Early life

Eusebius Beltran was born on August 31, 1934, in Ashley, Pennsylvania, to Joseph and Helen (née Kozlowski) Beltran. His father was a Spanish immigrant and coal miner, who later died of black lung disease. The fifth of eight children, Beltran has two siblings who entered the religious life as well; one brother also became a priest and one sister became a nun, taking the religious name Sister Sponsa and working as a missionary in Liberia. Eusebius Beltran was raised in Wilkes Barre and attended Marymount School. He took the name Joseph as his confirmation name.^[1]

After Beltran's father contracted Black Lung disease, he moved the family to Georgia in search of different employment. Aspiring to become a missionary, Eusebius Beltran became a seminarian for the Diocese of Savannah following his graduation from high school. Beltran returned to Pennsylvania for eight years, studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.^[1]

Priesthood

Beltran was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Francis Hyland on May 14, 1960, for the Diocese of Atlanta. Beltran then did pastoral and curial work in the Atlanta diocese (raised to archdiocese in 1962) until 1978. He attended the Second Vatican Council sessions in Rome during the early 1960's as a peritus to Archbishop Paul Hallinan. He also participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 during the American civil rights movement. From 1971 to 1978, Beltran served as vicar general for the archdiocese.^[1]

Bishop of Tulsa

On February 28, 1978, Beltran was appointed bishop of Tulsa by Pope Paul VI. He was consecrated on April 20 by Archbishop Charles Salatka, with Archbishop Thomas Donnellan and Bishop Andrew McDonald serving as co-consecrators. His mother, Helen, died shortly afterwards.^[1]

Most notable among his charity work were his efforts to assist persons in need, including unwed mothers, HIV/AIDS victims, homeless families, and women who had just been released from prison.^[1]

Archbishop of Oklahoma City

On November 24, 1992, Beltran was selected as archbishop of Oklahoma City by Pope John Paul II. He was installed on January 22, 1993. Beltran became the official publisher of the Sooner Catholic, a bi-monthly newspaper for Catholics in Oklahoma. Beltran's sermons were featured in each number of the newspaper during his reign.^[1]

In 1999, Reverend James Francis Rapp was arrested and pleaded no contest to sexually abusing two boys in Duncan, Oklahoma. During a subsequent civil trial, it was discovered that Beltran knew about Rapp's prior history of abuse as early as 1994. Beltran received medical documents and psychiatric evaluations of Rapp that advised the priest should not be allowed to work with children.^[2]

In 2009, Beltran expressed his opposition to President Barack Obama giving the commencement speech at and receiving an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, saying, "President Obama, by word and action, has approved of abortion and other atrocities against human life. Therefore he deserves no recognition at a Catholic institution."^[3]

Retirement and legacy

Upon reaching his 75th birthday in 2009, Beltran submitted to the Vatican a letter of resignation as archbishop of Oklahoma City, as required by Catholic canon law. His request was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on December 16, 2010, during a press conference at which his successor, Bishop Paul Stagg Coakley of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, was introduced. ^[4]