His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Bernard Joseph Harrington
Bishop Emeritus of Winona
Harrington in 2017
ChurchRoman Catholic
DioceseWinona
AppointedNovember 4, 1998
InstalledJanuary 6, 1999
RetiredMay 7, 2009
PredecessorJohn George Vlazny
SuccessorJohn M. Quinn
Orders
OrdinationJune 6, 1959
ConsecrationJanuary 6, 1994
by Adam Maida, Dale Joseph Melczek, and Walter Joseph Schoenherr
Personal details
Born (1933-09-06) September 6, 1933
Detroit, Michigan
Previous post(s)
MottoHave life more abundantly
Styles of
Bernard Joseph Harrington
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Bernard Joseph Harrington (born September 6, 1933) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Winona in Minnesota from 1999 to 2009 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan from 1993 to 1999.

Biography

Early life

Bernard Harrington was born on September 6, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, to John and Norah (née Cronin) Harrington; he has two brothers, John and Timothy, and one sister, Irene. His parents were immigrants from Bantry Bay, County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland.[1]

Harrington studied at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and St. John's Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. He graduated from the Catholic University of America with a Master of Education degree.

Priesthood

On June 6, 1959, Harrington was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit for the Archdiocese of Detroit.[1]

During his priestly ministry, Harrington served as archdiocesan assistant superintendent of schools and pastor of Holy Name Parish in Birmingham, Michigan. From 1977 to 1985, he was rector of Sacred Heart Seminary. He later became director of the Department of Formation and pastor of St. Rene Goupil Parish in Sterling Heights, Michigan, in 1984.

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On November 23, 1993, Pope John Paul II appointed Harrington as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit and titular bishop of Uzalis. He was consecrated on January 6, 1994 by Archbishop Adam Maida, with Bishops Dale Melczek and Walter Schoenherr serving as co-consecrators. Harrington chose as his episcopal motto: "Have life more abundantly" (John 10:10).[2][1][3]

As auxiliary bishop, Harrington served as vicar of the Office of Pastoral Services for Parishes[4] in the archdiocesan curia, episcopal liaison for the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., and regional bishop for Macomb County, Michigan and St. Clair County, Michigan.

Bishop of Winona

On November 4, 1998, John Paul II named Harrington as the seventh bishop of Winona. He was installed on January 6, 1999.[1][3]

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Harrington chaired the Committee on Education and sat on the Ad Hoc Committee on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians. He was also a member of the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee and its liaison to the Subcommittee for Lay Ministry.[5]

On April 15, 2008, Harrington commented on the plans of Kathy Redig, a chaplain in the diocese, to undergo an unauthorized ordination. Harrington said that Redig would, in effect, be "self-excommunicating" herself from the Catholic Church by this action.[6] In May 2009, Harrington criticized the University of Notre Dame for inviting President Barack Obama to its commencement ceremonies.[7] Harrington stated that Notre Dame:

...is choosing to defy the bishops of the United States and turn its back on the Catholic community in its continual defense of the right-to-life. The university’s stance is similar to that of Catholic politicians who say that they are pro-life and then support legislation and vote for programs that foster abortion.[7]

Retirement and legacy

Harrington in 2018

On October 15, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop John M. Quinn as coadjutor bishop of Winona. On May 7, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Harrington's resignation.[8][1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bishop Bernard Joseph Harrington [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  2. ↑ "Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible, John Chapter 10". www.drbo.org.
  3. 1 2 "All Bishops". Archdiocese of Detroit. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  4. ↑ "Archdiocese of Detroit Archdiocese of Detroit - The Roman Catholic Church in Detroit, MI". www.aodonline.org.
  5. ↑ "USCCB - Family, Laity, Women & Youth Home Page". Archived from the original on 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  6. ↑ CNA. "Minnesota woman will excommunicate herself, says bishop". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  7. 1 2 CNA. "Bishop of Winona: Notre Dame flap 'no win' for the Church, losing situation for university". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  8. ↑ "Bishop Quinn to lead Diocese of Winona". Archived from the original on 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.