John Bernard MacGinley

John Bernard MacGinley (August 19, 1871—October 18, 1969) was an Irish-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Nueva Caceres (1910-24) and Bishop of Monterey-Fresno (1924-32).

Biography

John MacGinley was born in County Donegal, the sixth of thirteen children of Thomas Colin and Margaret Theresa (née Sinnott) MacGinley.^[1] His father served as principal of Croagh National School, and was author of General Biology and several works on folklore and scenery of western Donegal.^[2] He was educated at St. Eunan's Seminary, Letterkenny and Blackrock College, Dublin, in his native country, and at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.^[1]

While in Rome, MacGinley was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Edmund Stonor on June 8, 1895.^[3] He earned a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1896, and came to the United States that same year.^[1] He then served as a curate at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until 1898, when he became professor of Latin and moral theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.^[1] He remained at St. Charles for five years, and was made rector of the seminary at Vigan City in the Philippines in 1905.^[1] In 1910, he returned to Philadelphia, where he became a curate at St. Charles Church.^[1]

On April 2, 1910, MacGinley was appointed Bishop of Nueva Caceres in the Philippines by Pope Pius X.^[3] He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 10 from Archbishop Diomede Falconio, with Bishops John Edmund Fitzmaurice and Edmond Francis Prendergast serving as co-consecrators.^[3] Recalled to the United States, he was named Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, California, on March 24, 1924.^[3] He later resigned due to ill health on September 26, 1932; he was appointed Titular Bishop of Croae on the same date.^[3] He retired to Killybegs, in his native County Donegal, where he died at age 98.^[1]

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