Henry J. Mansell

Henry Joseph Mansell
Archbishop of Hartford
Province	Hartford
Diocese	Hartford
Installed	December 18, 2003
Term ended	October 29, 2013
Predecessor	Daniel Anthony Cronin
Successor	Leonard Paul Blair
Other posts	Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of New York (1992-1995) Bishop of Buffalo (1995-2003)
Orders
Ordination	December 19, 1962
Consecration	January 6, 1993
Personal details
Birth name	Henry Joseph Mansell
Born	(1937-10-10) October 10, 1937 New York City, New York
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Residence	Connecticut
Parents	Henry; Bridget
Occupation	Archbishop, Clergyman
Profession	Religious
Alma mater	St. Joseph's Seminary, Pontifical Gregorian University
Coat of arms

Styles of Henry Mansell
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Monsignor
Posthumous style	not applicable

Henry Joseph Mansell (born 10 October 1937) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fourth Archbishop of Hartford, having previously served as Bishop of Buffalo from 1995 to 2003. The Archbishop is believed by many in the Buffalo Diocese to have an eidetic memory, noting the Archbishop's ability to memorize names of, for example, Confirmation candidates without note cards or assistance. Pope Francis accepted Archbishop Mansell's resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese on October 29, 2013 having reached the mandatory retirement age a year earlier. Pope Francis appointed Bishop Leonard Paul Blair of Toledo, Ohio as the new Archbishop on the same day.

Early life

Henry Mansell was born in The Bronx to Henry and Bridget (née Finn) Mansell,^[1] and baptized at St. Augustine's Church three weeks later.^[2] He has a sister, Anne.^[1]

Education

Mansell attended Cathedral College, the preparatory seminary of the Archdiocese of New York, in Manhattan from 1951 to 1957, and then entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in 1959. Mansell then studied at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Martin O'Connor on December 19, 1962.^[2] He earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Gregorian in 1963, and did postgraduate work at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. until 1965.

Ministry

Mansell served as a parish priest at parishes in Harrison, his native Bronx, and Larchmont.^[2] He was appointed director of the Office of Parish Councils on June 9, 1972, and Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York on July 1, 1985. On March 17, 1986, Mansell was made an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness.^[2] He later became director of Priest Personnel and Chancellor (1988) of the Archdiocese.

Episcopal career

On November 24, 1992, Mansell was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York and Titular Bishop of Marazanae by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1993 from Pope John Paul II himself, with Archbishops Giovanni Re and Justin Rigali serving as co-consecrators, in Rome. He selected as his episcopal motto, "Blessed be God" (Psalms 68:36).

As Bishop of Buffalo

Mansell was later named the twelfth Bishop of Buffalo on April 18, 1995. Succeeding the retiring Edward D. Head, he was formally installed on the following June 12 at St. Joseph's Cathedral.

During his tenure, Mansell visited every parish in the diocese, most of them multiple times. He also promoted Catholic education, and health care and social service institutes within the diocese. Mansell established the Catholic Health Care System of Western New York, uniting the resources of local Catholic hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities. In 1996 he instituted the diocese's vicariate structure, and in 1997 he led the diocese in celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Mansell received honorary doctorates from Niagara University in May 1996, from St. Bonaventure University in August 1996, and from Canisius College in May 1997. In September 2003, Governor George Pataki named him to the State Commission on Education Reform, a group of education, business, and community leaders dedicated to reforming New York's education system.

In 2006, it was reported in Buffalo Business First that Mansell had not been forthright with the public or his superiors about the debt experienced within the Diocese.^[3] One individual was quoted in the same Buffalo Business First article, stating that Mansell was unable to see the reality of the situation.^[3] While Mansell did not oversee any church closures during his leadership in Buffalo, he lauded praises and support for the Diocese when it was actually in decline.^[3] Bishop Edward Kmiec then took on the role as Bishop of Buffalo after Mansell, faced with more than $3 million in debt, a declining Catholic population, and decreased viability for keeping many schools and churches open.^[3]

As Archbishop of Hartford

John Paul II promoted Mansell to the fourth Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut, on October 20, 2003. He was installed on December 18 of that same year.

In 2005, the Archdiocese of Hartford paid $22 million to settle sexual abuse claims brought by 43 people against 14 priests, the majority of cases occurring in the 1960s and 1970s.^[4] Mansell made a statement regarding the settlement.^[4]

Of the settlement of the sexual abuse case regarding the 14 priests in the Archdiocese, Mansell is quoted in a New York Times article by William Yardley, stating:

[It is] part of a healing process for the persons whose lives have been severely harmed by the evil of sexual abuse and for the Church itself.^[4]

Mansell is a proponent of the Traditional Latin Mass.^[5]

References