Walter A. Hurley

Walter Allison Hurley (born May 30, 1937) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as the twenty-second auxiliary bishop of Detroit and eleventh bishop ordinary of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

Early life and Education

Walter Hurley was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, to Charles and Anne (née Ball) Hurley.^[1] One of six children, he has four sisters, Elizabeth, Eileen, Charlene, and Annette; and one brother, Gerald. He attended St. Dunstan Grade School in Fredericton, and St. Anne High School in Church Point, Nova Scotia. In 1955, he moved to the United States, settling in Detroit, Michigan.^[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sacred Heart Seminary in 1961, and a Master's in Divinity from the now-defunct St. John's Provincial Seminary in 1965.^[1]

Priesthood

Hurley was ordained to the priesthood of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit by future-cardinal John Dearden on June 5, 1965,^[2] serving with the following appointments:

• Pastoral vicar at St. Dorothy Parish in Warren (1965-1969)
• Vicar for the Warren-Centerline Vicariate (1969-1972)^[1]
• pastor of St. Cyprian Parish in Riverview (1972–76)
• Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Roseville (1976-1979)
• Pastor of St. Lucy Parish in St. Clair Shores (1979-1982)^[1]

Archbishop Edmund Cardinal Szoka then sent Hurley to further his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., from where he obtained a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1984.^[1] Upon returning to the archdiocese, he served in three more appointments:

• Judicial vicar of the metropolitan tribunal (1984-1989)
• Diocesan moderator of the Curia (1986-1990)
• Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington (1990-2003)

In 1994, Pope John Paul II named him an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness, giving him the title of monsignor. That year, he also became a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.^[1]

Hurley served as Adam Cardinal Maida's delegate for Clergy Misconduct from 1988 to 1995 and again from 2002 to 2005, and as the cardinal's delegate and project manager for the construction of what is now the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, DC from 1995 to 2001.^[1]

Episcopal career

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On July 7, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Hurley as the 22nd Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Titular Bishop of Chunavia.^[2] Cardinal Maida performed his episcopal consecration on the August 12, 2003, with Cardinal Szoka and Bishop Walter Schoenherr serving as co-consecrators.^[2] Hurley selected "Serve With Gladness" as his episcopal motto.^[3] As an auxiliary bishop, he was responsible for the Northwest Region of the Archdiocese, which encompasses Oakland and Lapeer Counties.^[1]

Bishop of Grand Rapids

On June 21, 2005, upon the death of Bishop Kevin Michael Britt, Pope Benedict XVI named Hurley as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and he was he was installed on August 4, 2005.^[2] As bishop, Hurley was the spiritual leader of the over 175,000 Catholics in West Michigan.^[4] As required, Hurley submitted his resignation from the episcopal ordinate on his 75th birthday (May 30, 2012), but it was not accepted until April 18, 2013 when Pope Francis appointed David John Walkowiak as the new Bishop of Grand Rapids. During the period between his resignation and Walkowiak's installation, Hurley served as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese, and was present for his successor's consecration and installation on June 18, 2013 at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, assisting, among 19 other bishops, Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron as co-consecrator.

References

Diocese of Grand Rapids Bishops Ordinaries Henry Richter Michael J. Gallagher Edward D. Kelly Joseph G. Pinten Joseph C. Plagens Francis J. Haas Allen James Babcock Joseph M. Breitenbeck Robert John Rose Kevin Michael Britt Walter A. Hurley David J. Walkowiak Auxiliaries Charles Salatka Joseph Crescent McKinney Churches Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Grand Rapids Notable parishes Basilica of St. Adalbert, Grand Rapids Education Higher Education Aquinas College High Schools Catholic Central High School, Grand Rapids Muskegon Catholic Central High School, Muskegon St. Patrick High School, Portland West Catholic High School, Grand Rapids Sacred Heart Academy Classical Highschool Catholicism Portal

Archdiocese of Detroit Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Detroit Bishops Frederick Rese Caspar Borgess John Samuel Foley Michael Gallagher Coadjutor bishop Peter Paul Lefevere Archbishops Edward Aloysius Mooney John Francis Dearden Edmund Szoka Adam Maida Allen Henry Vigneron Churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit Cathedral Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parishes Detroit Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Most Holy Redeemer Church Our Lady of the Rosary Church Sacred Heart Church St. Albertus Church Ste. Anne de Detroit Church St. Catherine of Siena Church St. Charles Borromeo Church St. Josaphat's Church St. Joseph Church St. Mary Church St. Patrick Church Saints Peter and Paul Church St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church Sweetest Heart of Mary Church Monroe County St. Mary's Church, Monroe Wayne County St. Paul Church, Grosse Pointe Farms St. Florian Church, Hamtramck Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, Wyandotte Former St. Boniface Church, Detroit St. Theresa of Avila Church, Detroit St. Thomas the Apostle's Church, Detroit Shrine National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak Education in the Archdiocese of Detroit Higher education Madonna University Marygrove College University of Detroit Mercy Seminaries Sacred Heart Major Seminary SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary High schools Macomb County De La Salle Collegiate High School, Warren Regina High School, Warren Austin Catholic High School, Ray Township Monroe County St. Mary Catholic Central High School, Monroe Oakland County Academy of the Sacred Heart High School, Bloomfield Hills Bishop Foley Catholic High School, Madison Heights Brother Rice High School, Bloomfield Hills Detroit Catholic Central High School, Novi Everest Academy and High School, Independence Township Marian High School, Bloomfield Hills Mercy High School, Farmington Hills Notre Dame Preparatory, Pontiac Our Lady of the Lakes High School, Waterford Shrine Catholic High School, Royal Oak St. Mary's Preparatory, Orchard Lake Village St. Catherine of Siena Academy, Wixom St. Clair County Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Marine City Wayne County Cabrini High School, Allen Park Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Detroit Divine Child High School, Dearborn Gabriel Richard Catholic High School, Riverview Ladywood High School, Livonia Loyola High School, Detroit University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, Detroit Former Higher education Duns Scotus College Maryglade College High schools Girls Catholic Central High School, Detroit Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit Notre Dame High School, Harper Woods Sacred Heart High School, Roseville Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School, Wyandotte Clergy of the Archdiocese of Detroit Auxiliary bishops Moses Anderson Allen James Babcock Leonard Paul Blair Earl Alfred Boyea, Jr. Joseph M. Breitenbeck Kevin Michael Britt Michael J. Byrnes Arturo Cepeda Patrick R. Cooney Henry Edmund Donnelly John Anthony Donovan Daniel E. Flores Thomas Gumbleton Donald Hanchon Bernard Joseph Harrington Walter A. Hurley Joseph Leopold Imesch Edward D. Kelly Arthur Henry Krawczak Dale Joseph Melczek John Clayton Nienstedt Joseph C. Plagens John M. Quinn Francis R. Reiss Walter Joseph Schoenherr Allen Henry Vigneron Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki Alexander M. Zaleski Priests Alexander Joseph Brunett Solanus Casey Charles Coughlin Francis Kelley Camillus Paul Maes Jeffrey Marc Monforton William Murphy John A. Trese Kenneth Edward Untener Catholicism Portal Detroit Portal