His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Edward Cornelius O'Leary
Bishop of Portland
Titular Bishop of Moglaena
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeePortland
In officeDecember 18, 1974 – September 27, 1988
PredecessorPeter Leo Gerety
SuccessorJoseph John Gerry, O.S.B.
Orders
OrdinationJune 15, 1946
ConsecrationJanuary 25, 1971
Personal details
Born(1920-08-21)August 21, 1920
Bangor, Maine
DiedApril 2, 2002(2002-04-02) (aged 81)
Portland, Maine
Previous post(s)Auxiliary Bishop of Portland (1971–1974)
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross (AB)
St. Paul's Seminary (LST)
Ordination history of
Edward Cornelius O'Leary
History
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated byPeter Leo Gerety
DateJanuary 25, 1971
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Edward Cornelius O'Leary as principal consecrator
Amédée Wilfrid ProulxNovember 12, 1975

Edward Cornelius O'Leary (August 21, 1920 – April 2, 2002) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Portland in Maine from1974 to 1988 and as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese from 1970 to 1974

Biography

Early life

Edward O'Leary was born on August 21, 1920, in Bangor, Maine, in 1920. He studied at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, obtaining his bachelor's degree.[1] He then attended St. Paul's Seminary in Ottawa, Ontario, where he received a Licentiate of Sacred Theology.[1]

Priesthood

O'Leary was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Portland by Bishop Joseph McCarthy on June 15, 1946.[2] He was assigned as a curate at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish, then served at Sacred Heart Parish in Portland and at St. Margaret's Parish in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.[1] O'Leary was named chancellor of the diocese, and a domestic prelate by Pope John XXIII in 1959.[1] O'Leary served as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Brunswick, Maine, from 1967 to 1971.[3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Portland

On November 16, 1970, O'Leary was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Portland and Titular Bishop of Moglaena by Pope Paul VI.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on January 25, 1971, from Bishop Peter Gerety, with Bishops Bernard Flanagan and Lawrence Graves serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.[2]

Bishop of Portland

Following the promotion of Bishop Gerety to Archbishop of Newark in New Jersey in April 1974, Paul VI appointed O'Leary as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Portland on October 16, 1974.[2] He was installed on December 18, 1974.[2]

During his tenure, O'Leary was forced to address the problems of an increasing population but a decline in priestly vocations.[4] He encouraged the greater involvement of laity and women in church administration, and developed a system of parish councils.[1] The Portland Diocese also joined the Maine Council of Churches during this time.[4] O'Leary took frequent public stands on a number of social issues of importance to the Church, endorsing a referendum on pornography and opposing the Maine Equal Rights Amendment (which he believed would enforce taxpayer-funded abortions).[1] He also worked to assist HIV/AIDS victims through the Church's social services program.[1] It was also customary for O'Leary to visit all the hospitals every Christmas Day.

Death and legacy

On September 27, 1988, Pope John Paul II accepted O'Leary's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Portland.[2] Edward O'Leary died in Portland on April 2, 2002, at age 81.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Most Rev. Edward C. O'Leary, D.D." Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bishop Edward Cornelius O'Leary". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Parish History". St. Charles Borromeo Church. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "History of the Portland Diocese". Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
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