retire". Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
- ↑ "Bishop brings reason to issue of gay benefits". National Catholic Reporter. 2003-11-07.
Preceded by Vincent Joseph Hines |
Bishop of Norwich 1975—1994 |
Succeeded by Daniel Anthony Hart |
Preceded by Timothy Joseph Harrington |
Bishop of Worcester 1994—2004 |
Succeeded by Robert Joseph McManus |